pump

damon5

Was wondering does my oase fitral uvc pond pump when disconected in winter really need to be taken out of the pond as instructions say.They state that it should be taken out,cleaned and then stored submerged in a container of water,with any space at all for doing this at a premium in such a small property it cant really be done.
I think the main reason for it being stored in water is that the seals will be prevented from drying,cracking etc so was wondering if i gave the pump a good clean and left it powered off at the bottom of my 2ft deep pond would,nt that be ok,any solutions and experience welcomed,cheers..

eg6 vtec

from experience if the manufacturer states that it should be done then i would try my best to do it, maybe if you take it out clean it like it says then put some vaseline on the seals to stop them drying up and put in away

damon5

eg6 vtec wrote: »

from experience if the manufacturer states that it should be done then i would try my best to do it, maybe if you take it out clean it like it says then put some vaseline on the seals to stop them drying up and put in away

Thanks,thought vaseline would have been toxic to use so that will be ok then.Actually just came across this bit of info on the tetra website which was interesting and i,ve never heard of this before..
QUOTE...
…Jack Frost strikes?
Stop using your pond equipment before the first frost. Wash the filter, pump and UV-C algae clarifier thoroughly, clean the lamp’s quartz glass tube and ideally leave your pump to soak over winter in a place where the water won’t freeze. This prevents residue from water conditioners or anti-algae agents affecting the material.....UNQUOTE..

m4r10

You shouldn't use vaseline but silicone grease. I agree that it's a little impractical to store a big filter in water where it won't freeze - your home.
Can I ask why would you remove the filter from the pond in the first place? If left running, it would prevent the water from freezing so you won't have to worry about storing it. It's not like we get that much cold weather after all.

damon5

m4r10 wrote: »

You shouldn't use vaseline but silicone grease. I agree that it's a little impractical to store a big filter in water where it won't freeze - your home.
Can I ask why would you remove the filter from the pond in the first place? If left running, it would prevent the water from freezing so you won't have to worry about storing it. It's not like we get that much cold weather after all.

Ah,silicone grease,where can i pick some of that up.Was going to remove the combined uvc filter pump for a couple of reasons..
1....had read somewhere that the uv glass tube cant take the very low temperature in the winter and could crack.
2....That the fish lay more dormant in the bottom area of the pond and the water there will be a few degrees warmer without a pump running,that if it was it would be drawing that warmer water from bottom to top with cooler water from the top being drawn to bottom.
3...The uvc pump filter that i have runs a fountain spout on top of it which just ripples the surface water from beneath the surface and a water feature which brings water back into the pond,its rated for 2500 ltrs an hour but only 1100 when run through the uv filter.The pond is roughly 1100ltr so with the water feature disconnected to prevent damage from freezing i was thinking there would be too much circulation,more like a washing machine :eek:

m4r10

OK, fair enough. I know nothing about ponds but seemed a good idea to keep the water oxygenated even during winter.
As for the silicone grease, I got a tube off ebay but you can try any wholesale electrical provider or maybe a plumbing/building supplier.

damon5

m4r10 wrote: »

OK, fair enough. I know nothing about ponds but seemed a good idea to keep the water oxygenated even during winter.
As for the silicone grease, I got a tube off ebay but you can try any wholesale electrical provider or maybe a plumbing/building supplier.

Dont know much about ponds myself so googleing the internet looking for answers,as usual though you get conflicting results.
Came across a website somewhere that said that if you have a direct drive style pump it should be stored in water and protected from freezing which helps to keep the seals moist,on the other hand if you have a magnetic drive or asychronous pump they can be stored anywhere dry.I havnt a clue about these differant types of pumps so still in the dark but agree that some form of slight movement in the water from a small pump or air pump would be beneficial to vent off gases produced from any decaying matter etc

buzz

if you are going to store it over the winter, use grease but clean It properly with warm water and lemon citrix before next april.

How deep is the pond?

Unless pond is less thank 4 ft, it will work fine in the winter.

My pond is 4.5ft in deepest part and I leave it running in winter and the flow stops the pond from freezing over. Maybe not ideal but it has been running for over 4 years and only had to change the motor once recently!

Pond fish don't get direct sunlight in the winter so no need for UV so I take mine out. They don't eat pellet food when temp drops under a certain temp, usually oct is when I stop feeding so no need for full on filtration so I just use the pump for water movement to break the water surface.

damon5

Thanks for the reply Buzz,the pond is only 2ft deep so not sure what type of winter were going to have so will err on the side of caution and take the pump out.The UV is built as part of the pump filter and actually had the bulb taken out when i was initially trying to cycle the pond because it wouldnt cycle with it running,its the glasss tube that i was more worried about if there was a winter with some pretty cold spells because not sure at what low temperature would crack the uv glass cover....