Can I leave my pump and waterfall running thru the winter.

[Catch&Release]

Hey folks. I see all sorts of beautiful tube videos where people leave their ponds up and running thru winter. I'm in Z6 and it gets well below freezing so would I be completely out of my mind to let mine keep working. Thanks so much!

 

[BKHpondcritters]

I'll give you a definite 'It depends'. I used to live in the Chicago suburbs (zone 5) and now I'm in NC (zone 7) Both locations I ran my pond/waterfall all year. Part of it depends on the design of your stream & waterfall - if the edges are low & there is a high risk of ice damming diverting water out over the liner, then I'd shut it down. If you're the sort of person who really doesn't spend much time outside in the cold weather, or you'd rather not have to keep a close eye on the pond, then I'd shut it down.
If, however, your edges are significantly high that you're not worried about ice build up, and you're OK with having to be out there every day making sure things are running properly (and actually dealing with any problems that might arise) then go ahead & leave it running.
I do keep a deicer floating right in front of my main skimmer & run it when it's so cold I'm worried about the water freezing up at the opening. I also keep a long hose in the garage, so IF necessary I can drag it out & add water (need an unfrozen hose)
I shut down one year here in NC because my pump died in very late fall & by the time the replacement arrived everything was already frozen, and, I did one year in Chicago have an exposed ball valve crack, so the pond had to be shut down mid-winter (pump pulled, bubbler installed) during a sub-zero stretch of cold - not fun. But other than that, I love having it run all winter. The ice sculptures are beautiful.

 

[frogbath]

It's my first winter with a new pond in 5b but my assumption has been if the flow is strong enough it should keep from freezing. We've had a few back to back days in the teens so far and even though other water around my property froze hard (animal troughs etc) the pond has kept running. Not even a slight freeze.

So I'll chime in on the "it depends". If you feel like you have good flow and it's deep enough I'd say go for it but keep your eyes open on those cold mornings and nights for sudden changes.

 

[Sunshine]

I'm zone 5. I've always left the bio running all year long. I shut down the bog. The water coming out of the bio will freeze, but the water will run behind it. My pond is right off my patio, a few feet from my back door. So yes, I constantly check on it. If it stays cold for awhile and the whole starts to close up, I have a trough heater that I put in there to keep a hole open.

 

[GBBUDD]

I'm zone 5. I've always left the bio running all year long. I shut down the bog. The water coming out of the bio will freeze, but the water will run behind it. My pond is right off my patio, a few feet from my back door. So yes, I constantly check on it. If it stays cold for awhile and the whole starts to close up, I have a trough heater that I put in there to keep a hole open.

Not sure i understand shutting down your bog but leaving the bio falls running. I would lean the other way as the bog Is alive both above and below the waterline. But the bio falls are far less bacteria surface area then that is of the bog. id try to keep as much of the bio load intact and alive as i could over the winter. In cold weather most bacteria is on the down ward slide . But some will do well in the colder waters. Imo

 

[GBBUDD]

It's my first winter with a new pond in 5b but my assumption has been if the flow is strong enough it should keep from freezing. We've had a few back to back days in the teens so far and even though other water around my property froze hard (animal troughs etc) the pond has kept running. Not even a slight freeze.

So I'll chime in on the "it depends". If you feel like you have good flow and it's deep enough I'd say go for it but keep your eyes open on those cold mornings and nights for sudden changes.

The key to wintering for your fish IMO is to leave undisturbed water toward the bottom of your pond. This is where your warmer waters will be it kinda defies common sence but anyone who has swam in the ocen or even a pond has swam into these layers of warm and cold.
Now as to mother nature if your pond was build with icing in mind and you have high sides and or recesed water falls . Then when the waters start to freeze if you have these areas you could have the water run under the ice. And that in Its self is insulated by the ice the water will only see 32 degrees. And if that water doesn't mix with the layers in the pond your golden.
There's many in cold areas who leave the pond running year round or only shut down on the coldest days. I shut down usuualy in December. I am in CT. But I am not always around to keep a watchful eye out for freezing weather.

 

[Sunshine]

Not sure i understand shutting down your bog but leaving the bio falls running. I would lean the other way as the bog Is alive both above and below the waterline. But the bio falls are far less bacteria surface area then that is of the bog. id try to keep as much of the bio load intact and alive as i could over the winter. In cold weather most bacteria is on the down ward slide . But some will do well in the colder waters. Imo

The side that has the bog is bigger and that's where the koi stay. It freezes over. I don't really go by bacteria, I figure the cold kills most off. Only a few comets will be where the waterfall is running. Been doing it this way for 12+ years with no problem.

 

[BobDE]

My pond in zone 7 has been running nonstop for 16 years. Never had a problem. The ice sculptures made by the waterfall are an added bonus! LOL

 

[Lisak1]

@BKHpondcritters gave my standard answer - it does indeed depend on your waterfall construction and your tolerance for dealing with any issues that may arise during the winter months. This will be our 8th year running the pond all winter long. Occasionally we have to add water during the winter, but that's only happen maybe twice. We keep a short section of hose in the basement for this purpose so we aren't trying to deal with a frozen hose outside. We also have our pond set up so our sump pump water flows into the pond. We can hook up a hose in the basement, drop it into the sump pump pit and use it as a "trickle filler" - turn the hose on to barely a trickle and let it slowly fill the pond every time the pit fills and the pump turns on. We've tested it so I know it will work - if we ever have a low water situation in the bitter cold, that's what we will do.

The plus to allowing the pump to run all winter that I don't think anyone has mentioned is you don't have to worry about that frequently mentioned issue of keeping a hole open in the pond surface. The constantly flowing water takes care of the off-gassing. In our pond design, the water is being pumped from an underground basin, six feet below the surface, so it stays very close to the temperature near the bottom of the pond.

 

[Catch&Release]

Very cool folks! I have no problem keeping a close eye on the pond. So there's really no issues with destroying the pump. I think I'll look at heaters. The pond is 40 inches plus or minus so it got a good depth for the cold conditions.
Again, thanks so much. John

 

[frogbath]

Only risk IMO comes down to the pumps location in your setup and how it's fed. For example I have a spot between my main pond and intake bay and if it freezes solid in that shallow area due to flow being too low or temps being too cold or both then my pump would end up running dry and I imagine burning out since that gap is the only way water can flow into the bay where the pump is located. Like Lisa my pump is down at the same depth as the bottom of the pond so hopefully the water temperature stays warm enough throughout the winter. It sounds like your pond is deep enough where is your pump located?

 

[BobDE]

Very cool folks! I have no problem keeping a close eye on the pond. So there's really no issues with destroying the pump. I think I'll look at heaters. The pond is 40 inches plus or minus so it got a good depth for the cold conditions.
Again, thanks so much. John

I am wondering about your heater comment. I think that the purpose of a heater would be to keep a hole open. If your waterfall is running there is no need. Maybe some others will weigh in. I have been through some of the worst winters with no heater and no problems. Just some food for thought to save you some money....

 

[Lisak1]

I am wondering about your heater comment.

Same question. Maybe you mean de-icer, which isn't a heater but a device which will keep one small area free of ice.

 

[brokensword]

Very cool folks! I have no problem keeping a close eye on the pond. So there's really no issues with destroying the pump. I think I'll look at heaters. The pond is 40 inches plus or minus so it got a good depth for the cold conditions.
Again, thanks so much. John

best to keep the pump higher so as not to disturb the bottom water. Though you won't get a thermocline in anything less than 10', you still can lower the temperature. Water is most dense at 39 deg F and when your pond hits this temp, the warmer water on top will invert and begin sinking to the bottom, which is where your fish will gravitate to. The temp near the top wherever ice forms will be near freezing whereas the lower will stay warmer. Others have shown minimal temp difference though, from beneath the ice to the bottom.

And you'll indeed have a nice electricity bill if you try and heat your pond, esp at 40" of depth. Along with a de-icer, consider a pond breather as another way to keep that hole open. If you have the pump higher and can disturb the surface a bit, you won't need either.

 

[Gordo33]

zone 6 I believe ...southeastern PA. Pumps run year round. Only time I had to plug in the de icer was in Jan 2016 ( second pic from the left) Pond has been running for 6 years.
I agree 100 % with BKH regarding how the water fall stream and pond is build around the edges will determine success or failure.
I have two DIY skimmer boxes that house the pumps so water at the bottom is not disturbed.