Freezing weather

[Parrot lady]

I read somewhere that you're supposed to unhook your pumps and put them somewhere warm out of the weather??????

 

[Tula]

I think it depends if you have submersible or external pumps.

 

[j.w]

Yep submersible can either just keep running or stay underwater for the winter. External need to go in somewhere it can't freeze!

 

[addy1]

I leave mine outside, external pump. Drained, covered, it does fine. Been doing this for about 4 years after a bunch of spiders hatched bringing it to warm house.

 

[Parrot lady]

I leave mine outside, external pump. Drained, covered, it does fine. Been doing this for about 4 years after a bunch of spiders hatched bringing it to warm house.

Thank you all. It's submersible if I take them out will the fish get enough oxygen without them. I've got a tarp over half the pond and I've got a 250 watt heat lamp shining down to the water. ??????

 

[cas]

after a bunch of spiders hatched bringing it to warm house.

I never thought about that... Yikes!

 

[addy1]

I never thought about that... Yikes!

Yep last time ever brought in. They make winter nests in the crevices.
Warm = hatch

 

[Linda W]

Alas, my submerged pump made it through a record 10-degree-F cold night but something stopped the water from going into my bog. I ran outside to turn off the pump. Now the pipe that runs from the pump to a splitter between the bog and the stream froze and cracked. (See photos below) When I tried to restart the pump, water came gushing out. It could have been the problem or a side effect. Do you think insulating the above-ground pipes would be enough to get the system through most cold snaps? When I turn off the pump, about 500 gallons of water overflows into the rain garden and is lost to the system. We had hoped to run it all the time.

I’m feeling so much gratitude that the furnace came back on yesterday after a few chilly hours and the electric has stayed on that this feels more like a puzzle than an annoyance. Merry Christmas, all y’all!

 

[GBBUDD]

i'm guessing you shut down your pumps and that's when your pipe froze.
There's a few tricks i do when i do shut down the pumps.
1. I have an external pump and after shutting down I disconnect the pump from the plumbing lines. This does two things it allows the pipe to not have back pressure. And it gives the ice a place to expand to other than breaking out the pipe. it will follow the pipe within reason of how deep the cold snap is. I'm in CT where it can stay below freezing for a month or more. using flex pvc can help here as well.
2. When the pump is free i take it and put it on end so that all the water will drain out i will then place the pump into a plastic trash bag to keep gaskets from drying out.

I would recommend taking submersibles out of the water as they will continue to corrode underwater particularly since they are not operating.

Insulating can surely help but if you have a problem area heat tape with insulation is a best bet. and with heat tape do not wrap it around the pipe like a barber pole unlike the common belief. just run it along the bottom, heat rises.

from the burst pipe you had the ball valve off and gave the ice no where to expand, so if went where it could being the end of the line where cold air was probably on the other side of the ball valve

 

[Linda W]

Thanks @GBBUDD! Very helpful.

 

[Mgessert]

We had an unusual three day freeze this past week (I know, I know, I’m a wimp.). On advice I read here, I submerged my tropical plants and they came through it unscathed. Y’all are great!