Hi there from Chicago

[teeemkay]

I think you guys just saved my butt (and my pond and my fish). I am 95% sure the GFCI was tripped.

To be honest, I didn't even realize those outlets were GFCI. First of all, you practically have to stand on your head to get a good look at them inside the outlet box (the heavy boxy cover over them can only be lifted about 90 degrees, and it's barely at knee height, so it involved kneeling in snow and almost laying on my side to get a good look with a flashlight... not to mention trying to push aside scratchy shrubbery).

Also, the Test and Reset buttons are really tiny, square, and are the same beige color as the outlet--they are not like the red/black ones or the rectangle ones I have seen on other GFCIs. I am willing to bet that when I was struggling last night to get that deicer plugged back in, I hit the Test button with one of the prongs. (Or maybe even last week... that might explain why one of the old high-power deicers and the 100 watt one did absolutely nothing.)

I hit Reset, plugged the deicer back in, and it appears to be working. I had poured a bucket of hot water by the skimmer box to loosen up the heater, and that thawed area has not re-frozen at all in the past 2 hours since I went out there to check things out.

So... thank you, thank you, THANK YOU. I didn't even think about looking for GFCIs on those outlets until it was brought up. We have a sub-zero night ahead of us tonight and I would have probably had a mess on my hands tomorrow morning.

 

[snoozer]

You're welcome. Glad it was something simple

 

[haver79]

Glad you found the problem Teeemkay. I have had my 1500 watt heater plugged in almost daily all winter so far. Hate the bills but using that and the bubblers have been working well so far. I have my electric bill budgeted out so I pay a flat fee all year. No surprise huge bills in the winter or hot summer months.

 

[teeemkay]

Last weekend as soon as the air temperature outside got back above 25 degrees or so, all the ice on the pond melted, so we unplugged the deicers and the pond was fine until the temperature dropped down below 20 again. I don't mind having the 100 watt one plugged in constantly just in case we get a sudden quick freeze and we are both gone from the house for a long stretch of time (which rarely happens)... It's those high-watt ones that I'd like to use as little as possible as they are energy suckers.

 

[tbendl]

I'm late to the game but welcome!

 

[callingcolleen1]

I keep my big heater on a separate breaker from the rest of the ponds, so that at least the pumps won't quit pumping when it is like minus 40 below! Those big heaters can trip breakers cause they draw so much power. I unplug the big heaters in the day time when the weather is like around 20 Fahrenheit and above, to save electric power.

 

[teeemkay]

I unplugged the high-watt one when I got home from work. There is zero ice on the pond itself and only a small amount left on the waterfall. I left the 100 watt one in there. It's only supposed to go down to about 20 degrees at the very lowest tonight. 41 degrees here by Saturday!!

 

[callingcolleen1]

You will be fine. If you have no ice and your ground is not frozen deep, then you won't even need big heater until it gets really cold.

 

[CometKeith]

Welcome. I'm in chicago too. I never use a heater....just either an airstone or I keep my waterfall going at a leisurely pace. My pond is about 4.5 ft deep. The fish all do fine no matter how cold it gets.