Pond in new house, water level low and pump is making a loud sound!

[radioactivenerd]

Hey guys could use some help here! Just moved into a new place with a BEAUTIFUL pond - but over the past few weeks, we’ve seen the water level recede despite the rain we’ve had. Yesterday we started hearing a weird noise which I assume is the pump as the water is too low.
Is it better to switch off the pump in this case to stop it overheating or something whilst we check for a leak? Or should we do something different?

Keen to get any help - no fish in the pond, it’s just plants and some frogs

 

[Tula]

Yes it's best to turn off your pump if the water level is too low or it'll burn out the pump.

Frequently water falls are the source of water loss. You could fill the pond, then run it without the water fall and see if it drops. That way you'd know if it is the waterfall.

 

[Laaf]

Can you add water with a hose? Does your pond have an auto fill? It could be that you need to periodically fill with a hose.

 

[radioactivenerd]

Can you add water with a hose? Does your pond have an auto fill? It could be that you need to periodically fill with a hose.

Thanks - I have heard that you cannot simply fill a pond with tap water from a hose due to the chemicals - is that not true? I’ll gladly top it up with water from a hose if that is recommended!

 

[radioactivenerd]

Yes it's best to turn off your pump if the water level is too low or it'll burn out the pump.

Frequently water falls are the source of water loss. You could fill the pond, then run it without the water fall and see if it drops. That way you'd know if it is the waterfall.

Hmm we do have a water fall - I’ll need to see how to disconnect the waterfall and then fill the pond - but filling the pond with tap water is not recommended right?

 

[Jhn]

Thanks - I have heard that you cannot simply fill a pond with tap water from a hose due to the chemicals - is that not true? I’ll gladly top it up with water from a hose if that is recommended!

That is untrue, now if you are on a municipal water supply then you need to add dechlorinator to neutralize the chlorine. If you are on a well then you are fine to just to add water.

As @Tula said fill it up and leave it sit with nothing running and see if the water level drops, if it doesn’t then there is a leak in your plumbing or in the waterfall.

 

[radioactivenerd]

That is untrue, now if you are on a municipal water supply then you need to add dechlorinator to neutralize the chlorine. If you are on a well then you are fine to just to add water.

As @Tula said fill it up and leave it sit with nothing running and see if the water level drops, if it doesn’t then there is a leak in your plumbing or in the waterfall.

got it - yes we are on municipal supply so will need a dechlorinator - which is not easy to do for a large amount of water that we're going to need for the pond as far as I'm aware - is there a way to dechlorinate large amounts without going 1 bucket at at ime?

also, i have a few rain water butts - perhaps i could use those? although the water in there is a bit old...

 

[mrsclem]

You can do dechlorinator for any volume of water. I use a dry powder type and just throw a couple of scoops in right next to the hose while filling.

 

[addy1]

i have a few rain water butts - perhaps i could use those? although the water in there is a bit old...

The fish don't care if the water is old, unless chemicals etc have gotten into the water.

 

[radioactivenerd]

You can do dechlorinator for any volume of water. I use a dry powder type and just throw a couple of scoops in right next to the hose while filling.

thanks ok ill look into that - needs a lot of buckets of water!

 

[Tula]

Many of us add water to our ponds with a garden hose regularly, due to evaporation. Dechlorinators are added based on volume of water in a pond. For example, the type I use in my 1700 gallon pond is just 3 capfuls

 

[jgrandmont]

Thanks - I have heard that you cannot simply fill a pond with tap water from a hose due to the chemicals - is that not true? I’ll gladly top it up with water from a hose if that is recommended!

I'm of the opinion that, depending on the volume of water you need to replace, you don't necessarily need to treat tap water with de-chlorinator. I regularly add town water to my smallish goldfish pond without any apparent ill effects on the fish. However, I'd guess that I've never replaced more than 10% of the total volume at any one time. If adding more than that, I'd probably use some de-chlorinator.

 

[radioactivenerd]

Many of us add water to our ponds with a garden hose regularly, due to evaporation. Dechlorinators are added based on volume of water in a pond. For example, the type I use in my 1700 gallon pond is just 3 capfuls

OK, this is really helpful - but as a newbie, i just want to make sure i dont do anything wrong to harm the gorgeous frogs that are in the pond.

• The pond is a wildlife pond only, no fish - has lots of frogs, newts and dragonflies etc.
• I'm looking to add city water into it, via the hose - and will add dechlorinator into the pond itself as the water fills the pond - is this safe to do and not likely to harm the frogs even though the water will be chlorinated to start with for a bit?
• I do need to add more than 10% of the total volume as the pond is quite low at this point - so i will use dechlorinator
• any recommendations for dechlorinator brands? is one safer/gentler than any others?

Thank you for all this advice guys - i look forward to being able to help someone else one day, and really appreciate all the help - of course if im missing any obvious reading material to learn all this do point me to it so im not asking basic questions on here!

 

[poconojoe]

Yes, add the dechlorinator to the pond, directly in the flow from your hose as your filling the pond.

The important thing is that you add the correct amount of dechlorinator for the amount of water you are adding. Follow the recommended amount written on the bottle.
The way I do this is I have a small digital water meter device that screws onto my hose. It was about $20 on Amazon. It's called a water saver. It may cost a bit more in today's market.

Some people use a type of filter that screws onto your hose which gets rid of the chlorine. I've never tried that though.

 

[Laaf]

I was told (at a water garden/pond store) that you only need to add dechlorinator if you are replacing 30% of your pond water at one time. This has only happened to me if I had a bog-astrophe of my bog overflowing not into the pond on 2 occassions. Usually I just add inches of water (much less than 30% of total volume) as needed. Anywhere from every day to every few weeks. I hardly add water in winter.

You can roughly calculate your pond volume by exterior dimensions and depth to know total volume, then guesstimate on how many gallons low it is.

All ponds needs water added. It is a question of how much, how often, and how.

I agree measuring a few times could be useful to have an idea.