Pump On or Off

[Big Lou]

Twenty four hundred gallon pond. Mosquito fish only, if they survived the freeze. Pond is perfectly clear and clear of surface leaves. Out of pond filter fed by pump. Filter returns pump pushed water to pond. Forty-two now. Low of thirty-one tonight. Temperatures slightly warming to sixty in daytime, dropping to mid-thirties at night next week. No hard freezes forecast.

Should I run my pump at this time? If so, continuous or periodically?

 

[sissy]

I keep mine running all winter .So with you temps as long as you see no ice I would not worry as much with temps like that .Just watch your filter and outlets and hoses

 

[j.w]

I ran mine all through the freezing temps here and my fish are just fine. Course mine is a submersible pump and won't freeze in the bottom of my pond. Lou your temps are so mild your land pump should not freeze but if your temps go to freezing then I would turn an outside pump off and put in the house somewhere not freezing. Have no clue on the care of those fish you have and how cold they can go.

 

[addy1]

You shouldn't need to worry lou, we can freeze hard enough here I pull my pump turn everything off except the aerator.

 

[Big Lou]

I ran mine all through the freezing temps here and my fish are just fine. Course mine is a submersible pump and won't freeze in the bottom of my pond. Lou your temps are so mild your land pump should not freeze but if your temps go to freezing then I would turn an outside pump off and put in the house somewhere not freezing. Have no clue on the care of those fish you have and how cold they can go.

My pump is underwater.

 

[dieselplower]

I would just leave it running for now. What is the water temperature? I would let that be your guide.

 

[j.w]

You are cool then Lou, just leave it running :cheerful:

 

[Mmathis]

I have unplugged the main pump that goes to the SKIPPY, but have a smaller one going [shallow] that's filtering the "fines."

 

[Shdwdrgn]

Some advice from someone who's been there... DO NOT turn off your pumps after the temperatures go below freezing!!! The flowing water is the only thing keeping your pipes from freezing solid, and the ice can burst your pipes within a matter of hours. If you decide you want to turn off your pumps for the season, do it when the air and ground temps are above freezing, and drain your pipes right away.

Lou, I'm in zone 5a, and I have always kept my pumps running all Winter. As long as the water keeps moving, the pumps will be fine. However you also want to consider your fish... Does your water circulation keep the entire pond in motion, or are there deep areas were the fish can settle in to a calm, warmer pool of water? If your water flow does not disturb the depths, then you'll be fine. And at your temperatures, I wouldn't really be worrying about it anyway!