Hey everyone! I went out today and the weather was so nice, I decided to do something I've never done before. I did Spring maintenance on my waterfall filter. The pond is 2 years old and although I'm diligent with hosing out the Matala pad and basket in the skimmer, this is the first time I did the waterfall filter. I wish I had taken my camera out with me so you could see the mud and scum in it! It was pretty gross! However, the maintenance was VERY easy and I'm really glad I decided to get this particular piece of equipment.
First, I turned off the pump and let the water settle. Then I opened the gate valve at the bottom of the waterfall and let all the grungy water flow out. As you can see from the photos, I have some rocks and plants on top of the waterfall. The bulk of the plant cover is a pre-planted tray of sedum from Home Depot. Here in the south, it survives the winter cold and comes right back. All I had to do was pick up the tray and set it aside. I moved the two flat rocks and round river rocks aside, then took off the scrap piece of pond liner I use to keep dirt and debris from getting in around the cracks in the lid. There are a few plastic bolts around the top - I unscrewed them with my fingers. After taking off the top, I lifted out the filter pad. HOLY MOLY it was gross! Two years worth of scum. The spring tape media inside was gross too, but instead of replacing it with new, I just very gently hosed off most of the crud. I didn't want to completely disrupt any beneficial bacteria in there; I just gave it a gentle rinse. Then I opened the gate valve a second time to let the muddy water out.
At that point, I just put everything back together and restarted the pump.
Since I do have a filter pad in the skimmer, this waterfall maintenance doesn't need to be done more than once a year. It was SO EASY! I was pleasantly surprised!
First, I turned off the pump and let the water settle. Then I opened the gate valve at the bottom of the waterfall and let all the grungy water flow out. As you can see from the photos, I have some rocks and plants on top of the waterfall. The bulk of the plant cover is a pre-planted tray of sedum from Home Depot. Here in the south, it survives the winter cold and comes right back. All I had to do was pick up the tray and set it aside. I moved the two flat rocks and round river rocks aside, then took off the scrap piece of pond liner I use to keep dirt and debris from getting in around the cracks in the lid. There are a few plastic bolts around the top - I unscrewed them with my fingers. After taking off the top, I lifted out the filter pad. HOLY MOLY it was gross! Two years worth of scum. The spring tape media inside was gross too, but instead of replacing it with new, I just very gently hosed off most of the crud. I didn't want to completely disrupt any beneficial bacteria in there; I just gave it a gentle rinse. Then I opened the gate valve a second time to let the muddy water out.
At that point, I just put everything back together and restarted the pump.
Since I do have a filter pad in the skimmer, this waterfall maintenance doesn't need to be done more than once a year. It was SO EASY! I was pleasantly surprised!
