What to do when gone for weeks

[Bierman1]

Hi,
I have a 2500 gallon pond with a small waterfall creek feature with a pump and slimmer. No fish or anything living in it. We have not been spending much time at this home in the summer. Usually gone for 4 weeks, back for a few weeks, then gone again. It seems to take a lot of water and seems pointless when we are not here. I would like to drain it and shut it down since we will be gone so much. Problem is, after I drain the water it will collect some new water from weather. It sits in the bottom and gets bad and makes a mess and ugly/dirty.
I have considered putting plug in the skimmer since it is a low point, but not sure that is a good idea or how it’s down so it doesn’t leak. Can’t seems to find any info on a situation like this.
Any suggestions?
Thank you!

 

[MitchM]

Welcome!
What about shutting off the water circulation and just have an air pump with a diffuser running while you are away?
That would prevent the water from stagnating and you wouldn’t be wasting water resources by draining and refilling.

 

[sissy]

draining it will expose the liner to uv damage and can be a hazard to small critters that can fall in and not be able to get out .Why not turn it into a pondless feature that you can just turn on when you are there .That is why my neighbor put in pondless because they travel a lot right now .All you would have to do is shrink it down with with the blocks they sell and a door to get to the pump and gravel on top with a feature for the water to make noise

 

[EricV]

Similar to Mitch's suggestion, you could also maybe redirect the water flow from the pump directly back into the pond bypassing the water fall. That should reduce evaporative losses but keep the water from stagnating and breeding mosquitoes.

 

[Mmathis]

Hello and welcome!

I’m confused. I feel like I am reading several “issues” associated with your pond,

• Are you writing because you think the pond has a leak somewhere and that’s why it loses water?

Have you tried to track down the leak? Maybe it’s only losing water due to evaporation, since it is summer time.

• Or are you wanting to do away with the pond all together, because it’s too much of a hassle when you’re not there that often??

Are you enjoying the pond during the times when you are there? If not, and it’s a hassle, overall, maybe it’s time to fill it in and maybe go to a pondless water feature. Sometimes we do just get tired of things.

• Or, do you just want something that’s easier to care for, especially in your absence??

Do you have a neighbor or friend who can check on your pond while you’re away? There are auto-watering systems that add water to make up for losses. Or as others have suggested, turn off water to the falls and just have an aerator going (or small in-pond fountain) to keep the water from becoming stagnant?

 

[j.w]

@Bierman1

 

[Stephen Noble]

Welcome to the forum, Bierman1. Prost!
Stephen