When should I pull pump?

[falconut]

I've got 2 submersible pumps in my pond (about 400-500 gallons). One has a fountain and the other is for an external bucket filter. I plan to pull them both out, but don't want to do it too early. Is there a rule of thumb for when to remove them, like when the water gets to 40 degrees, or such.

 

[sissy]

If the pond is deep enough you can just drop them to the bottom of the pond .I don't have to remove them here but when I lived in Nj my fountain pond was just about 2 feet deep and I would wait to see a thin layer of ice on top .Then pull it and put it in a bucket of water in the basement .Most times water was around 40 degrees if I remember correctly .Not sure ,but here it does not get that cold but really worried about what this winter will bring our way .I lived in Edison and it was different every year there because you never knew what to expect .I guess you have to go on intuition on that .Watch weather reports and check pond water temps .Night temps are what always worries me .It can drop so fast .

 

[Catfishnut]

Falconut,

I have a cabin on the Elkhorn River and another cabin of the Platte River, both in south eastern Nebraska (near Omaha). I am roughly at 41° North Lattitude and have developed a rule of thumb for my specific geographical location regarding when to winterize my water systems here.

I use October 15th and April 15th as the two guideline dates. I drain and store all my water systems on or before October 15th and do not set them back up again until on or after April 15th.

These dates will vary dependant upon your specific latitude, but if you research your local area's weather temp patterns, you will know when to apply such rules. If you have above ground plumbing (pipes and filters etc) then pick dates when the average nightly (LOW) temp begins to hit 34° - 36° F. Somewhere about those dates you should be thinking seriously about disassembling your system and winterizing everything. If your plumbing is below grade (underground) you can wait a while longer, but just remember that you have to work outdoors in the cold, with water, and that can sometimes not be so pleasant if the temp takes a turn for the cold side.

Otherwise, there is no hard rule of thumb to be followed as each pond owner's situation and setup / plumbing varies considerably and moving water takes longer to freeze than idle water.

Catfishnut

 

[falconut]

The weather keeps going up and down here. This week we're in the 50's (day) and upper 30's - low 40's (night), the beginning of next week the days are supposed to go up in the 60s.

One of my pump is just a typical fountain, so only a few inches is above the water, the bucket pump has the bucket and the hose to is out of water.