winterizing skimmer/biofalls/etc

[taherrmann4]

Had another thought for you. Instead of vacuuming out the water in front of the check valve can you somehow prop it open with an electrical fish tape or something similar, that way the water will drain out of the pipe back into the pond. Might be easier.

I drain all my pipes but they drain back into the pond by gravity, except for one 10' section of pipe that feeds my two creeks. For this area I put a T and attached a ball valve so I can open it and drain it at the end of the season.

 

[damian]

that actually might work. i don't have to go very far with the fish tape so it shouldn't be that difficult.

 

[addy1]

At our bog opening we have around 3 feet of 2 inch pipe with a 90 that we left full of water last year, sort of forgot about it, exposed, out in the open. It did fine no pipe breakage, I would assume it froze, but the end was open so I would assume that might have been what helped.

We are doing the same this year just removing the pump, not worried about the small part of pipe not enclosed.

 

[damian]

yeah i assume that if at least one end of the pipe is open or somewhere that won't freeze, the risk of damage is minimized since there is a buffer for expansion. for example, the end of the pipe on the skimmer side is a good 24" or so below the surface, and i'm keeping a bubbler going in the main body of the pond, so it will probably not freeze. i'm assuming the same goes for the skimmer itself, since even if the surface freezes any expansion goes downward and/or out into the pond, and does not exert undue force straight out into the walls of the skimmer.

the biofalls filter is another matter since it is above ground. unfortunately i'm a dummy and used both holes on the biofalls as inlets from my doc filter instead of leaving one as a drain.

 

[addy1]

yeah i assume that if at least one end of the pipe is open or somewhere that won't freeze, the risk of damage is minimized since there is a buffer for expansion. for example, the end of the pipe on the skimmer side is a good 24" or so below the surface, and i'm keeping a bubbler going in the main body of the pond, so it will probably not freeze. i'm assuming the same goes for the skimmer itself, since even if the surface freezes any expansion goes downward and/or out into the pond, and does not exert undue force straight out into the walls of the skimmer.

the biofalls filter is another matter since it is above ground. unfortunately i'm a dummy and used both holes on the biofalls as inlets from my doc filter instead of leaving one as a drain.

Get out the hole saw! and start drilling.

 

[damian]

it's under an awful lot of dirt and boulders

 

[addy1]

it's under an awful lot of dirt and boulders

Darn wellllllllllllll start digging! lol