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If you have a water feature in your garden or are thinking about adding one to your landscaping, it’s important to remember the responsibilities that come with it. It may not be difficult, but there are several tasks that must be done on a regular basis to continue to maintain the proper function of your water feature.
Regular Water Feature Maintenance Tasks
Having a stunning water feature in your backyard is a great way to transform your landscape into a relaxing space, but only if it’s in peak operation status. The key to keeping your water feature in optimum condition is to keep up on certain tasks throughout the year for maintaining the water feature.
Maintain Your Water Pump
When it comes to residential water features, one of the most common problems that may arise is the pump not functioning properly. When a pump is restricted in flow or has a lot of pressure on it, it may overheat, break, or completely burn out. To avoid this, make sure you have the appropriate tubing size, which will provide the proper flow and eliminate any stress and pressure on the pump.
Don’t Let Algae Build Up
Managing the growth of algae and knowing how to keep algae out of your fountain is integral to the continuing function of your water feature. Any algae growth should be cleaned from your feature with a bristle brush, and additives can be used to reduce the amount of algae buildup. If your feature is large enough to have a skimmer, it’s important to remove any leaves or debris consistently and trim surrounding plants regularly to keep debris at a minimum.
Maintain a Consistent Water Level
Since water features are outdoors, it’s normal for evaporation to occur and your water feature to experience some water loss. The amount of water you lose will depend on the size of your feature, the amount of sunlight it receives, and the temperature of the region it’s in. The water level should be checked once every couple of weeks and may require a top-up every week during hot spells to counteract evaporation.
Check for Leaks
If you begin to notice that you’re having to add water to your feature more often than normal – such as on a daily basis – you should check your feature for leaks. Look around the perimeter of the feature for any areas that are wet, which may indicate that water has been leaking over the liner. Also, look for any obstructions that may be causing water to overflow in certain areas. Once you’ve found the issue, remove any obstructions and pack leaks with additional soil under the liner to raise perimeter edges above the water level.
Keep Up with Seasonal Care
For proper water feature maintenance, it’s important to perform a deep clean twice a year. It’s recommended to perform these tasks every spring and fall. In the spring, drain the feature of water and scrub the bottom, use a hose to rinse any rocks and gravel, and take the time to clean your pump. In the fall, prepare your feature for winter by unplugging your pump, draining your feature, cleaning, and protecting it from the elements.
Keep Your Water Crystal Clear with Aqua Ultraviolet
If you’re looking for a way to reduce the amount of time you dedicate to cleaning your water feature, consider adding an ultraviolet light filtration system. UV light systems work to kill any bacteria that may be causing algae build-up, resulting in crystal clear water with lower maintenance.
At Aqua Ultraviolet, we use UV lighting in our products to provide you with clean water filtration so you can limit your time cleaning your water features. Browse our products on our website and place an order today!
