In the jar or at the bottom of a pond, these materials are packed together. The material is not very permeable, which means that it can prevent liquid from passing through it. A pond drain can aid water circulation, especially in ponds without other mechanisms to keep water in constant motion. This helps prevent water from stagnating, as well as keeping it oxygenated to encourage plant and fish growth.
Pond drainage can prevent freezing during the winter or make harvesting easier, but it exposes the liner more than ever to harmful UV rays. Thin layers of water, which accumulate on the liner after draining, freeze more strongly than if the entire pond were filled and can cause cracks to form. If you have to drain the pond completely and clean up all the mud for the winter, try using a cover over the liner to protect it. Replacing a cover once every few years due to wear and tear is still less expensive than trying to re-cover the entire pond more often than necessary.
Evaporation is the most common cause of water loss in ponds, causing water levels to drop by about 1 inch per week. But don't panic, this is normal. Factors such as location, time of year, pond size, and especially climate, can affect the rate at which evaporation occurs. For example, high temperatures, sun exposure, and wind can cause significant amounts of water to evaporate.
Most pond pumps will have a maximum “head height” value in their manual, which indicates the maximum height at which they can lift water from the pond before losing power. Before drainage systems existed, these wastes were handled by bottom-feeding bacteria that live in the pond. When filling your pond with the hose, be sure to use a rose attachment and hold the hose at waist level. It's easy to see how pond water levels could drop if you consider the water intake of pond plants along with the natural evaporation of summer.
While you may experience clogging problems, it can also help keep the amount of organic waste in a pond low, which can help keep fish healthy. If your pond is particularly deep and you want to drain water to a distant location, you'll need to make sure your pump has the water lifting power needed for the task. If your pond has fish, this is even more important, as both goldfish and koi require a healthy population of bacteria in the ponds to keep them safe from harmful substances, such as ammonia and nitrites. Even as a child, I was always happy to work in my father's garden, cut hedges, plant new flowers or trees, or build a pond.
Since you don't need a grid connection to power this type of pump, it works well for draining ponds in more remote locations or if a spare power outlet is not available on-site. If it's possible to leave ponds at least partially full between uses, consider skipping drainage completely and using purse seines and other tools to harvest fish. Due to their larger size, installing a drain at the bottom of one of these ponds will be very costly and will not do much good. What this means is that the water lost by ponds and lakes through evaporation is naturally deposited in them through rain and other water access points.
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