fountain Maintenance tips

How to care for your fountain year-round

You've installed your new fountain pump or have completed your DIY fountain project. Now what? Learn how to care for your fountain in every season.

Water Treatments: Keep your fountain fresh

smartpond water treatments

Green Stop® Liquid Algaecide or Algaecide: Fountains can turn green quickly, especially in the summertime. These algae treatments work fast to control algae (green or brown) and algae blooms.

Barley Pond Clarifier: Get rid of excess nutrients that cause cloudy water using natural barley. This water treatment can be used monthly as a preventative to keep the water clear.

Chlorine Remover plus Conditioner: Before adding fish to your fountain for the first time, use 24 hours prior. It removes chlorine, chloramines, ammonia, and dangerous heavy metals found in tap water.

Seasonal maintenance

Summer

During the summer, there are three main focuses for fountain care: evaporation, algae, and mosquitoes. If the water levels drop too low in the fountain, it can damage the fountain pump. Keep an eye on your fountain and add more water as needed. The hot weather speeds up natural evaporation, but low water shut-off pumps automatically turn off when the water levels drop too low to avoid any pump damage.

fall

Fall leaves can enter the fountain and cause damage to the fountain pump. It’s important to scoop out the debris daily if your fountain starts to collect leaves. Ideally, if your fountain is small enough to move, place it in a spot farther away from trees that will shed their leaves. Move your fountain inside before temperatures drop, and ice starts to form.

winter

During the winter, your fountain should ideally winterize indoors to protect it from snow and ice. Large fountains can winterize outside, removing the fountain pump and tubing and keeping them indoors until spring. Protect outdoor fountains from snow by covering with a fountain cover or tarp, routinely brushing off snow buildup whenever possible. If you don’t have a cover, place towels in the tiers and basin of the fountain to absorb the water to prevent it from entering the fountain and freezing.

spring

When moving your fountain outdoors again during the spring, wipe it down with a cloth and some water to remove any dirt and buildup that collected during winter storage. Clean your pump in a bucket of fresh water and scrub it gently with a clean sponge, cloth, or toothbrush.

Build your own fountain

Ready for your next project? Check out our step by step DIY fountain projects!