How to Keep Your Pond’s Fountain Unclogged

An aerating fountain can be a beautiful aesthetic feature in your pond. However, you must pay close attention to maintain its proper function. In particular, it is important to understand how your fountain works so that you can prevent it from clogging. This is especially true for fountains that feature more ornate and decorative spray patterns, which are more susceptible to clogging due to the tiny holes and slots in the fountain’s nozzle.

How do Aerating Fountains Become Clogged?

Most floating fountains consist of a motor unit that hangs below the water’s surface attached to a float. The motor’s impeller (the part of the fountain that forces the water through the nozzle) is protected by an intake screen meant to keep large debris from getting caught in and around the motor shaft or stuck in the nozzle. However, the large force of water passing through the intake screen often pushes in debris, even despite the intake screen.

When the fountain intake screen becomes clogged with debris, water is then unable to pass through the screen, which can cause cavitation. Cavitation adversely affects the fountain pattern and can damage, and even break, the motor over time. Damage to the motor can result in costly repairs. Thankfully, there are several ways to protect your fountain from this costly event.

How Can You Prevent Fountain Clogs?

There are several preventative measures you can take to prevent your fountain from clogging. Some fountain manufacturers provide a large supplemental debris screen that can surround the entire motor unit. These larger screens are better barriers to debris, allowing water to pass unrestricted through the intake screen on the fountain. A supplemental debris screen is especially useful for aesthetic fountains with decorative patterns because the larger screen prevents smaller debris from passing through and clogging the holes and slots of the nozzle.

Making use of your fountain’s timer function can be another way to prevent clogs. Most fountains are equipped with a timer on the control panel. Timers can be set so that your fountain turns off for a few hours at night to allow any debris to fall away from the large screen, which will reduce the likelihood of clogs.

What Kind of Debris Causes Fountain Clogs?

These are the most common types of debris we find that clog pond fountains:

• Aquatic vegetation
• Leaves
• Trash
• Grass
• Pine needles
• Mulch

Trash — especially plastic bags — and overgrowth of aquatic plants and filamentous algae are very common fountain-clogging nuisances. Some ponds are more susceptible to trash due to their location or water source — if they use stormwater runoff, for example. Periodic trash removal from the pond and vigilance when it comes to littering and personal trash removal will keep this issue from becoming troublesome. Additionally, ponds that are inundated with aquatic vegetation can be cleared up by professionals with a careful application of approved herbicides and algaecides.

Protecting Your Investment

While operating a fountain can be relatively carefree, it is important to control outside factors that can affect the function of your investment. Preventative maintenance will allow your fountain to run at full capacity and greatly reduce the chances of costly repairs. It is important to keep in mind all of these factors when you are choosing your fountain to ensure it is a rewarding investment.

For fountain installation or repair, trust the expert team at Aquatic Environment Consultants. Our team consists of registered fountain motor technicians, vegetation management specialists, and more! Contact us for a consultation today.