Winterizing Your LiquidArt Fountain

As winter approaches, we receive many calls asking about protecting fountains in the freezing weather. The steps necessary to protect your fountain (and maintain your warranty) vary slightly, depending on temperatures and severity of weather in your area.

 

For Areas Where Temperatures Are

Below Freezing for Extended Periods:

The best way to ensure protection of your fountain is to disconnect the pump from the manifold (the PVC piece with the water flow control valves). Then use the pump to pump out the majority of water from the reservoir. Once this has been done, bring the pump inside for the remainder of the season. Also, consider covering your fountain with a plastic tarp to protect the rocks, and to keep the reservoir from filling up with rain water or snow/ice melt.

 

 

For Areas With Mild Winters

(Occasional Temperatures Below Freezing):

If you're in an area where temperatures only occasionally drop slightly below freezing (and do not stay below freezing for more than 12-24 hours), fill your reservoir completely with water, and keep the fountain running. By maintaining water flow, the water in the reservoir will usually not freeze deep enough to affect the pump. Again, this is only suggested when temperatures are not expected to be much below freezing, and not for longer than 12-24 hours.

 

Note: Any time your fountain is running, and the temperature is below freezing, ice may form on your fountain rocks (as seen in the pictures below). Ice alone should not damage your rocks. However if ice is forming, then the frozen water is not returning to the reservoir. So, it's important to check the water level in the reservoir often! If the water level gets too low, damage to the pump could result. Check the water level multiple times per day, as water levels can drop dramatically in only a matter of hours, when temperaturatures are low and heavy ice forming, as in the pictures below.

 

Above: As ice forms on the fountain, the water level can drop substantially in a short amount of time (since the water is not returning to the reservoir). If you keep your fountain running, check the water level every couple of hours, and use a five-gallon bucket to fill the reservoir with warm water as needed. Do not let the water level in the reservoir drop below the pump inlet, or damage to the pump can occur.

Above: If the water level in the reservoir is full, but the bubblers have only a small amount of water coming out of them, it may be due to ice in the bubblers or hoses. Pour some warm water over the bubblers and into the bubbler holes. This will help melt ice blockages and will also melt some of the ice on the bubblers, which can then flow back into the reservoir.

 

A couple of other notes:

If you have an Auto-Fill Kit attached to your fountain, it's best to shut off the water at the source feeding the auto-fill, and then to leave the auto-fill valve in the "open" position (handle parallel to the auto-fill pipe). If you don't want to, or unable to shut off the water supply feeding the auto-fill kit, then turn the ball valve to the "off" position (handle perpendicular to the auto-fill pipe). This will keep the valve from continuing to fill the reservoir with water when the fountain is not in use. 

 

 

If you have any additional questions about winterizing your LiquidArt fountain, please feel free to call us, or to email us.

 

Email: info@liquidartfountains.com

Phone: (800) 974-9586