chapter
18
maintenance
and troubleshooting
tales
field
Brian Helfrich
Construction
Services Manager
329
Remember,
working
with Mother
Nature is not
only easier, it
looks nicer too!
330
Algae Control
Each pond ecosystem possesses its own qualities, conditions, and characteristics, as do ponds in nature. All of
Aquascapes ponds have some algae because algae is natural, and is part of an ecosystem, just like everything else
in the pond. The key, however, is to find the balance that
Mother Nature intended, and algae will stay under control.
Managing the pond ecosystem in a way thats logical and
consistent with Mother Nature is a technique thats proven
very successful for us.
There are two orientations, or philosophies, of algae
control...synthetic and naturalistic.
The Synthetic Orientation
Circulation System:
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331
Be Patient!!
It takes between two and six weeks for the
bacteria to colonize and actually begin to
do their job. Creating a balanced ecosystem
doesnt happen overnight! Like fine wine,
ponds mature with age, so dont be surprised or concerned if a new pond begins to
grow some algae. Once the plants, fish, and
bacteria are established, the water quality
will improve, and the amount of maintenance on the pond will be reduced.
chapter 18
332
Plants
Days
Adding Bacteria Regularly*
chapter 18
Days
Days
This is the quickest way to combat algae, even though its the most
labor-intensive. Physically remove
clumps of string algae from the rocks
by cutting it with scissors or a knife.
Since algae reproduces by fragmentation, pulling it away from the rock
will leave pieces in the water that
will develop into full strands.
Physical Removal
333
Koi
chapter 18
334
Winterization Q & A
Does every pond need preparation for winter?
Aquascape
Ponds positioned under a lot of
trees may require more maintenance
the majority of their leaves. Instruct
your customer to check the skimmer
debris net frequently during this time
of the year, to ensure that the system
chapter 18
functions properly.
335
chapter 18
336
Pump size is important when determining a waterfalls ability to operate during the winter. A pump that
provides at least 2,000 gph can be
operated throughout the winter without a problem, as long as it runs con-
chapter 18
337
chapter 18
When preparing the pond for winter, remove the filter mats and bags of
biological media from the BIOFALLS
filter. Rinse them down and store them
in the garage or shed. If left over the
winter, all the filtration media in the
BIOFALLS filter may freeze into a
solid block causing unnecessary delays
during the spring clean-out.
338
The AquaForce
Pump is perfect for
winter oxygenation.
Spring Clea
nout Requ
est Form
To extend the life of the pump, we suggest clearing the impeller shaft free of any
debris before winter storage. It is also beneficial to spin the impeller a couple of
Why do my customers
need a spring clean-out?
Obviously, ponds located in the warmer climates of the country wont experience a winter quite like those in colder
climates. Warm climate ponds will sustain bacterial life year-round, and may
not require a full pond clean-out but
could benefit from a partial clean-out.
Spraying down the filter mats and lava
rocks, and doing a 20 percent water
change each year will prove to be beneficial for the entire ecosystem.
your off-season.
vacation some
time
between March
or
April. Please do
not
schedule betw
een:
____________
____________
____________
OLarge 22.30
$
OGrande 30.1
7
A regular clea
nout is approxi
ma
been cleaned
in a long time. tely $200 to $350. This cos
t will vary if you
Each pond is
billed a $65
r pond is larg
service charge
laST yeaR My
e or hasnt
plus $50/man
pONd CleaNO
uT COST $_____
hour.
O I was happy
____
with
$
chapter 18
Phone]
[Business/Cell
[SPECIAL INS
TRUCTIONS]
We will be on
Spring
Cleanouts
[Home Phone]
[Street Address
, City]
sion or debris from seizing the impeller and interrupting proper pump function.
To facilitate bette
r service, we wou
you to mail or
ld like
fax in your clea
nout request.
[Name]
turns by hand before turning the pump on in the spring. This will prevent any corro-
901 Aqualand
Way
St. Charles, IL
60174
ph 630.659.2000
fax 630.659.
2101
www.aquascap
einc.com
Aquascape
339
chapter 18
340
Ponds
Done Right,
Customers
Served Right
Notify your customers of your cleanout program and prices six weeks
prior to beginning clean-outs.
Send a final notice postcard three
weeks before clean-outs begin, so everyone knows they have to schedule a visit
now in order to get on your schedule.
Call the customers who are scheduled for a clean-out, one week in
advance to have the outside water and
electrical turned on for use.
n
Garde
Water
nance
Mainte
st For:
heckli
______
______
____
______
901 Aq
St. Charl ualand Way
es, IL 60
174
ph 630.
65
fax 630. 9.2000
659.21
www.aq
01
uascap
einc.com
Water
Garde
nM
ainten
THE H
ance
ayden
RESID
Con
chapter 18
tract
EN
Aquas
PHONE# CE At 352 D
faxca
630.659.2101
For:
pe
eepwoo
( 847 )3
cawww.aquascapeinc.com
lly bala Designs Inc.
d Rd.
ES
04-8682
pr
nced w
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ater gard oposes to furn
logical
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all
Aquasca
s is base
it clean
THE
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pes mai labor and mat
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w
# (____)
ntenance
eria
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2.Mecha hile reducing m the principles
PHONE
of our pa ls necessary to
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of esta
nical Fi
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Price:
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to date.
work sc
______
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TERMS:
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per year
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Company ______Total
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next se ____________ ____________ 20
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______ ____________ ____________
______
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__
______
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Price
Qty.
Total
______
______ ____________
Printed
__
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__
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__
Name
______
____
______
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Date
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E AT __
IDENC
Way
ualand
901 Aq
174
es, IL 60
St. Charl 659.2000
ph 630. 9.2101
65
0.
63
fax
c.com
scapein
ua
aq
www.
341
Construction Guidelines
Ten Steps to a Successful Spring Clean-out
Diez Pasos Para Una Limpieza Exitosa
chapter 18
342
Unplug the waterfall pump, and disconnect the check valve from the
return line, allowing the pipe and BIOFALLS filter to be drained. You are now
ready to clean the BIOFALLS filter,
filter mats, and bags of lava rock. Simply hose these down until theyre clean.
(Note: The filter mats are designed to last
approximately three years. Replace the old
4
5
chapter 18
Construction Guidelines
343
Construction Guidelines
agua que viene directamente fuera de la
mangera de jardn para lavar la grava.
Una arandela de poder es innecesaria y
puede ser verdaderamente contraproducente en este punto. La pompa debera de
estr corriendo todava, y localizado en el
punto ms bajo de el estanque para que el
sedimento que est atrapado en la grava
sea canalizado al punto ms profundo
y removido por la pompa. Enjuague el
estanque de arriba abajo hasta que el agua
comience a correr claro. Mientras tanto,
checa las luces, reacomoda piedras que no
esten en su lugar y cubre la capa protectora
con grava para que no se vea.
chapter 18
344
Clean the skimmer box by pumping the water out and hosing it
down. Also, make sure to clean out the
net and hose down the filter pad.
Limpie la caja del skimmer bombeando el agua fuera regandolo con una mangera. Otra cosa, asegurese en limpiar la red
y tambin regar la almohadilla de filtro.
Aquascape
Fish should not be left outside
the pond in a holding container for
more than a few hours, or in the full
sun. Aeration may be necessary to
support bigger fish being contained
over longer periods of time.
No debe dejar los peces afuera
del estanque en un contenedor ms que
Construction Guidelines
10
chapter 18
de agua, Ud. puede prepararse para re-introducir los peces transfirindolos a cubos ms
pequeos de agua vieja del estanque y flotantdo
los cubos en el estanque, permitiendoles aclimatarse a la temperatura nueva del agua del
estanque por aproximadamente 15 minutos. Si
su cliente tiene agua activada de la ciudad, es
imprescindible que Ud. agregue un dechlorinator para neutralizar el cloro en el agua.
345
Construction Guidelines
stricken with the dreaded leak situation. In their panic, they have taken
it upon themselves to go out in a
whirlwind, remove and replace sections of liner, dig up the plumbing,
replace plumbing fittings, take apart
and reseal the skimmer and BIOFALLS
filter faceplates, only to find they have
failed to fix the leak. This is the finding a needle in the haystack approach.
While it may, on occasion, solve the
leak, it is by far the most labor-intensive approach to solving the problem.
Los sistemas
y los Procedimientos
chapter 18
Troubleshooting Leaks
346
Aquascape
Its difficult to find a leak if the
ground is wet from recent rainfall.
Wait until dry weather to look.
chapter 18
El estanque Tiene
Verdaderamente UN Escape?
Construction Guidelines
347
Construction Guidelines
Troubleshooting Leaks cont...
chapter 18
348
Construction Guidelines
Busca Obstrucciones En
La Corriente Y Cataratas
chapter 18
Check to make sure nothing is causing the leak by restricting the flow
of water down the waterfalls or
stream. The pond owner may have
adjusted some of the rocks in the
waterfalls in order to improve the
look of the falls, inadvertently causing some of the water to be diverted
over the liner. Weve actually had
349
Construction Guidelines
Troubleshooting Leaks cont...
chapter 18
Cerr La Pompa
350
Aquascape
You may want to save yourself some time
down the road by spending a few extra minutes
with the pond owners teaching them how to
identify and fix minor leaks such as low edges
and excessive plant growth.
A long stream
edge must be
examined for wet
spots along its
perimeter. (Hint:
look for darker
colored mulch.)
chapter 18
Si El Escape Est
En El Estanque
Construction Guidelines
351
Construction Guidelines
Troubleshooting Leaks cont...
The area between the liner and the skimmer
is a rare, but potential, leak spot.
chapter 18
En El Skimmer
352
Investigate the liner for small punctures around the perimeter of the pond
where the water level has stopped.
Unfortunately, the only effective way
to find this type of leak is to start
moving rocks and gravel, and search
for the leak by hand and eye.
The leak, once found, can be easily fixed using Aquascapes EPDM
patch tape.
Si no es El Skimmer
Aquascape
You can sometimes determine if the
Example of a Shutdown
Procedure Where the Leak
Is in the Waterfalls/Stream
chapter 18
Construction Guidelines
353
chapter 18
354
Construction Guidelines
Troubleshooting Leaks cont...
Reseal the BIOFALLS filter by removing the BIOFALLS filter lip. Clean all
of the old silicone and waterfall foam
off the liner, and refer back to the
instruction manual on properly sealing the BIOFALLS filter lip.
If you have still been unable to find
the source of the leak, begin to
investigate the rest of the stream and
the waterfalls.
At this point, it is most likely a hole
that you should be searching for.
Construction Guidelines
the water drop in the pond. We
know that once the water drops, the
leak can be found within that 10
section of the stream. We can then
move the rocks and gravel to search
for the leak by hand and eye.
Estrechar Abajo el
Escape en Corrientes Largas
chapter 18
END
355