When the cold season begins, there is also a lot to do at the garden pond. Our article tells you how to handle pond filters in winter and what measures you need to take.
Should you run the pond filter in winter?
Pond filters should only be run in winter if the pond is heated and the water temperature is above 6 °C. Otherwise, the pond filter and pump must be removed, cleaned and stored in a dry place before the onset of frost to avoid damage.
Let the pond filter run through?
Basically, you can always run pond filters over the winter if the water temperature is always above 6 °C due to heating of the pond.
Of course, this only makes sense if fish also overwinter in the pond (heated ponds are quite common for koi carp). For all other living creatures you don't need to heat the pond - they go into hibernation anyway and can't do much with heat.
For all other ponds (without heating) it makes no sense to let them run through. In this case, the pond filter and pond pump must be removed before the onset of severe frost. Most manufacturers instruct that pond filters should always be removed from the pond when temperatures threaten to drop below freezing point for a long period of time.
A few more rules apply to the pond pump, which we have described in this article.
Winter pond filter
Depending on the filter model, different instructions apply on how to prepare the pond filter for overwintering. In any case, be sure to follow the operating instructions for your filter. The same applies to the pump.
In most cases, a UVC filter is required to be cleaned before winterization. The UVC lamp should be replaced after every season, so it is also removed before wintering.
The filter sponges should be rinsed thoroughly - the following spring, new bacterial cultures can be grown again before commissioning so that the filter can develop its full cleaning effect again.
Store the disassembled filter in a warm and dry place.
Tip
Please also note that the pond itself also needs to be winterized. Remove cold-sensitive plants from the pond in good time, keep the pond free of ice and cover it if possible so that too much dirt and dead leaves do not fall into the pond. In some cases you also need to pay attention to the edge fastenings so that they are not damaged by snow and ice formation.
