We’ve all been there. We love that little puppy that our friend just bought, but we’re thrilled that it’s not chewing on our furniture or peeing on our kitchen floor. It’s the same with a water feature – they are beautiful, soothing and good for the soul. But we wouldn’t want to have to care for and maintain the water feature ourselves!

Yes, no matter which water feature you are thinking of, they will all need regular maintenance to ensure that they don’t end up a sludgy breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Thankfully, you can always call in the Pool Spa team to assist you with the upkeep of your fabulous focal point. But if you are determined to DIY, then we’d like to offer a few points to assist you.

Maintaining Your Water Feature The Easy Way

The key to keeping your feature spotless all year round is to maintain a regular schedule of small checks which stop the job from ever getting out of hand.

The size, position and type of water feature you are caring for will determine the frequency of these duties, but here are the basics.

Pump and Filter

Your water feature will likely have a pump in which case you will need to check the filters and skimmer nets feeding into the system to make sure there are no blockages or a build-up of debris. Your pump should be secure and run smoothly, and the water flow should be good. It’s a good idea to clean the pump regularly; be sure to turn it off (disconnect the power), and remove it from the water for a good once-over.

Water Condition

If you have fish in your pond then you will no doubt be paying close attention to the water condition so as to keep your finned friends happy. They will, in turn, help to manage the algae levels in your water feature. However, if there are no fish to worry about then you will have to chat with your pool specialists to choose the right chemical product to keep the water clean.

Water Level

We touched on this earlier, but it’s worth noting that you need to keep a close check on your water levels. Our hot South African summers can significantly reduce your water levels which can compromise fish, overexert your pump, and reduce the water flow. Depending on the size of your water feature, it is advisable to replace 10 – 20 percent of the pond water with fresh water each week.

Check your pond liner regularly for leaks.

Plants

While these aren’t, strictly speaking, part of your water feature, they are an integral part of the landscape. Be sure to prune and fertilise the surrounding plants regularly – removing dead leaves and flowers weekly to prevent them from clogging up the filters.

If you are considering a water feature, then make sure that you are committed to maintaining a good schedule of cleaning and checks to make your investment worthwhile. Or, call Pool Spa – this is what we do.