Pond Difficulties

Whew! Finally resolved an issue with my little backyard pond tonight.

Last Thursday evening when I went outside I found that the fountain in my pond was no longer spraying water. I assumed that meant that the pump in the filter had become clogged, as has happened a couple of times before, so despite the slight drizzle of rain, I cleaned it. When I plugged it back in, I was disappointed to find that it still did not spray out any water. Sometimes before when it didn't start immediately it did after a while.



Friday morning, still no water. So that evening, after work, I took the pump totally apart and did a really thorough cleaning. Plugged it in--still no water. I was leaving town for the weekend to visit family, so I was not able to tackle the situation again until I got back. This made me rather concerned, since the lack of circulation would mean the fish and water plants would be at risk from less oxygen in the water, plus all the issues of stagnant water for mosquitoes and smells.

Sunday evening, I didn't get back to town until after the stores that carry pond equipment had already closed, so it wasn't until after work Monday that I had the chance to buy another pump. Cindy, my sister-in-law and I drove out to Lowe's. The pump I chose was the same brand as the previous one, so I assumed that all the fittings would work with the tubing and fixtures I already had.

I brought the new pump home and starting fitting it into the filter box, only to find that the tube that carries the pumped water to the surface of the pond did not fit onto the pump, and the provided connector would fit onto the pump, but did not accommodate the tube. Cindy and I tried every possible combination with the tubes, connectors and adapters I had on hand, but there was no way to put it together.

So we had to run back out to Lowe's to see if they had the right connector. The only way I could get the connector I needed was to buy the fountain kit for $15. The clerk suggested that we check with the plumbing department to see if they had one for PVC pipe that would fit.

We checked the PVC connectors, and found that the standard sizes did not fit the tube for the fountain. I was ready to give up and buy the fountain kit, but the plumbing clerk called another over, and explained the dilemma to him. This clerk checked on the flexible clear plastic tubing that comes on rolls, and found that one size fit snugly onto the tube for the fountain. When I asked to buy a 2 inch piece, he cut it off and said it was "just a scrap piece, no charge." What a blessing! After the cost of the pump earlier in the evening, it was great not to have an additional cost.

When we got back home, it was dark, so Cindy held the flashlight while I put the pump together with the new connector. It only took a couple of minutes, and then my fish finally had running water again! It's so good to have the sound of splashing water in my yard again.