Winterizing Your Outdoor Water Feature

A fountain or outdoor water feature can add aesthetic value to your home and offer a sense of peace and serenity. It can also be relatively inexpensive or a bit of an investment. Either way, you want to make sure that you care for it properly. This means taking the necessary steps to protect your water feature during extreme weather - typically the winter season.

As water freezes, it expands which can cause many types of material to crack. In areas with constant extremely low temperatures, you should remove all the water from your fountain and any small holding areas. Make sure that after it is drained, you turn on the pump and run it for a minute or two to ensure there is no water left standing in the lines.

For water features that don't include fish or live plants, you can use chemicals containing bleach, or a solution such as Algae Stopper to prevent algae from growing year round. During the winter, smaller fountains can be brought indoors, or disassembled and stored in garden shed for the winter. Larger fountains that have been drained should be filled with some type of material to absorb moisture. Old blankets, cloth sacks, or towels work well. Simple netting or a cover made from other materials can be placed over your fountain or pond to help keep debris out that might settle, clogging the pump and any filters. With a few simple preventative measures, your water feature can be kept in top shape and ready for enjoyment in the Spring.