January 2009

You are currently browsing the monthly archive for January 2009.

There are many companys in the waterfall and pond industry that manufacture the “eco systems” needed to filter the water in your feature.  However be aware that some of these pond products are not always as good as they may seem.  One of the largest players in the waterfall industry actually has one of the worst records on product quality.  I legally cannot say the name, but if you do enough research on water features, you can find out which one I am talking about.  I have had over 40 pumps fail within a year of installation.  I have had pond auto fill units stick on over 40% installed.  The screws and face plate receivers for the Bio fall and Skimmer filter units were made with ALUMINUM.  These aluminum parts were pennies cheaper than stainless steel, but to make a better profit they were used.  Within as soon as 2 years in fresh, filtered water, these parts literally dissolved away.  This problem is nation wide and has been hurting many contractors. 

This story is not to scare you away from building a waterfall, but rather to inform you of the best product to use.  I have been installing the “Atlantic” eco systems for over 3 years now and have no problems with any of their water feature products at all.  They use all stainless steel parts, their filter units are made with a much stronger plastic, no pumps have failed for me yet, and the auto fills have had a 100% success rate.  This company also makes all of their products here in the United States, unlike many other companies.  These products are also much cheaper than other manufacturers.  So in conclusion to my rant here, be aware, and do the research before building a water feature.  Stick with quality products made locally and your project will be a success.

Filtering the water feature can be done in many different ways.  Some will choose to go the easy way and add chlorine or bromine to the water fall and/or pond system.  This will keep the waterfalls clean, but depending upon the stone or rock chosen for the waterfalls and pond, the chlorine may leave a white ring on the edge of the ponds water level.  The more porous the rock is,  the more of the chlorine it will soak up.  There is also a great waterfall filtering product on the market called “Fountec”, and this product does not leave any marks on any stone or rocks on edge of pond.  This “Fountec” is a chemical and is not safe for fish, but water plants will do fine in your water feature.

If you want to create an all natural waterfall or pond, you will want to install an ecosystem.  This ecosystem can come from an array of products out there.  The idea of the water feature ecosystem is the utilization of micro-organisms to filter the water.  These beneficial micro-organisms will eat the algae and bacteria in the water to create crystal clear water, for beautiful waterfalls.  If you desire fish in your pond you will need to install an ecosystem to filter the pond water.