Take the time to winterize your outdoor water feature to ensure that it is not damaged during the harsh winter season.
If you have an outdoor water feature, you might be wondering how to winterize it properly. Thankfully, the process isn’t overly difficult. It can be a little bit time-consuming, especially if you decide to do a deep clean. This process is important for keeping your water feature looking beautiful, as well as protecting it from damage that can occur during the cold winter months.
Remove the Plants
One of the first steps to winterizing your outdoor water feature is to remove any water plants that are living in it. You can choose to toss these and plant new ones next spring. If you’d like to hang on to your current plants, however, you can look up how to winterize the species you have and save them until it’s time to start your water feature back up again.
Drain Completely
Once the plants are removed, your outdoor water feature needs to be drained completely. Do your best to make sure to remove as much water as possible before the first frost. When water freezes, it expands—this can cause serious damage to the structure of your water feature and any internal tubing or pumps. It’s best to do this before the first frost so that any water that couldn’t be removed has time to evaporate.
Remove the Pump
Once your water feature has been completely drained, take the pump and store it indoors—preferably inside your home rather than in an unheated shed or garage. The pump is the backbone of many water features, maintaining the motion of the water and providing the relaxing aesthetic and atmosphere that makes water features so special. Keeping it indoors will protect it from damage, and you can easily put it right back in the following spring.
Cover it Up
After you’ve done all of the critical steps to winterizing your outdoor water feature, it’s time to cover it up. If it’s a small water feature, you might be able to store it in a shed or garage instead. For large water features, use a fountain cover or tarp to protect your fountain from extreme winter weather and snow buildup that could damage it. This will keep it pristine so that it looks sharp as ever when you open it back up during the spring.
Do a Deep Clean
This is optional but highly recommended. Outdoor water features tend to experience a lot of buildup from dirt, debris, and algae. Once you begin winterizing, it’s the perfect time to take advantage of your water feature being dry and get in there with some elbow grease to get it back to sparkling. You’ll be delighted with the result when you uncover it the following spring and see it shining like new.
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