A pond vacuum is a very useful and simple tool that can help keep ponds or water gardens healthy and attractive. Vacuuming a pond can dramatically improve the appearance of a small pond, hinder algae growth, and reduce the load placed on the pond’s biological filter.
In the same way that dust and pollen settle out of the air, suspended materials are constantly settling onto the floor of a pond. Fish wastes, dead insects, fallen leaves, and the dust and pollen that land on the water’s surface all eventually find their way to the pond bottom unless you already have a pond skimmer. The accumulation can be unattractive, and decomposition can change the water chemistry. When biological filters ultimately convert the materials to nitrates, the scene is set for algae to flourish.
Removing these materials prior to decomposition reduces nutrient production and hinders uncontrolled algae growth. Removal also brightens the subsurface appearance of the pond and makes fish more visible from above.
A Vacuum can also be used to clean out an external waterfall filter making it much easier to clean specially if there is no bottom drain for the filter.
Most pond vacuums are electrical and must have access to a power supply to produce suction. Some models operate on a Venturi aspirator principle and create suction by running water at pressure across the opening of a small opening. Higher water pressures, typically in the range of 50 psi, produce stronger suctions. The flowing water is provided by a standard outdoor water hose. Although this technique uses no electricity, it does result in a significant amount of outdoor water usage. Most conservation programs do not recommend such wasteful use of a water supply.
A pond vacuum cleaner typically looks like a standard wet/dry shop vacuum. The collection canister and vacuum source remain outside of the pond, and a telescoping tube is extended into the pond. Muck and debris from the pond, along with pond water, are drawn up to the collection canister through the tube. The vacuum usually has a means to filter the water by a mesh bag and return it to the pond or place the outlet hose outside of the pond towards a garden or just out on the ground somewhere, but some systems are designed to simply dispose of everything that is collected.
An average pond vacuum may use as much as 1500 watts, but more efficient models can operate on only 20 percent of that amount. Whether this is an important consideration or not depends upon the number of hours the vacuum will be used each season.
The lengths of the discharge hose and telescoping suction tube are also important factors. The suction wand must be long enough to reach all areas of the pond that the owner wishes to vacuum, and the diameter of the opening has to be large enough to draw in the expected debris. Pine needles, for example, could be drawn in through a much smaller opening than gum balls or oak leaves. Typical suction wand openings are 1.0 to 1.5 inches in diameter. If lots of leaves are found at the bottom it is better first to scoop these up with a pond net first to avoid the suction attachment to become clogged from to many leaves at a time.
