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  1. #1
    Senior Member Rank = Mature Champion smartin's Avatar
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    my first winters approaching

    Pond temp hit 13 degrees today, if the weather is correct the next week or so will see temps increase again which is good as i have ordered 3 sheets of 35mm clear polycarbonate which i am going to use to make a winter cover, I hope to have covers made and installed before weather changes to help keep any warmth in the water for as long as possible...…. I was going to make a wooden frame using 4x2 or 3x3 so its strong enough to span the water and support the poly without sagging, each poly sheet is 2000 x 1050 I plan on making 3seperate frames (due to weight) and then butt them up together over the water, I have purchased the white polycarb buttons to screw down the sheets to the wood with, I am thinking about using some sealant around each poly sheet to make a seal around the poly and the wood it sits upon, unsure if this is really needed but I guess all helps...….the next thing to buy is pipe insulation and then I need to box it all in to help protect the pipework and the electrics from the weather, I have already noticed a change in our 6 fish over the past day or so, feeding has reduced for sure, they always clear a handful of pellet quite quickly but now it takes them two or three goes over a 5 minute period and a few pellets are even getting to the skimmer which has never happened before...….. I need to get some winter food or a good all round season feed but unsure what to get, if any one has any pointers on this matter then I have put up a thread regarding food this afternoon so any help or guidance would be appreciated, beginning to feel a little concerned for the little buggers ref the winter, thanks Steve.



  2. #2
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion davethefish1's Avatar
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    it's the first winter for my pond too.
    i noticed a sharp decline in temps a couple of weeks ago and my fish did not seem happy at all.
    i had a pond nearly 20 years ago and didn't heat that.
    but i was never happy with watching them huddle at the bottom in the depths of winter.

    so with this pond i bunged some old aquarium heaters into the last filter chamber, to stablise the temps and slowly bring it back up to 20C
    yesterday i fitted an electro heater i got on ebay, and turned it on tonight.
    i'll just suck up the cost of heating it until i can rig something more economical.

    20190912_163027.jpg

    i also had to rig a temporary bypass to allow the glue to cure.

    20190912_162939.jpg

    I'm also looking to make a polycarbonate cover for my pond, looking forward to seeing your build pics

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  4. #3
    Senior Member Rank = Mature Champion smartin's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by davethefish1 View Post
    it's the first winter for my pond too.
    i noticed a sharp decline in temps a couple of weeks ago and my fish did not seem happy at all.
    i had a pond nearly 20 years ago and didn't heat that.
    but i was never happy with watching them huddle at the bottom in the depths of winter.

    so with this pond i bunged some old aquarium heaters into the last filter chamber, to stablise the temps and slowly bring it back up to 20C
    yesterday i fitted an electro heater i got on ebay, and turned it on tonight.
    i'll just suck up the cost of heating it until i can rig something more economical.

    20190912_163027.jpg

    i also had to rig a temporary bypass to allow the glue to cure.

    20190912_162939.jpg

    I'm also looking to make a polycarbonate cover for my pond, looking forward to seeing your build pics
    Hi Dave,
    thanks for your email, heating is a thought at the moment I will see how this winter goes I think but no doubt like you have said I will not enjoy them huddled up in the corner either...…. my poly arrives on Tuesday / Wednesday so once I have made the covers I will photo and put up for you to see, my DIY skills are horrific so will be interesting how they turn out lol, cheers Steve.

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  6. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by smartin View Post
    I am thinking about using some sealant around each poly sheet to make a seal around the poly and the wood it sits upon, unsure if this is really needed but I guess all helps...…..
    Each to there own, but it will be fine just screwed down on to a wooden frame, you don’t want to make it air tight, pond needs to gas off.
    as I said, each to there own.

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  8. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by davethefish1 View Post
    it's the first winter for my pond too.
    i noticed a sharp decline in temps a couple of weeks ago and my fish did not seem happy at all.
    i had a pond nearly 20 years ago and didn't heat that.
    but i was never happy with watching them huddle at the bottom in the depths of winter.

    so with this pond i bunged some old aquarium heaters into the last filter chamber, to stablise the temps and slowly bring it back up to 20C
    yesterday i fitted an electro heater i got on ebay, and turned it on tonight.
    i'll just suck up the cost of heating it until i can rig something more economical.

    20190912_163027.jpg

    i also had to rig a temporary bypass to allow the glue to cure.

    20190912_162939.jpg

    I'm also looking to make a polycarbonate cover for my pond, looking forward to seeing your build pics
    This is what I did last year, nearly cried when the bill arrived ��

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  10. #6
    Senior Member Rank = Sansai pug's Avatar
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    I did it and made them sliding by cutting grooves in the timbers you can slide open on the better days. pond hit 21 today down in Devon its been a cracking two days for this time of year covers will go on when we hit a night low of 10

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw6FPJqxlX8&t=780s

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  12. #7
    Senior Member Rank = Mature Champion smartin's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Doitsusanke View Post
    Each to there own, but it will be fine just screwed down on to a wooden frame, you don’t want to make it air tight, pond needs to gas off.
    as I said, each to there own.
    Hi Doitsusanke, understood and much appreciate your thoughts on the matter, I will post some pics next week, thanks Steve.

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  14. #8
    Senior Member Rank = Mature Champion smartin's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by pug View Post
    I did it and made them sliding by cutting grooves in the timbers you can slide open on the better days. pond hit 21 today down in Devon its been a cracking two days for this time of year covers will go on when we hit a night low of 10

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw6FPJqxlX8&t=780s
    that's a good idea Pug, I do not have the room unfortunately to slide mine off so I will just remove a panel off the pond during good weather like you say...… cheers Steve.

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  16. #9
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion davethefish1's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DanMadz View Post
    This is what I did last year, nearly cried when the bill arrived ��
    admittedly it's not on that much at the moment, even without pond covers yet.
    mainly at night.
    and my pond is small so not so much water to heat...

    but i'm probably going to go with a heat exhanger boxed in on the back wall of my house,
    and pipe water from the pond to it, as it's only about 5ft away.

    the gardens are small in our area, meaning houses are very close to each other.
    i don't think i'd get away with an ASHP... think it would be too noisy...

    how big was the bill...?
    Last edited by davethefish1; 14-09-2019 at 08:51 PM.

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  18. #10
    ‘This was mine back in 2012, still using the same frame and polycarbonate.
    the two outer lengths are fixed, the three middle sections are half length, can easily be lifted on good days, feeding or should I need to net anything.

    EBD3A9EA-47A1-47E1-B4D2-0E1724636329.jpg

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  20. #11
    Senior Member Rank = Mature Champion smartin's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Doitsusanke View Post
    ‘This was mine back in 2012, still using the same frame and polycarbonate.
    the two outer lengths are fixed, the three middle sections are half length, can easily be lifted on good days, feeding or should I need to net anything.

    EBD3A9EA-47A1-47E1-B4D2-0E1724636329.jpg
    that looks nice mate, good idea, Is that decking wood that you are using to span the water? does it sag at all with the weight of the poly ?
    I have 35mm poly coming which is quite heavy so was going to use 4x2 or something like that... Steve.

  21. #12
    Yes, it’s decking, the back of the pond is two bricks higher so gives a decent run off, has very little sag, but it’s coped with the weight of snow over the last six winters, snow adds to insulation so keeps the heat in better.

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