How often do I need to refill my water feature is a question with many variables and factors. Below are a few questions that you may first want to ask yourself.
What type of water feature is it, Fountainscape, Pondless Waterfeature, or Eco System Pond? How big is the pond? How long is the streambed? How many waterfalls are there? What climate are you in? What time of year is it? Is your water feature on the north or south side of your house? Is it in shade or full sun all day? Do you have an AutoFill? All of these are valid questions to ask yourself and relate directly to the rate of evaporation. After a few months a water feature owner will begin to understand their own feature and the needs it has. Evaporation is a big factor when this question arises. The more waterfalls and the longer the streambed the more evaporation will occur.
Ponds are the easiest to observe if the water is low because there is a skimmer and the telltale sign of evaporation is if the water is not getting into the skimmer. Pondless water features and Fountainscapes are the hardest to tell if the waterfeature needs water or not because the water dissapates into stone and then into a basin where the pump is housed making it nearly impossible to check the water level at first glance.
Industry leader Aquascape Inc. provides an extra large reservoir for fountainscapes called the AquaBasin™. There are three sizes of AquaBasins. The largest one supports up to 2,000 pounds and holds 75 gallons of water. Large basalt columns or other decorrative fountain tops can be set atop the basin for a truly impressive decorative water feature in the landscape. For a more formal look, try an impressive brass sculpture. When a pump is starving for water it will make a different noise than when it has plenty of water. The noise is hard to explain but when you hear it you will know it. This is more of a raspy high pitch whine or a gurgling.
Take a look at the video below for more information on pump maintenance and troubleshooting.
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