Filter Maintenace

Having set up your filter, there will be a couple of jobs you need to do in order to keep it in perfect working order. The filter foams or brushes will need to be cleaned. How often you have to do this will depend on a number of factors. If the box is only just the right size for your pond it will need cleaning more often than if it is generously sized or over-capacity.

If your pond is already dirty when you first install your filter then you will need to clean it out regularly, maybe even every day, until it has caught up and cleaned the pond to a good standard. After this period, or if your pond was clean to begin with (e.g. a new pond) then you should clean the filter whenever the flow rate decreases or whenever the pond looks a little less clear, but check it at least once a month.

Once each year you will need to change the ultraviolet bulb (technically it is a lamp). These will continue to light up for a long time, but will only produce UV light for a period of between 6 months and a year. Change your UV bulb in March or April and it will be at maximum efficiency for the summer months when the growth of algae is at its greatest.

It is worth checking that the quartz glass tube that surrounds the UV bulb is clean at the same time as you replace the bulb. Often these can get dirty with limescale deposits (which look like a brown film), especially in hard water areas. This will stop the light from getting to the water and stop the UVC from working even with a new bulb. The quartz glass tube (also known as a quartz sleeve) can be cleaned with a damp cloth, but be careful as they are fragile and quite expensive!

Click here to see our range of filter spares, foams and bulbs.

Or click here to see a list of all our pond building guides