How To Use A Pond Heater for Fish Pond During Winter

Last Updated on January 4, 2022 by Real Men Sow

Protecting your fish pond is important during the wintertime. Investing in a practical pond heater is a great start to watch out for your pond.  It’s best to heat up your outdoor fish pond if you own Koi. However, this would mean you’ll have to shoulder extra work. You’ll have to maintain them even if it’s cold out. You should know that Koi becomes vulnerable when there is a sudden temperature drop, so be prepared for power and equipment failures. This would also mean that you’ll have to pay for more bills due to the equipment’s power.

outdoor fish pond

Best Way To Use Pond Heater Outdoors

Heating the water a few degrees higher than it would be would help your Koi take the edge off the cold winter, is the cheapest option for you to do. By doing this, you’ll be able to prevent your Koi’s metabolism from slowing down and stop your heating bill from going high.

How to Keep the Heat in the Fish Pond

You may cover your pond to reduce expensive heat loss. Keep a winter cover available in case of emergencies.

Heating Your Fish Pond with a Pond Heater

Pond heaters can be bought in stores or online. There are designs where its goal is to make your whole pond warmer. Hot water will flow past the piped pond water, transferring heat to your cooler pond water. 

You may get solar panels, which are more efficient than gas and electricity. Using electricity to power your pond heating equipment has the risk of power cuts, resulting in you needing a backup generator.

How Much Does it Cost to Use a Pond Heater? 

It’s important for you to remember that there are installation and running costs in addition to your purchase of pond heater. Keep in mind that gas-powered equipment installation is more pricey than electric.Electric-powered equipment also needs to be fitted by specialists. Make sure to check all the electrical connections for you and your fishes’ safety. 

If you use the heater all day or only use it as a night heater to prevent temperatures from dropping too much will determine its running cost. You might want to insulate your pond and pipework to minimize your costs for the long run.

Pond Heating Equipments

  • Heaters designed to be installed easily in the plumbing and the electrical stage comes with analog or digital controls
  • Compact heaters with a control box
  • Smaller heaters 
  • Gas boilers, however, the initial cost of it is pricey but the running cost would be quite low. You may also make use of your home’s existing heating boiler, making the initial cost of it lesser. 

Maintenance 

It’s important to keep on checking on your equipment even if they only require little maintenance. Check with your supplier about backups and their availability of spares in case of emergencies. When your fishes get used to higher temperatures, a sudden dip in temperature in the winter will not be good for them.

Tips for choosing outdoor fish pond heaters

  • The heater you choose should be able to keep the pond at your desired temperature, so check the weather records for the lowest temperatures that occurred in your area
  • Make sure you know whether your unit is weatherproof or needs protection. Your equipment needs to be installed properly to make it last
  • The equipment should have indicator lights for you to know it’s working
  • There should be a remote control for you to avoid going out in the cold
Real Men Sow
Real Men Sow

Hello, I’m Pete and I’m currently based in the west of Scotland, in a small place called Rosneath, where I’m exploring my garden adventures. I personally started gardening around 6 years ago and initially, I started out by growing my favorite fruits and berries, such as strawberries, Raspberries & Gooseberries. Since then I’ve added a lot of vegetables and working closely with my neighbor, it’s been a lot of fun.