Pond vacuums
Question:
This inquiry relates to pond vacuums. I am interested in purchasing a high end pond vacuum like that Pondovac 3. I like the feature of two chambers that alternate filling and emptying. However, I note that in the description of this machine, there is a caveat mentioned that the deeper you attempt to vacuum a pond there is a substantial loss of suction. “At 3′ this vac gets little suction.” I have two ponds one about 7000 gallons, one 1200 gallons. They run from 2.5 feet in depth to 4 ft deep. I need a device which has strong suction to vacuum up algae that is dying on the bottom after I used Algaefix, as well as the usual debris that accumulates. I have other means of emptying out the water from both ponds, so water removal is less of an issue than sucking debris off the bottom. What are your recommendatons? Many thanks, RM Rose, MD
Answer:
The Pond O Vac 3 is currently the best vac on the market. As with any pond vac, they do not operate like a Dirt Devil or Hoover in the living room. Pond vacs work very slow to cause as little turbulence as possible. As far as ease of use and workability, the Vac 3 is it. There is suction loss beyond 3′ though. There is minimal suction after 6′. I have a pond that’s 3.5′ deep throughout most of the pond and the Pond O Vac 3 works well. I keep the motor on the pond edge, taking care that it doesn’t fall in, to keep the actual distance from the motor inlet and the water surface as close to 3′ as possible. From my experience, the vertical distance between the surface of the water and the vac motor inlet is the critical factor. There is minimal gravity in water, so the distance from the bottom of the pond to the surface of the pond is an insignificant factor. Now, if the motor is located 3-4′ up from the surface of the pond, on a hill for instance, and the pond is 3-4′ deep, then suction will be a problem. I hope this helps