For cleaning, assembly, shock absorbtion, ice movement, etc. A trash guard is a good idea too. Siphons can develop a tremendous amount of power. I started a siphon with a 2"id sandblast hose once to lower my pond for some bank work and it sucked onto my waders. I had pull the outlet line out of my overflow pipe to break the suction because I couldn't get it off. Good thing I had on waders or I would have had a heck of a hickey on my leg.



"The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge." Stephen W. Hawking