Originally Posted By: timshufflin
Some may know that I have just completed a .10 acre pond that is about 10 to 11 feet deep. My pond does leak some and it seems that it takes about 5 gpm to keep it topped off. What I'm trying to do is keep the pond topped off automatically like I did with my livestock watering tanks.

On my livestock tanks it was easy, I put heat tape around a frost free hydrant and around a pipe which connected right to a float valve in the tank. The tank itself had a heater in it and all was good. This is not so easy with my pond.

What I was thinking was next spring running 1" pipe below the frost line down to the pond and have a frost free faucet at the pond. What good would this do for me though? In the winter the frost free faucet would be exposed to the elements and I really don't want heat tape looking all goofy around a feeder pipe to a float valve.

Does anyone have photo's of an automatic pressure or float valve that they have in their pond? One that is frost free? I have aeration so I think I could at least keep that area of water iceless. It's important that the setup look "clean".

Any ideas, anyone?

As an aside, my apologies if this is not in the right area. I had no idea where to post this.


You know what you need is a electronic valve that is placed below the frost line and a float system to turn it on and off. In the summer I fill my pond from a creek with two sump pumps that pump 4300gph each. I need to pull the pumps when it starts to get cold and freeze. The 2" water line has a coupler and the power is wired in a sealed box. Un do the coupler and un plug done for the winter.

If you could keep your floats in your pond free of ice and your on off valve in the frost line. Arrange the valve like a frost free so when the water is turned off it drains into a gravel bed below the frost line. Your up right then will be clear of water when valve is off.

This is how I would have at it. Don't know if there is a off the shelf valve system.

Cheers Don.

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7/8th of an acre, Perch only pond, Ontario, Canada.