How to: Filter Maintenance
Filter Care & Maintenance
Get the Guide: How to take care of your Filters
Pond filters are used to maintain a healthy pond by keeping it clear of algae and some of the debris which, in turn, helps to keep fish healthy. However, to ensure you get the most out of your filter there is a little bit of maintenance involved.
Maintenance (UV & Bio)
- Start by switching off the power supply to both the pump and filter.
- Turn the lever to the back flush option.
- Switch your pump on until the water starts to run clearer. The water that is being backflushed is full of goodness that your garden will love you for, if this isn’t an option a bucket or drain would work.
- Switch off the pump and move the lever back to the pond option.
- Turn the pump and filter to run as normal.
Filters are best ‘dirty’ but not filthy. The above maintenance steps can be done throughout the year, with a comprehensive clean a few times a year (follow the steps below).
- Remove the lid via the clips/ring clamp (varies from model & size).
- Take out the sponges and bio media, and rinse with pond water, bore or tank water (chlorine in town supply water kills the beneficial bacteria & takes around 2 weeks to regrow).
- Place the bio media and sponges (coarsest at the top and finest at the base) back in the filter bucket and replace the lid.
- Check that the lever is pointing to pond mode (not backflush).
- Turn the pump and filter power supply back on.
Replacing the UV Lamp
Most UV lamps can be accessed without removing the lid.
- Switch off the power to the filter.
- Use a screwdriver to unscrew and access the UV lamp.
- Carefully remove the lamp from the filter (depending on the make/model a quartz sleeve/glass tube may need to be removed first).
- UV lamps have two prongs that push into place, so with a little wriggle the old lamp should pop out of the socket.
- With a dry cloth clean off any muck around the connection and quartz sleeve.
- Ensure you use a glove or cloth when inserting the new UV lamp (the natural oil on our hands can damage the UV lamp).
- Replace the socket containing the UV lamp and screw back into place.
UV lights require replacing about every 12 months; they may still glow after this period but lose their strength to kill off algae and sterilize the water. Sponges and bio media should last 1-2 years.
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