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#TheWeeklyRibbit

You have questions. We have answers. 

What is an exploratory pond cleaning?

8/28/2018

5 Comments

 

​Before we get right into it, let’s run through a quick scenario.

​You are in the process of or have recently just purchased your new dream home.  You and your family are ecstatic and elated with your new home and looking forward to creating long lasting memories together.  There just so happens to be this body of water which was called a fish pond or maybe you just have a fountain or one of those circulating waterfalls. 

You and the family stand outside gazing at this beautiful feature or maybe it’s not so beautiful but green, murky, and just plain stagnant.  Either way you look back at your home and then at the water feature thinking to yourself: 
What have I gotten myself into, I don’t even know where to start?  What now? 
If this sounds like a predicament you’re facing, an exploratory drain and clean or exploratory start-up may be just the service you’ve been searching for.  We can help you get your feet wet in this wonderful hobby of fish ponds and water features. 

​Is it even worth it to hire a professional pond company to clean, assess, and educate you on the water feature system you have?
​Of course, it is. Having a pond professional figure out your system, walk you through the maintenance or your pond or water feature and make suggestions to improve your pond or water feature will prevent any headaches along the way.     

So, what is an exploratory pond cleaning or start-up?

​In this wonderful world of fish ponds and water features it’s apparent not all ponds are created equal, so there’s no one size fits all pond manual to help you through this process of “figuring” it out.   This is where we come in, think of us as your go to pond manual.  With our extensive pond knowledge and experience we’ve just about seen it all, and if we haven’t, we will figure it out.  
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​Exploratory Pond or Water Feature Cleaning: What does AFD do?
The AFD team will show up ready to dive in and figure out your pond’s system. 
  1. Drain entire pond and power wash and clean. House any fish during service and check fish health.
  2. Clean all filters
  3. Check condition of pond liner
  4. Check and clean all pumps and any other equipment
  5. Check plumbing system condition and for any leaks
  6. Clean stream/waterfall areas  
  7. Provide you with a full report of equipment condition, type of equipment, and any items needing immediate attention or recommended repairs and upgrades. 
  8. Provide you with “Peace of Mind”.  How?  We will spend time to educate you on your pond, the filtration system, and maintenance tasks.  But most of all we will be your go to manual.  You can always reach out to us should you have a question.  
​Once your exploratory pond cleaning is finished you will have a clean pond and most importantly an understanding of how your pond functions and the maintenance that needs to be done to help keep your pond beautiful and healthy.  In essence, we will be performing a complete pond or water feature physical and providing you with a plethora of information so you can enjoy your pond or water feature.  
Exploratory Pond or Water Feature/Fountain Start-Up: What’s this all about?
What do we do?
We perform all the same tasks as in an Exploratory Cleaning, we just don’t fully drain the entire pond or water feature. 
  1. Clean all filters
  2. Check and clean all pumps and any other equipment
  3. Check plumbing system condition and for any leaks
  4. Clean stream/waterfall areas  
  5. Provide you with a full report of equipment condition, type of equipment, and any items needing immediate attention or recommended repairs and upgrades. 
  6. Provide you with “Peace of Mind”.  How?  We will spend time to educate you on your pond, the filtration system, and maintenance tasks.  But most of all we will be your go to manual.  You can always reach out to us should you have a question. 
 
Sometimes the pond or water feature is in pretty good shape, the previous owners kept really good care of the feature and maybe a full draining isn’t necessary.  That’s when the Exploratory Start-up can be a great way to have your pond or water feature checked out by a pond professional to make sure all is running properly.   

Which Exploratory service is right for you? 

​It really depends.   There are many factors to take into consideration as to whether an Exploratory Cleaning or an Exploratory Start-up is right for you.   This is something we are more than happy to help you figure out and we can figure it out together.  
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Ok, Ok, this sounds great, but what’s my investment going to be?  

A great question, and one that’s difficult to answer.  And yes, you may have guessed it, it depends.  It depends on water feature type, size, if it’s been neglected, and so on and so on.   We can’t provide you with an exact price, but we can give you a good starting point. 
An exploratory cleaning for a pond can range from $775 and up. 
An exploratory start-up can range from $575 and up.  
Related Links:
  • When can I start feeding my pond fish and koi this spring?
  • What do I do with my fish when cleaning my fish pond?
  • ​When do I need to change my BioFilter filter pads for my fish pond?
A Frog’s Dream Aquatic Services is offering this pond information as a personal information source to our website visitors. Pond services are performed in Morris County New Jersey (NJ) Hunterdon County New Jersey (NJ) Somerset County (NJ) and Warren County (NJ). Fish and Koi Pond Construction, Streams and Waterfalls, and  Fountains are all in our wheelhouse of talent. Explore our website for more ideas. Like our Facebook page for daily inspiration.  Receive #TheWeeklyRibbit for weekly water feature tips and a fun video
5 Comments
Sue Underwood
11/12/2020 07:58:24 pm

I have a small, 5 x 9 ? pond, rubber liner, installed probably 20 or so years ago. It has one ledge waterfall. However the entire system has not function for several years first due to failure of the water to flow to the waterfall ledge ( I think due to a kink in the rubber hose, and then eventually the pump completely failed. Then LIFE happened and it was not a priority to solve. The goldfish (NOT Koi) were also dispatched by raccoons I suspect but I had frogs take up residence which was fine. Now however it is so over grown with iris' and some other plant I can't see much of any thing. I believe there might have been a small leak but it was near the rim, maybe two inches below the rim, as when filled up after a rain storm it would eventually drain out to 2" or so below the rim. So not a catastrophe. What I am most in need of is of course to get it cleaned out; the hose issue resolved and a new pump system installed. When the waterfall worked the one terrible problem I started having was bull frogs appeared constantly and hid under the "cave" of the waterfall ledge and when a bird or chipmunk came to drink at the waterfall the frog would grab it and drown it and eat it! I lost over 6 birds and two chipmunks - that I know of! I finally rigged up window screening to cover the waterfall which kept out the frog but let the water flow through. I transported every bull frog down to the Raritan River but it would soon be replaced by another.
So I don't know if this little pond is too insignificant for your company to bother with and if so could you recommend another company I might use?

Reply
Elli link
7/18/2021 06:16:22 am

Thoughtful blog, thanks for posting

Reply
wendy gladston
5/17/2023 05:02:25 pm

My pond hasn’t had a good cleanup in many years at least over 17 years.
It needs to be looked at and any repairs done etc. etc.
Please let me know if you are available to come out and take a look at it. I am located in Solebury/New Hope PA

Reply
Surrey Drain Cleaning link
10/24/2023 03:01:47 am

I found this article on exploratory pond cleaning quite informative. It's essential for pond owners to understand the benefits and processes involved in maintaining a healthy ecosystem. The insight provided here is valuable for anyone looking to preserve the beauty and functionality of their ponds. Keep up the excellent work in sharing your expertise!

Reply
Pond Liner link
3/5/2025 12:53:18 am

A quite helpful blog. Thanks for sharing. I’d like to recommend Pond Pro 2000 the only liquid butyl rubber in the world. It’s totally safe for fish, plants and other aquatic life within the pond. It can be easily applied to all types of surfaces like fountains, waterfalls, pools, ponds, and many more. It's a primer-free, one-coat system. It's the only pond sealer in the market that has more than 30 years of history of success and offers a 10-year warranty to its valued customers. Its coverage on a smooth surface is 40 sq. ft. per gallon. Avoid rain in the first three hours of application. Any leftover material can be stored for up to 5 years. It’ll last three times longer than other acrylic pond sealers and after being applied, it can go below-freezing temperatures at night. It's also recommended to fix leaks on existing EPDM membranes, acrylics, fiberglass, concrete, reflecting fountains, concrete ponds, concrete pools, and TPO.

Reply



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    Author-Clayton Graba​

    Over the last 18 years, Clay has been involved in landscaping and aquascaping, which led him to his passion, POND BUILDING and opening A Frog’s Dream in 2006. His true passion is to create works of art for others to enjoy and marvel at in the privacy of their own backyards.

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  • Services
    • Water Feature Construction >
      • Ecosystem Fish Ponds
      • Pondless Waterfalls
      • Landscape Garden Fountains
      • Pond and Lake Aeration
      • Backyard Landscape Ideas
    • Pond Maintenance Services >
      • Scheduled Maintenance
      • Spring Maintenance
      • Fall Pond Netting and Winterization
      • Pond String Algae Solutions
    • Pond Repair and Renovations >
      • Pond Repair and Renovation
      • Pond Leak Repairs
  • Water Feature Packages
    • Build Your Dream Pond
    • Build Your Dream Waterfall
    • Build Your Backyard Fountain
  • Gallery
    • Ecosystem Fish and Koi Ponds
    • Pondless Waterfalls
    • FountainScapes
  • Learning Center
    • Service Pricing >
      • Cleaning Cost?
    • Events- "Frog" Talks
  • Contact
    • Meet the AFD Team >
      • Join our Team
      • Why Hire a CAC?
    • Business Affliate Program
  • AFD Pond Shop