Any chance there is a rock in the handle or in an intake or outtake, that's always my problem :( There's a notch in the handle so you can check out that curve that's hidden, I always have a rock in there. Is your seal on top of the unit seated well? It doesn't vaccuum well if the tubes are above the motor, and it doesn't release the outtake well if that tube isn't flat. Also if the foam pads have gotten super dirty, that's a biggie, but it generally takes awhile for that to happen. Can't think of anything else that it might be :(
pond vacs
I guess I better unpack mine and try it out. Been simply too busy with other things to do this though.
Got two more pallets of zoysia today from the sod farm out in the boonies (right next to the new town and university of Ave Maria). While driving away I saw all those wonderful flowers in the ditches. Millions of water hyacinths were staring right at me. Stopped the car and got a few arms full. We'll see if these grown any better then the crop I bought out of Texas not for cheap. So now I know where to get hyacinths. :-)
On another note - I thought my babies were all gone and someone said to give it time, 'they hide well'. They sure do. I see them now a little bigger. They hang around the tops of the water lilies under the leaves and among the rocks on top of the pots. So I'm a daddy again after all. :-)
Hooray!!! I'm so glad you found the fish. I do that sometimes. It's good that they have the ability to hide well though. It's a matter of their survival!!!
Jeri
PS The pond vac is easy. Put the 8' hose at the exhaust and the longer one on intake. In putting the wand together put the clear tube next to the hose. I put the vacuum nozzle into the water before turning it on. Pick up all those things that have been driving you crazy for a while. Ta daa!
Thanks SO MUCH for the advice - I'll be back out there today (am having a tour on Saturday) and I will certainly follow your tips - ALL of them! The first I looked at was the exhaust hose, and it was backwards! (Don't tell my DH - he has been hearing me whine for three days now) I'll send an update in a couple of days - was without the internet for TWO days, so sorry this has taken awhile. - Dax
Good luck with the pond tour!!!
Jeri
Look at me. I haven't visit this tread for a while. But look who I found. ((((Jeri))))), speaking of pond tour. When are you giving yours. In june? Am I invited? Do post some pic. and share with us.
Kim
Az ponds has pond vac on clearance. i just bought a matula for $275.00 which reg $400.00 and bought pond vac 3 for my friend for $389.00 reg $502.00. I had not used mine yet but it beats doing it manually. I will post again after I use mine which is sttill ina box. Bellie
Oh, please post before and after pictures.
We used our new matola vac from AZ ponds and was disappointed. It does not run contineously, it cuts off and then restart. it might be a safety mesure. My DH wants a better one so I have to buy the pond vac 3 which is $120.00 more. What does evryone have and where did you get them?? Bellie
Hi Bellie, I bought the pond vac 3 from AZponds. I like it so far.
Jeri
PV3 from a vendor in Colorado who happened to be giving deals on another forum.
Dax080 how did the pond tour go? Any pictures?
Jeri
Kind of pricey !!! How much did you pay for them?? Is it too personal? My matula was $277.00 and pond vac for my friend is $385.00. Thank you, Bellie
Mine was an intro deal and was under $300
Mine was $389.95 with shipping.
Jeri,
The price looks resonable for PV3, my DH and I surfed the web. and found AZponds.com this morning.
Questions that you and others could help us. PV3, and other Vac. are NOT for ponds that are deeper than 2'. But apparently you're happy with your purchase. May I ask how deep is your pond. Ours is a small, 10'x15'x31" This was one DH installed for me with a stream and small pump that circulates water continually. It was our anniversary gift last year. So far, few Kois, gold fish, and shubunkins, plus a handful of minos appear happy over winter. Our vegetations are limited to Lizert- tail (a bog plant), some hardy water lilies, umbralla plants. "Koon-tail" oxigenators help keep the water clear. But we're looking for a device that help clean up the muck annually if we could. Any input is appreciated.
Jerri11,
I will buy a pv3. Does it shut off like the matula or pv2? I am going to call in AM if I could send it back. Thank you, Bellie
I've used it sucessfully on the pool and it's 4'. I never saw that part about 2'. They give you plenty of handle to reach 4'.
Bellie
I just kept using it until the bottom was clean probably about 15 minutes or longer steady and it never shut down.
Jeri
Thank you and I hope they let me return thr pond vac Bellie
Yippie! Look like we're getting the pond vac. Anyday now....
Thank you Jeri, and everyone.
Kim
Anybody else have little brown leeches in their pond? I found them on the 'net, and it said they eat the leaves and stuff at the bottom...but I'm using them as an excuse not to get my bare feet in there this year. eeeeeew!
I called AZ ponds today and since we already used it once he is not going to let me return it!1 What a bummer!!! I still can use it but DH does not have patience. Oh well!!!! Bellie
i am cheap so I went with the Floyd's Pond Vac and had really good luck with it. I did the hook up myself because DH was working. By the time he got home I had over 1/2 of the pond vacuumed. He started to make fun of my contraption but when he saw how clean the pond was he was quiet. I did not do the wood on the barrel because that is DH department. I was amazed at how easy it was to use and sure beats emptying the pond and refilling, 9000 gallons doesn't empty and refill in a couple of hours. I used 1 1/4" pvc which was really not big enough to suck leaves, but that fit the hose I was using. I think I will try to redo it and use 1 1/2" or 2" pipe. I just used what was around the house, but it worked great. It cost me about $5 to set up.
Are you still using the shop vac?
Jeri
yes, I used it this weekend. Only problem was if you let the barrel get too full it sucked water into the shop vac. If you watched your water level then everything was great.
Peggy
I sure am glad I visited Dave's Garden again. I, too, am going to buy the Pondvac 3. The least expensive one I found was
498.88 (free shipping). Now I will do a little more looking.
Has anyone found that the suction was NOT good enough on the Pondvac 3. I read that it would perform badly if the pond is
more than 2' deep.
Thanks so much
Ditto that, we read that too. But, I'm satisfied that my buddy has used the Vac. on her 4' deep pond. And she's happy with it. :-) Question is how long is its longevity? I'd better hush, or I'll talk myself out of getting this pond Vac. III
Kim I haven't used it on the pond yet but my 4' swimming pool is under palm trees that drop leaves, etc into pool and it picked all that up. I've used mine 3 times in the pool and love it. My pond tour is in 2 weeks and I'm afraid to touch my pond with anything new right now. Really my catfish keeps the pond clean all by himself. He's about 14" long and 4-5" thick. If he doesn't eat it he keeps it turned up so that the filter gets it.
Now the top pond is a different story and that's where I'm gonna use my pond vac III.
Jeri
I made the mistake of using my husband's Dewalt shop vac to vacuum the sludge off the bottom of a small top splash pool in a two pool goldfish pond. I ruined the shop vac. Luckily my DH had agreed when I said I wanted to use it and what for. No matter how many times we cleaned it, let it dry out thoroughy and replaced the filter, it just has lot nearly all suction. This pool is 12" deep and about 24" across. Using the big pond vac II for such a small job seemed overkill. Instead I killed a shop vac!
Snapple
Very pretty waterfall.
My shop vac is making a really loud squeal but it still works. I thought they were for wet stuff also. Probably not hundreds of gallons of the wet though. Still shop vacs are less expensive than Pond vac IIIs.
I've to admit, there are many creative watergardeners out there, that includes DH. :-), he used shop vac. on our pond last year. The work was tydious. But, it helped clearing some of the mucks accummulated in the bottom of the pond. In order to Vac. the bottom of our pond, we pumped the water out, until he could comfortably wade in the water. It stirred up an creadible amount of muds (for a PVC' lined pond). The fish miraculously survived the "mud-storm" he created. As water was slowly replaced they (fish) appeared somewhat lathargic. So I fear, another snowstorm, I meant mud-storm, would wipe them out.
Kim
edit to say.... it stirred up and created an incredible amount.... bear with me folks, typos -- is my specialty. Appology follows.
This message was edited May 23, 2007 12:42 PM
I think the message I might be conveying is that some shop vacs are up to the pond job while others are definitely not! My DH is having a hard time hiding his joy at choosing and buying a replacement. Tools are to him what plants and fish are to me. It works out in the end.
snapple45, horay to that! We've something in common. Aren't our hubbies darling? DH for many = dear hubby. DH for us = darling hubby. :-)
Hi all,
With the holiday-weekend, I know everyone is busy with family and friends. I just wanted to pop in and announce that we're now a proud owner of a Ponovac3. Talking about service! We ordered the Vac. on the 22, it took them a mere 3 days to have the thing shipped. I assumed it was from Pa. all the way to my neck of the woods, in the South!.
I'm delighted. Besides, pullings kids behind our ski-boat. B-B-Q, on the grills. Lot of guitars jamming and loud musics. I can see/hope the Vac. soon will be in working condition, and a cleaner pond. Not to mention, we created a new raised bed for our garden today. :-)
Yall my SIL came over to vaccum the pool with my new pond vac. He put the intake hose in place and stristed the coupling around to where the flapper was down. The water wouldn't come out the exhaust until the unit was cut off. Until he left and I took it apart I thought I had mislead yall. But I turned the coupling and it went back to working right so be careful which way the flappers go it makes a difference.
Jeri
Happy Holidays ya'll.
Kim
jeri11 - My mother taught me to always be careful with my flapper.
chuckles, chuckles, snap. We tried our pondovac3 today and hubby's words were. "It works. It can't do miracles, but it's a useful tool". For a 2000 gallons capacity pond. Looks like it will take some work to "beautify" "clarify" the water. One thing I observed, the fish were fine during the process of cleaning. We tried it out for a few mins. will resume the task tomorrow.
Jeri, Jim would like to ask you (and anyone has same experience to share), you've mentioned about having a large cat fish in the pond. Does catfish get along with other fish? Living by the lake, we fish them quite often when actually were fishing for bats, or cropies.
Being bottom-eater, I though if cat will not be agressive toward Kois and goldfish, as well as shabunkins, maybe we should have one....to put it to work.
Cracker is our albino catfish. I got him when he was the size of my index finger and he is huge now. He gets along fine with the koi and gold fish. In fact my grandkids call him the King of the Koi. LOL. He's suppose to be a bottom feeder and he does his share on the bottom but as soon as the food hits the water for the koi, Cracker is the first one there and eats his fair share.
Jeri
How funny, I've a multant mino. Jim tossed a dozen of mino into the pond when we first got it established. One turned out to be a multated genome. He's about an adult-size gold fish. While the rest of the mino remain relatively small. He too, will be the first to surface when I clap my hands, calling to them "It's dinner time".
Kim