Best Pond Heaters/Deicers
When planning a koi pond, an unexciting topic like a good pond heater is perhaps the last thing that comes to your mind. But, it is very important for fish that you choose from the best pond heater to guarantee their safety and that of the environment they will live in.
Having the right information will make the buying process easy and help you make the right choices. It is important that you speak with a professional before making the final purchase. However, there are still some basic facts that you need to be familiar with to help you make the right decision. Hopefully this helps you today to decide.
Best Pond Heaters For Winter Reviews
Laguna PowerHeat Heated De-Icer for Ponds
This pond heater allows for important gases exchange in the ponds, it keeps a little area thawed and open despite the temperature range or freezes depth.
Laguna Heated De-Icers is safe and will not harm the plants, fish, or wildlife. It allowed the discharge of toxic gases and decomposing organic matter to escape. And at the same time, it lets oxygen re-enter the pond.
It helps provides long-term protection against complete freezing and allows for maximum oxygen levels during the winter months. It is safe for cement, plastic, and liner ponds with waterproof covering for safe operation.
Pros
- It has a long power cord
- It has LED on/off light
- It shut off automatic
- Works in low temperatures
- It creates a 20-25 inch hole
Cons
- There high cost of running it
- It is higher priced
TetraPond Pond De-icer
This Pond De-icer will help keep your pond ice-free. It is designed as a perfect winter solution for fish; it helps heat up to thaw the ice around it anywhere it is placed in the pond.
A level of ice in the pond entraps waste and gas that are toxic to the fish. By melting those ices, it lets the trapped toxins and gases escape and keep your pond and fish healthy during the winter.
It looks great in any natural pond environment and works with temperatures as low as -20 degrees Fahrenheit and has an energy-saving thermostat that turns off automatic after melting the ice. In addition, it comes with a 15-foot cord and works with 300 watts of power.
Pros
- It creates a 12-15 inch wide hole
- It has a 15-foot long power cord
- It is a 300-watt heater
- It is cheap, easy on the budget
- It is effective to – 20°F
Cons
- Some report of rusting after a year
- It is not good looking
Danner Manufacturing, Inc. De-Icer floating pond
This is one of the best koi pond heaters; it is used in cold areas where winter temperatures lead to prolonged freezing of the pond surfaces.
Danner Pond De-Icer helps keep a small hole in the surface of the pond in order to release dangerous gases and keep the fish alive throughout the cold winter months.
This winter pond de-icer is for use in those colder spots where normal winter temperatures lead to a major or long-term icing of the pond surface.
Pros
- It is energy efficiency
- It is robust and strong
- It is cheap
- 18-foot long power cord
- It can create a 15-inch hole
- It is a 120-watt heater
Cons
- It is not good looking
- It struggled in extremely low temperatures
Farm Innovators Pond Heated
This is a 1250 watt fish and plant-friendly heater that is good for heating ponds of about 50 to 600 gallons. It is made of patented cast aluminum for safety and efficiency.
This pond heater comes with an industry standard 10 foot cord, with an automatic on/off control button. Farm innovator pond heater comes with a built in thermostat that help regulates the temperature. Meaning it shuts down when it is not needed and so prevents wastage of electricity, and also helps prevent overheating.
It comes with 3 years warranty and can also work on fountain and other outdoor aquatic structure that need heating. The following are what make this pond heater one of the best.
- Cost effective
- Easy to place
- It has a built in thermostat
- Ideal for small and big ponds
- Fairly durable
- It comes with 3 years warranty
Are Pond Heaters And De-Icers The Same?
Actually, there are two kinds of heater maintenance selections and this should be your primary consideration. Do you really want to heat the pond all year round or you simply want to prevent the pond from freezing during the winter months?
The last option means that instead of a pond heater, you need a de-icer. The outcome of your choice will determine the actual maintenance costs and can also determine how long your fish survive. However, heating a pond is more complex than de-icing and will require more research on your part.
When it comes to choosing the right pond heater/ de-icer for your pond, sometimes pond owners can get confused about what is important and what they are looking for in the best pond heater/de-icer.
Before we go into that, let’s briefly take a look at pond heaters/de-icer, why they are important, how they work, and the difference between the two. We will discuss all these topics and more in the following paragraphs.
What is the difference between a pond heater and a pond de-icer?
One of the most important things you can buy when buying winter pond supplies is a pond heater or a pond de-icer.
Most pond owners get confused with these products and have the wrong idea that the pond heater will heat the whole pond, but that is not the case. The important thing to keep in mind is that pond de-icers and pond heaters are almost the same.
Although they have two different names, it is the same product and achieves the same results. Therefore, whether you purchase a pond de-icer or a pond heater, you will get a product designed to prevent your pond from absolutely freezing over in very cold temperatures.
The choice is yours, whether to get one that is floating or submerged.
What is a Pond de-icer?
Pond de-icer is device that are placed in a pond to help check the build-up of gas and ice inside the pond.
There are two kinds of pond de-icer, the first one is known as the floating pond de-icer, and as the name implies, it floats on the surface of the pond water.
The second type is known as a submersible pond de-icer, which sits at the bottom of the pond.
How important are pond de-icers?
When there is a change in seasons, especially from summer, fall and winter, wreckage from trees, plants, leaves, and fish waste can accumulate in the pond and eventually go down the bottom.
As these substances stagnate in the water, they begin to decompose, release gases into the water that float on the surface and escape into the air.
But during the winter, ice begins to form on the surface of the pond, it prevents these gases from escaping and it accumulates to risky levels, which are very toxic to fish.
So, a pond heater/de-icer is needed to play an important part in helping to prevent ice development on the pond surface. Therefore these gases can be discharged into the air and your fish can survive the winter period.
Ok, so with all that being said and now that we have some important information about these products, let’s go into the interesting part of it.
We will take a look at some of the most popular brands of pond heaters presently available in the market, as well as providing a helpful guide to keep in mind when buying a pond heater. The following are the best pond heaters/de-icers.
Buyer’s Guide on the best Pond Heaters
Choosing a pond heater is a bit difficult, especially when you know it is a must for winter. Depending on your pond size, it is important to choose the right one. In addition to this, there are a lot of factors to consider before buying a pond heater/ de-icer for your application. The following are some of the factors you should consider when buying a pond heater/ de-icer.
Type
There are many types of heaters available in the market such as submerged, floating, and many more. Also, there are pond deicers, electric water heaters, and gas boilers which are also options. You can go for anyone of these heaters, depending on your requirements.
Temperature
The right temperature for each pond varies from one region to another. Fish ponds require a certain amount of temperature to succeed. Therefore, choose a heater according to the size of your pond and the kind of fish you have in the pond.
Most owners think that a 300W pond heater provides the best outlet for a small and medium-sized pond. While a 500W pond heater or more may work well for a bigger pond.
The Pond Size
Size plays a very vital role when choosing the best pond heater. The choice of your pond heater depends on the size of your pond. The larger pond will require more watts, while the smaller one will require lesser watts.
Compact heaters are perfect for small ponds. It is affordable and works well with smaller ponds. Bigger heaters are right for large ponds, but they are not technically advanced. Therefore, you should invest wisely and instead of being concern about the heater size, you should look for the watts size it provides.
Thermostat and Wattage
This is another important factor to take into consideration; this depends on your pond size. If you have a bigger pond, you may need something with more wattage, while lesser wattage is perfect for smaller ponds.
In addition to that, you need a pond heater that has a built-in thermostat, which means that the heater will turn off automatically as soon the water gets to a certain temperature. This will saves you the trouble of checking the water over and over again and also saves you time and energy.
Water Flow
The best pond heater is the one that increases the flow of water throughout the pond. This factor can facilitate the oxygenation process in ponds without pumps or waterfalls. Therefore, even if your pond is submerged in ice from top, the flow will still continue under the ice.
Faster Thaw
During winter, pond freezes and you might need a certain part to be free of ice, this may be one reason you need to consider a thawing option. Instead of doing the hard work of breaking the ice, you can purchase a pond heater-deicer that will do the work for you.
Floating heaters provide an opening in the pond surface to oxygenate the pond. As soon as the sun is completely set, it will make the ice disappear, but until then you can count on one of the top koi fish pond heaters mentioned above to do the job.
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