How to Clean an Ultimate Pondless Waterfall
Ultimate pondless waterfalls are very different than the common rock and gravel reservoir type pondless waterfalls seen everywhere online.
How to Clean an Ultimate Pondless Waterfall
Simple, Easy, and Quick Instructions
How to clean an Ultimate pondless waterfall:
- Turn off pump - no need to remove it
- Using an ordinary garden hose, rinse leaves, debris, and sediment from the waterfalls and/or stream down towards and into the Hydro Sieve™ pre-filter
- Empty the Hydro Sieve™ pre-filter's stainless steel filter basket
- Backwash the Hydro Vortex™ waterfall filter, either manually with a garden hose, or with the HydroFlush™ backwash system
- Add fresh water to replace the small amount of water that was used for backwashing the Hydro Vortex™ waterfall filter
- Turn the pump back on, YOU'RE DONE!
Cleaning and maintaining an Ultimate Pondless Waterfall is easy!
No fuss, no muss, no mess, no hassle, no extra costs.
Ultimate pondless waterfalls do not have a hard to clean rock and gravel reservoir basin like the common pondless waterfalls found everywhere online. The Ultimate pondless waterfall is different and features an easy to clean, completely backwashable, patented Hydro Vortex™ waterfall filter for trapping and removing dissolved organics like dust and pollen from the water.
The waterfall and/or stream flows from the Hydro Vortex™ waterfall filter downstream and into the Hydro Sieve™ pre-filter where all the wind-blown and other debris like leaves, blossoms, seeds, insects, worms, bird feathers etc. are trapped and held for easy removal before they can become foods sources for algae.
The pre-filtered water from the Hydro Sieve™ then flows into the Hydro Chamber™ all-in-one pump chamber/water storage tank where a submersible or external pump passes the water up to the Hydro Vortex™ waterfall filter for micro-filtering, water polishing, and to start the waterfalls.
How to clean an Ultimate pondless waterfall in detail:
1. Turn off your pump, use an ordinary garden hose to rinse all leaves and debris from the rocks and gravel in your waterfalls and/or stream downstream and into the Hydro Sieve™ pre-filter. Rinse any and all sediment downstream into the Hydro Sieve™ pre-filter for easy removal.
No need to remove the pump when cleaning an Ultimate pondless waterfall.
2. Remove the stainless steel filter basket from the Hydro Sieve™ pre-filter. Empty the basket, hose it out, and then put it back inside the Hydro Sieve™ pre-filter.
3. Open the drain valve at the bottom of the Hydro Vortex™ waterfall filter and let it completely drain. You will notice dirty water draining from the Hydro Vortex™ waterfall filter.
4. Back wash the Hydro Vortex™ waterfall filter either manually, or with the HydroFlush™ Backwash System.
Manual Backwash: Using an ordinary garden hose, rinse the Hydro Vortex™ waterfall filter from top down with fresh water. Rinse water through the Hydro FilterSilk™ bio media inside Hydro Vortex™ waterfall filter until the water flowing out the drain runs clear. When the water runs clear, the filter and bio media are clean. Close the drain valve and restart your pump and waterfalls.
HydroFlush™ Backwash System: With the filter's drain valve open, turn the HydroFlush™ valve to the "Backwash" position. Turn on the pump to send water through the froth-port at the top of the Hydro Vortex™ filter. The water will shoot upwards and then fall back down onto, into, and through the Hydro FilterSilk™ media inside the Hydro Vortex™ waterfall filter. When the water exiting the drain at the bottom of the filter runs clear, the filter and bio media are clean. Close the drain valve, and turn the HydroFlush™ valve back to the "Filter" position.
5. When water exiting the Hydro Vortex™ waterfall filter's drain is clear, the filter and bio media are clean. Close the drain valve.
6. Turn on your pump and enjoy your clean and pristine pondless waterfalls.
If you opted for an automatic water fill valve, the valve will automatically re-fill the pondless waterfall for you. Or, you can add water with a garden hose to replace the small amount of water that was used to backwash the Hydro Vortex™ waterfall filter.
That's it! You're done!
No fuss, and no mess.
Super easy, super quick.
The Easy to Clean Pondless Waterfall
Ultimate pondless waterfalls are the absolute easiest to clean pondless waterfalls - period. Compare for yourself before purchasing any brand of pondless waterfall kit or having one installed by a contractor for you.
Remember, it will be your pondless waterfall, and you will be the one who has to clean it, or pay someone a lot of money to clean it for you.
You can empty the HydroSieve™ daily if need be. You can backwash the Hydro Vortex™ filter in minutes whenever needed. You can use your garden hose to rinse your waterfalls and stream as often as you wish - to keep it as pristine as you wish. You can turn your pump on and off whenever you want. The system does not rely upon beneficial bacteria, and with regular maintenance, rinses, and backwashes - algaecide use will be minimal.
Compare
How to Clean an Ultimate Pondless Waterfall with
How to Clean a Common Pondless Waterfall
Common pondless waterfalls seen everywhere online nowadays are the rock and gravel reservoir type. Virtually every brand of pondless waterfall kits found online feature a slotted pump vault, one or more matrix blocks, and a waterfall spillway. No filter of any kind, just 'rocks and gravel' that act like a pre-filter.
I did a Google search on "How to clean a pondless waterfall" and this is what came up:
Google's AI compiled this information from contractor/installers', retailers', and manufacturers' websites from across the internet. All of the websites sell the same type of rock and gravel type pondless waterfalls, but none of them actually tell you the truth about how to clean a pondless waterfall, how often it needs to be done, or what happens to the pondless waterfall if you don't or can't keep it free of debris and organics.
Sellers and installers of rock and gravel basin pondless waterfalls don't want you to know the truth - because they know that you won't buy what they're selling if you knew the truth about how to clean what they're selling.
Hopefully you can read the screenshot above, but in case the writing is too small, this is what Google's AI Overview said: (My comments are in this color)
1. "Turn off and remove pumps: Begin by switching off the pump and removing it for easy access to the waterfall's components." (There are no 'waterfall components' to access, the pump is inside a slotted pump vault, which is a separate item than the waterfall spillway - the pump and waterfall spillway are opposite each other. Why do they instruct you to remove the pump to clean the pondless waterfall?)
2. "Drain the reservoir: Drain the water from the reservoir to expose the rocks and debris for cleaning. This is also a good time to manually remove any large debris or leaves." (How do you drain the reservoir? There is no drain on the reservoir - the only way to 'drain the reservoir' is to pump it out. Either use the removed waterfall pump, or purchase a separate sludge pump - but either way you must purchase additional discharge pipe and fittings to attach the pipe to the pump. Where does the dirty water go when you're pumping out the reservoir? The only way to 'manually remove any large debris or leaves' is by HAND. How do you remove the debris that the waterfalls forced deep down into the rocks and gravel? You have to dig it out by HAND!)
3. "Power wash rocks and reservoir: Use a power washer to thoroughly clean the rocks, liner, and reservoir, removing algae and debris. A garden hose may not have enough pressure for effective cleaning." (Do you own a pressure washer? If not, you will have to rent one. What happens to all the algae and debris that you pressure wash off? Why is there so much algae in common pondless waterfalls that they instruct you to power wash it off? Algae grows when it has organics that feed it - if you can get rid of the organics before it can feed algae like the Ultimate pondless waterfall does, you won't have the algae problem in the first place! Speaking from past experience, when pressure washing algae covered pondless waterfalls, you must cover patios and patio furniture within 20' of the pondless waterfall with plastic sheeting or everything will get splattered with algae, muck, and debris.)
4. "Rinse the reservoir: After power washing, rinse the reservoir with water to remove any remaining debris or gunk." (OK, you're done power washing, how do you 'rinse the reservoir with water to remove any remaining debris or gunk'? What is the 'gunk'? How much water does that take? Where do you rinse the 'remaining debris or gunk' to?)
5. "Clean the vault: Check the vault at the bottom of the waterfall for sediment buildup and remove it." (How do you 'remove' the sediment buildup? Shop-vacs won't suck up the muddy and slimy buildup, rinsing didn't get it all, so how do you remove the sediment and buildup? By HAND!)
6. "Refill the water feature: Once the cleaning is complete, refill the reservoir with fresh water." (How much water was wasted power washing and rinsing the reservoir?)
7. "Check edges and leaks: Ensure the liner edges are in place and secure to prevent leaks. If you notice any leaks, it's likely due to a low liner edge." (Checking for leaks is not 'cleaning'. Checking for leaks should be part of routine maintenance and not just performed during cleanings.)
8. "Add beneficial bacteria: Consider adding beneficial bacteria to maintain water clarity and support a healthy water feature." (Beneficial bacteria requires bio media to live upon and oxygenated water flowing through the media to do it's job. Beneficial bacteria is only effective if the pondless waterfall contains an actual waterfall filter with bio media inside that is designed for bacteria growth, and the pump is running 24/7 to keep the beneficial bacteria supplied with oxygenated water. Beneficial bacteria will not perform its job if the pondless waterfall gets turned off because it needs dissolved oxygen to survive. If you don't have an actual waterfall filter with media specifically designed for bacteria growth, you will be wasting money on beneficial bacteria.)
- "Regular maintenance: Regularly remove debris from the water and filter to prevent buildup." (How do you 'Regularly remove debris from the water and filter'? By HAND! Oh, and WHAT filter? Waterfall spillways are not filters, matrix blocks are not filters, and slotted pump vaults are not filters. The rock and gravel ACT as a pre-filter, but how do you remove the debris trapped deep down in the rock and gravel? By HAND!!!)
- "Algae control: Consider using algae treatments if needed." (Rock and gravel reservoir type pondless waterfall can require large amounts of algaecides!)
- "Water quality: Test the water quality regularly and adjust as needed." (Test for what? Everything that affects the water quality should be removed from the pondless waterfall during regular maintenance. How would you adjust the water quality without purchasing even more products anyway? Do you already own a test kit? Do you have chemicals to alter the water quality if it needs adjusting?)
- "Filter cleaning: Clean the filters regularly to maintain water quality and prevent clogging." (That's a good one! WHAT FILTERS?! Waterfall spillways are not filters, slotted pump vaults are not filters, matrix blocks are not filters, and the rock and gravel only ACT as a pre-filter - but how do you clean the rock and gravel? By Hand!)
To follow the "How to clean a pondless waterfall instructions" compiled for you by the Google AI Overview, you will need to purchase or rent a sludge pump, discharge pipe, and a pressure washer.
Does any of that sound easy to you?
Does any of that sound like fun to you?
How much does that add to your cost of ownership?
I built the Original pondless waterfall at our former store location in Redmond, WA in the early 2000's.
I came up with the idea of reversing a bog filter component and used it under the base of the Original pondless waterfall. I shared what I created with Aquascape, the manufacturer of the bog filter component, and that company used my photo to introduce the brand new pondless waterfall concept to the world.
My photo of the Original pondless waterfall was used in trade magazines and product catalogs to introduce the pondless waterfall concept to contractors and retailers and the entire internet.
I built the Original pondless waterfall, showed it to the Founder of Aquascape, and then the company used my photo and concept to introduce the brand new pondless waterfall concept to the world.
Look at the close-up photo of the catalog page showing my pondless waterfall - you can clearly see the rock and gravel that I got tired of trying to keep clean.
At the time, our store was in the Pacific Northwest in Redmond - just outside Seattle, and fir tree needles became the nemesis of the pondless waterfall. I could not keep them out, and I could not remove them as fast as the wind would blow them in.
Leaf blowers and shop-vacs would only remove needles off the surface of the rock and gravel, but the force of the waterfalls drove the fir needles deep down inside the rock and gravel. There was no easy way to remove them, so I had to do it by hand.
The Original pondless waterfall featured the original hard-to-clean rock and gravel reservoir. I learned fast how difficult it was to clean and maintain, and I got sick and tired of the hassle! So I invented the Ultimate Pondless Waterfall to make the job of maintaining a pondless waterfall as easy as possible for my own peace of mind.
I discovered just how difficult it was to keep the Original pondless waterfall clean and free of algae. So I created the Ultimate pondless waterfall to save my back, my hands, and my knees from the extreme pain and aggravation of hand picking debris from the rock and gravel reservoir. Easy to Clean is my mantra.
