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.
Ultimate pondless waterfalls are specifically designed to be easy to clean.
How to Clean an Ultimate Pondless Waterfall
Simple, Quick, and Easy Instructions
How to clean an Ultimate pondless waterfall:
- With the pump running, use a garden hose to rinse your waterfalls and/or stream into the Hydro Sieve™ pre-filter. Keep your pump running and use an ordinary garden hose to rinse leaves, debris, and sediment from the waterfalls and/or stream down towards and into the Hydro Sieve™ pre-filter
- Turn off pump - no need to remove pump for routine cleaning
- Empty the Hydro Sieve™ pre-filter's stainless steel filter basket
- Open the drain valve on the bottom and backside of the Hydro Vortex™ waterfall filter and let it completely drain
- Backwash the Hydro Vortex™ waterfall filter, either manually with a garden hose, or with the HydroFlush™ backwash system using your existing waterfall pump
- Close the drain valve and restart your pump when water flowing from the filter runs clear. The filter and the bio media is clean.
- Add fresh water to replace the small amount of water that was used for backwashing the Hydro Vortex™ waterfall filter
- That's It! YOU'RE DONE! How easy was that?
Cleaning and maintaining an Ultimate Pondless Waterfall is Easy!
No Fuss, No Muss, No Mess,
No Hassle, No Extra Costs.
Ultimate pondless waterfalls eliminate the need for the hard to clean rock and gravel reservoir basin found in all the common pondless waterfalls seen everywhere online. The Ultimate pondless waterfall is different and features an easy to clean, completely backwashable, patented Hydro Vortex™ waterfall filter behind the waterfalls 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, dead 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. With your pump running, use an ordinary garden hose to rinse all leaves, debris, and sediment from the rocks and gravel in your waterfalls and/or stream downstream and into the Hydro Sieve™ pre-filter for easy removal.
No need to remove the pump when cleaning an Ultimate pondless waterfall.
2. Turn off pump and 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 using your existing waterfall pump.
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 float-valve, the valve will automatically re-fill the pondless waterfall inside the Hydro Chamber™ 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 for you by a contractor.
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 you choose. 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 like - 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" (you should do it too) 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? Removing the pump is appropriate for winterization, but should not be necessary for routing cleaning.)
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 waterfall pump that you were instructed to remove, or purchase a separate sludge pump - but either way you must purchase additional discharge pipe and fittings to attach the pipe to the pump. When pumping out the reservoir, where does the dirty water go? 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 power 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 smelly, muddy, 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." (This is good advise.)
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 for it to thrive and to do it's job. Beneficial bacteria is only effective if the pondless waterfall contains an actual biological waterfall filter that includes bio media inside that is designed for bacteria growth. Also, beneficial bacteria need the pump continually running 24/7 to keep it supplied with oxygenated water. Beneficial bacteria is aerobic and will not perform its job if the pondless waterfall gets turned off because it needs flowing oxygenated water 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.)
"Additional Tips":
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 power pressure washer, sludge pump, and discharge pipe.
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?
The History of the Original Pondless Waterfall
What makes us experts in pondless waterfalls? Why should you believe a single word I've written here when virtually all the other websites sell and say the exact same things that are contradictory to what I'm selling and saying?
Why is the Ultimate pondless waterfall so different than all the common pondless waterfalls? Why doesn't Russell sell what 'everybody else is selling?'
You may, or may not know, but I was the one who built the Original pondless waterfall that started the entire pondless waterfall industry in the first place. I built the Original pondless waterfall at our former store location in Redmond, WA that opened in 2001. The Original pondless waterfall was the first of its kind seen anywhere.
Our store was a three acre nursery that we converted into a large format pond store that featured dozens of water features, a lake, walk-through waterfalls, and yes, the first of its kind Original pondless waterfall, in addition to many other pondless water features. We held "How to Build It" classes where I taught both the public and contractors how to build ponds, pondless waterfalls, and pondless rock columns.
To create the pondless concept, I used irrigation valve boxes, milk crates, and our 'home-made' slotted pump vaults for water reservoirs in the various pondless water features scattered about our three acre store.
Our store featured numerous pondless rock column displays, and pondless fountains from small to huge. We had all sorts of things that had water disappearing into a reservoir bed of rock and gravel that was over and around the milk crates and home-made slotted pump vaults. 
Pondless rock columns actually came before pondless waterfalls and where the inspiration to create pondless waterfalls.
The lake we built with 'walk-through' waterfalls and all our display ponds and pondless water features made our store a 'Destination-Location'.
A few years after our store opened in Redmond, Aquascape released their bog filtration unit for the purpose of natural lake filtration. I immediately saw how I could use their bog filter in a way in which it wasn't designed. I could use the bog filter unit in reverse inside the pondless reservoir instead of the milk crates and the home-made slotted pump vaults that I was previously using.
For the Original pondless waterfall, I had the unusual idea of using an Aquascape waterfall filter that was designed for pond filtering, on a water feature that didn't have a pond. The waterfalls would then drop into the rock and gravel reservoir over the bog filter instead of my homemade slotted pump vault. At that time, my company was one of Aquascape's largest customers and I shared what I had created with the Founder of Aquascape using his products, and described in detail how I repurposed his bog filter unit for something brand new and the rest is history.
Using my concept, and with my permission to use my photo of the Original pondless waterfall, Aquascape then published the now famous photo in their trade magazines and product catalogs to introduce the pondless waterfall concept to the world.
I created the Original pondless waterfall using Aquascape bog and pond filtration products. Aquascape then used their company size and influence to introduce the pondless waterfall concept that I created to contractors and retailers across the country with great success. They had so much success selling pondless waterfall kits and installations that they spawned countless imitators. That is why virtually every pondless waterfall kit online is almost identical to Aquascape.
I created the Original rock and gravel pondless reservoir concept but I haven't recommended a rock and gravel reservoir in decades. Why?
Look at the close-up photo of the catalog page showing my Original pondless waterfall - you can clearly see the rock and gravel reservoir at the base of the waterfalls.
At the time, our store was in the Pacific Northwest in Redmond, WA - just outside Seattle, and fir tree needles became the nemesis of the pondless waterfall. I could not keep the fir tree needles out of the rock and gravel reservoir. 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 down deep inside the rock and gravel.
I discovered that there was no easy way to remove fir tree needles. The only way to remove the debris from the rock and gravel reservoir was to do it by hand. That is my hand and fingers in the photo trying to remove fir tree needles from the rock and gravel. I absolutely hated picking debris from the rocks and gravel.
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.
