Most water features are easy enough to maintain with the most common affliction and cause of failure been no water! Apart from the visual check sometimes the water level is hard to see when concealed by pebbles, so an audible gurgling sound as the submersible pump sucks in air instead of water should be heard. This is the first warning of a pump running dry.
It is very important that the pump is at all times fully submersed as the water acts a coolant to the water feature pump. Running the pump dry will cause the pump to cease. To rectify simply top up the water level and hopefully the pump works as normal. Sometimes the pump will need a little tap on the outer casing to get the impeller going again as it may of seized.
If the pump is not working and not making a humming sound, check your circuit breakers on your electrical board. There is a chance they have been tripped when the water feature pump ran dry and over heated or when it died. The best thing to do is most likely replace the pump or have someone look at it.
The next thing to do is look to see where all the water went! If the water level has dropped considerably more than the normal evaporation or the such, check for any leaks in the trough or plumbing. To check the plumping simply run the water feature and follow the pipes if possible or note the surrounds if there is any water pooling. To check if the pond or trough has a leak, turn off the water feature and fill to near the top and mark the level with a line or tape measure. Leave for a day then check to see if the water level has dropped. Anything more than a 10mm drop may indicate a leak. There are some handy underwater epoxies on the market like the Selly's Aqua putty that will patch small holes. Larger cracks may need more work and re water proofing.
If there is a leak in either the plumbing or trough of the water feature hopefully it is an easy fix on your behalf. If you are having trouble finding the leak and the water feature is in Melbourne feel free to contact us.
This water feature had a mystery leak which turned out to be the surrounding Magnolia trees that when the wind blew its branches and leaves would stick to the water wall. The water would then happily trail from the wall to the leaves and down the branches to base of the tree. In a matter of hours the 400 odd litres of water was gone from the trough.