Most of our clients that have a fountain in their pond allow fishing in their pond. There have always been concerns about the potential issues that can arise from allowing people to fish in a pond with a fountain.

Fish hooks are one of the most common causes of a fountain malfunctioning related to fishing. They can get caught on power cords and potentially penetrate the protective cover. If the wires are exposed to water, the GFCI breaker can trip in the control panel. Another common cause is the possibility of lures getting stuck on the anchor ropes. If the fishing line is strong enough they could pull and move the anchor line causing the fountain to move away from the intended position.

On a recent service call to a fountain that stopped working, we found another fishing-related cause of the malfunction. Once we removed the fountain from the pond and disassembled it, we found that several feet of fishing line had broken through the protective suction screen and became tangled around the motor shaft and duel propellers. The large quantity of fishing line was so strong that it prevented the dual props from spinning. The motor kept spinning and eventually ground down the splines on both the propeller shaft and the motor shaft. The splines are what lock the two pieces together in order for them to work as one.

In this situation, the motor did not fail from a defect, but an issue caused by the fishing line. In cases such as this, the manufacturer will not warranty the motor or propeller extension shaft, so the client had to purchase a motor and propeller shaft in order to get the fountain back up and running.

Whether you allow fishing in your pond or not, don’t hesitate to contact us to diagnose and repair any issues you may be having with your fountain. No matter what the issue may be, contact our highly trained and experienced pond professionals to get your fountain back up and running quickly!