I just bought this and had it in my pond for a day & noticed no change. How do I know if its working? It makes no noise & doesn't seem to get warm
2088118
I had the same experience but as I understand it, this is a deicer so pond water will not get warm. I kept checking to see that no ice formed. Last week my pond froze with only a small opening around the fountain and this week we got down to 17 which is colder than last weeks temps and I had no ice save for small amount in the upper pond. That was the only way I could tell it was working. Not a lot of info on the box. Might be worth a call to the manufacturer. Hope this helps.
1222042
It only works if the temp is freezing. When I put mine on top of the ice, it started melting it within 10 minutes and it kept melting ice until it made a hole through the 6" ice. It does not make noise, but will only work when its freezing.
2088119
WE don't have a problem with ours, we just plugged it in and it works.Give it a couple days, seems like it took a few days to heat up it doesn't get hot.
2088120
It's kind of hard to tell if it's working unless you've got ice on the pond; it's not a pond warmer, it's a de-icer. Not all the ice, just the circle area it's sitting on. And not really fast either. In the last cold spell we put out a new one and it took 2 days to melt through. It supposedly is 100W, but I suppose the heat is spread over a much larger surface. Hope that helps.
2088121
The unit only keeps the small opening in the center ice free, not around the outer part of the unit. Did you put in water or on top of ice? It will not melt ice, in fact once the temperature gets to about 5 degrees for any length of time, the hole will freeze up.
2088122
I had the same concern, it has a thermostat so it only runs when the water temperature is very cold. It also doesn't feel hot even when running. Trust me it will do a great job.
2088123
The only way I know if the deicer is working is if there is ice formed all the way around it, I wiggle the cord and if it is floating freely, it is working. The heat is on the underside so there really is no other way that I know to check it. Just don't let snow build up on it as it make cock sideways or sink.
2088124
It's just supposed to keep a circle of non-frozen water around the heater. Only when the temp really drops (like 20 degrees F or lower) do I sometimes see some "foam/bubbles" right around the heater in the non-frozen water. Should not get "warm" as you say. What's nice is that this heater only works to thaw the ice when the weather says it needs to and shuts off when it's not needed.
2088125
- these units are set to operate at a below freezing temperature one that will cause ice to form in your pond. To test you can place in a bucket -place outside to freeze and check when the water has frozen -the inside of the hole should not be frozen. The same as if in your pond . If ice has formed in the inside of the hole the unit is defective or temp is below - 20 degrees . wind will also lower the temp.You can also test in a birdbath filled with water -plug in unit and check when ice has frozen around outside of unit. No ice the unit will not turn on -$ saver
747270
I had the same question when mine arrived a year ago. But after plugging it in just before freezing temps, it did the job just fine. The water doesn't even feel warm to the touch, which I'm sure our pet appreciates. So, it just works...
1409126
I have a 750 watt. I live in mid Michigan. I have it on a timer for 12 hours at night. It keeps a open area usually about 2 feet around the heater (pond is less than 3 feet deep there) most days. When its really cold, the circle shrinks. My fish seem to do fine: I have it near the rock pile they hang out in. You could go a higher wattage or just have it run longer. I got it in 2011 I believe so this will be its 3rd winter. good luck
1980897
Mine lasted a little less than 2 years and quit working in the middle of a week of teen temperatures. The pond it now frozen solid on top cracking the liner. Based on not telling whether this is working on not without an indicator, I would now recommend it. Especially now that it is going to cost us a lot of time to dig out and replace the entire pond unit.
1069765
I would contact Heidi, the owner, about that. It does not sound like it is functioning properly. Is it fully heated up before you use it?
233474
It depends on how long you've had it. It might be clogged or need a new filter. If it is new, I think there might be something wrong with it. It shouldn't be that loud.
1832348
I add water every day because the top of the fountain may appear full, but could actually be low in the bottom. The day mine started making a noise, I opened it up and there was only about an inch of water in it, but top looked full. This is probably how others had the pump burn out on theirs, or seemed too noisy. Just a heads up....
2277662
When I first got mine, I set it up in the kitchen under some lights, filled the water tank, and then turned it on to confirm it worked. I ran it for a few minutes and then unplugged it and carried it to my room. I noticed that it wasn't blowing out much mist. Like you are noticing now. I proceeded to empty out the basin and try again, and it worked like a champ. See, in carrying it down the hall with the water tank full, when it gets jostled around with the valve open, more water gets into the basin than should be and the ultrasonic platter can't work through the higher levels of water. Just empty out the basin, put the water tank back on and turn it on. Also, the more you turn the knob, the more mist comes out. Turn it until it stops turning, that's full power.
1370046
I wondered the same thing because I didn't hear anything at all. Just leave it plugged in for a while and check it later( at least an hour. ) if your shoes are warm it's working ;) most people just put their shoes on at night and take off in morning to put on dry warm shoes.
1832472
I think mine's run dry before and still seems to be working this week(first freezes in New Jersey, us)...it seems to keep the water just above freezing so I don't think runs very warm
1370041
Try putting a pair of shoes on it for an hour or so, they should warm up. You should not hear any noise as it is just a heating element that causes a natural thermal draft.
1110859
It started out reasonably quiet but after a month or so it started making new noises on an almost weekly basis. I caught myself turning the TV up one night because the cooler kicked in! I had enough of the noises and had a friend take it apart and fix it. Now 10 months after I bought it, it seems that it can no longer keep the water cold! I really wouldn't recommend this unit, although don't expect to receive the model pictured the 900184, you might get the 900134 which does look quite similar but not what is in the picture. This has been noted before. Makes you wonder about the mixed reviews, who's getting what?! Whatever you decide, good luck on your roll of the dice... It started out reasonably quiet but after a month or so it started making new noises on an almost weekly basis. I caught myself turning the TV up one night because the cooler kicked in! I had enough of the noises and had a friend take it apart and fix it. Now 10 months after I bought it, it seems that it can no longer keep the water cold! I really wouldn't recommend this unit, although don't expect to receive the model pictured the 900184, you might get the 900134 which does look quite similar but not what is in the picture. This has been noted before. Makes you wonder about the mixed... » Read More It started out reasonably quiet but after a month or so it started making new noises on an almost weekly basis. I caught myself turning the TV up one night because the cooler kicked in! I had enough of the noises and had a friend take it apart and fix it. Now 10 months after I bought it, it seems that it can no longer keep the water cold! I really wouldn't recommend this unit, although don't expect to receive the model pictured the 900184, you might get the 900134 which does look quite similar but not what is in the picture. This has been noted before. Makes you wonder about the mixed reviews, who's getting what?! Whatever you decide, good luck on your roll of the dice... « Show Less
1942626
It's under the water. There's nothing to hear. If you have the outflow connected to a water feature, you will hear water noises. I have my pump in my indoor pond for the winter; it's silent even when you are next to the 100 gallon stock tank it's in.
574757
I had nothing glowing on mine. Return it if you still can. The next thing that goes out is the fan motor. I had 2 of these. I just received the 2nd one plugged it in and the fan went out. Biggest piece of junk.
894037
When it does not make a noise, it certainly is NOT working. There is also a possibility that the set-up of the item is wrong or that it has become wet and needs to dry out before it will work.
70813
Try running it without the long suction tube in place. Just fill the reserve with water so you can see if there's a problem with the impeller blade. When it's noisy, that usually means you have a pocket of air caught at the impeller, and by removing the long tube, this won't be possible.If it's still noisy after about 10 seconds, you have a bad Tetra.
366418
NO, I don't think so. What volume is your pond? Also, with the moving water it keeps dispersing the heat throughout the pond. I think that you are good... Just make sure that the unit doesn't evaporate too much water and get hung-up fully exposed to the air (totally out of the water) cuz it can melt.