How Much Does A Pond, Waterfall or Fountain Cleaning Cost?

How Much Does A Pond, Waterfall Or Fountain Cleaning Cost?

One of the most common questions we get as a pond or water feature builder revolves around maintenance.  Water feature maintenance for Poseidon Ponds & Landscaping can be divided into four separate categories. 

     

1.  Spring Cleanings/Openings  
2.  Summer Visits
3.  Fall Closings/Shutdowns
4.  Winter Check-Ups                                  

Out of the four categories of water feature maintenance, the Spring Cleaning/Opening involves the most work, but is certainly the most important as well.  It is the perfect time to refresh the look of your water feature, reduce the maintenance for the upcoming season, fix/change the structural look of things, improve fish and plant health, etc.  With the emphasis of maintenance focused on the Spring Cleaning/Opening our clients will then often ask, "how much does a pond, waterfall or fountain cleaning cost?"  The initial answer we give is, it depends...  Lets take a look at why.

Do You Know If You Need A Cleaning or Opening?

Click Here To Read Our Article "Do I Need To Clean My Pond, Waterfall or Fountain?"

Factors For Determining The Price Of A Pond, Waterfall, Or Fountain Cleaning

• Type of Water Feature-  The very first factor that we look at when determining the price of a cleaning is based on the type of the feature.  At Poseidon Ponds & Landscaping we have three categories. Pond, Waterfall or Fountain.  We will describe them in more detail in the next section.

Determining the type of the water feature. This feature your be categorized as a pond.

• Size of Water Feature- The next factor we use for determining the price of a pond, waterfall or fountain cleaning is based on size.  Size does not really play much of a role with fountains but does with ponds and waterfalls. We determine the total square footage of the feature to further help decide the price. The measurement is done from the widest point on one side of the water feature (usually the rock border) to the widest point on the opposite side. The size allows us to determine how many team members we need for the cleaning and how long it will take us.

• The Who and When of the Last Cleaning- At Poseidon Ponds & Landscaping we use this factor to separate water features into three groups.  One group is clients that have had their pond cleaned by Poseidon Ponds & Landscaping within the last two years.  This group has a lower price since we know that the pond has been cleaned in the last two years, but also that it has been cleaned by our standards as well.  The second group is are clients whose ponds have never been cleaned before.  Water features in this group require what we call an exploratory drain and clean.  We will completely drain the feature, perform the cleaning services and then do a complete study of all of the components and how the system works. The exploratory drain and clean not only allows us to get acquainted with a new feature but it also allows us to identify possible issues and propose improvements.  All information is kept in our Poseidon Ponds & Landscaping customer relationship management system for future reference.  The final group would be water features that we have worked on, cleaned, explored or consulted but that have not used our maintenance services in the last two years. 

• Travel Distance to the Cleaning from Poseidon Ponds & Landscaping Shop-  Part of our pricing structure is based on the travel distance or ultimately travel time it takes to get from our location to yours.  We simply determine the round trip mileage from google maps and place this factor in travel breakdown.

1. 0 to 50 miles  2. 50-75 miles 3. 75-100 miles 4. 100+ miles

• Other Factors- The final factor we will use to determine the price of cleaning a pond, waterfall or fountain is what we call, other.  Some things that would be considered as, "other" could extend the time it takes us to complete our cleaning.  The cleaning prices are determined by the above factors, so an "other" has to be identified and used to see if more time needs to be added to the cleaning. The following is what we at Poseidon Ponds & Landscaping see as others:
• The depth of the pond or waterfall basin-  The deeper the feature, the longer it takes for us to drain, clean and fill.
• Access to the water feature- If a water feature is in location with difficult access it may take our team longer to move our equipment.  Access can also be a challenge for us when it comes to the nearest electrical outlet or water faucet, if they are far away it requires us to bring more hose or power cord.  One other access issue would be where we can pump the waste water from the cleaning.  If the location is far away we will need to bring more hoses.
• Fish, Plants and Wildlife- Many water features have fish, plants and other wildlife in and around them.  If you have many fish, frogs, tadpoles or other wildlife it will often add time to the cleaning service by having to capture them and transfer them to the holding tank. Some of our older features will have a well established area of plants within the water feature.  An excess of plants could also extend the time it takes our team to complete the cleaning.
• Extra or Specialty Equipment-  Our prices are based off the basic equipment that we typically install on a water feature. (1-Pump, 1-Mechanical Filter, 1-Biological Filter, Some Lights and 1-Aeration System)  When we start having multiple filters or pumps the price may change if it takes us longer to hook up.  Specialty equipment like UV sterilizers, pressure filters, external pumps, or other filters often takes longer to clean and turn on, but also often requires special training for our staff.

Types of Water Features

The type of water feature is certainly one of the factors that we use to determine how much a pond, waterfall or fountain cleaning costs.  So what kind of water feature do you have?  Lets take a look!

POND

A pond is an open body of water varying in size that will often have mechanical and biological filtration.  Ponds will have fish, plants and other wildlife living in and around them.  Some ponds will have waterfalls, streams, bogs and wetlands attached to them.  What we call a pond can be also be labeled names such as an ecosystem pond, koi pond, goldfish pond, reflecting pond, formal pond and many more.  Poseidon Ponds & Landscaping has four different pricing categories for ponds.  

WATERFALL

A waterfall can be called many different names.  The most common names are pondless waterfall, disappearing falls, never ending falls, cascade falls and a few others.  Regardless, we categorize a waterfall as a water feature that is predominantly a stream with falls that has most of its water supply stored beneath the ground and very little to no water above the storage area.  We call the underground storage area the waterfall basin.  The basin size is typically determined by the length of the stream and falls.  Poseidon Ponds & Landscaping has three pricing categories for waterfalls.

FOUNTAINS

Fountains are typically the smallest features that we clean at Poseidon Ponds & Landscaping. Not only do they have many different names, but the also vary in size.  We either call them fountains or fountainscapes, but we have also heard them called decorative water features, spitters, artistic fountains, tiered fountains etc.  At Poseidon Ponds & Landscaping we have two pricing categories for fountains.  

Pricing for Pond, Waterfall or Fountain Water Feature

Throughout our industry many companies have different ways for pricing pond, waterfall or fountain cleanings.  Some charge by the hour, some charge by the square footage and some even charge by the gallons.  I personally have been cleaning water features since 2002 and have tweaked and altered the way we price and perform the service many times.  With sixteen years of experience and as members of Aquascape, Inc.'s Certified Aquascape Contractor program we stay up on the latest methods and trends of the industry when determining our pricing.  Here is our 2018 pricing for pond, waterfall and fountain cleanings.

Poseidon Ponds & Landscaping Cleaning/Opening Prices For Ponds, Waterfalls and Fountains.

Type of Feature                                    We've Cleaned in                         Exploratory Cleaning

                                                                     Past 1-2 years                   or Cleaned/Over 2 years ago

                (1) Fountain-                                                       $350                                               $700

                     Small/Basic

                (2) Fountain w/Custom                                      $500                                               $800

                     Basin

                (3) Pondless Waterfall                                        $600                                              $1,000

                     within 25' - one stream  

                (4) Pondless Waterfall                                        $800                                              $1,200

                     two streams

                (5) Pondless Waterfall                                        $900                                              $1,600

                     26' or greater stream

                (6) Small Ecosystem Pond                                $800                                              $1,500

                     0-176 sq. ft. (0'x0' to 11'x16')

                (7) Large Ecosystem Pond                               $1,200                                            $2,100

                     177 - 336 sq. ft. (11'x16' to 16'x21') 

                (8) XL Ecosystem Pond                                    $1,600                                            $2,500

                     337-806 sq.ft. (16'x21' to 26'x31')

                (9) XXL Ecosystem Pond                                  $2,400                                            $4,200

                     807-1,476 sq.ft. (26'x31' to 36'x41')             *2 Days                                          *2 days

    

                Additional Mileage Fees May Apply: Mileage is round trip from our Dexter location

                0-50 miles round trip - Included in the cleaning price

                50-75 miles round trip -   Additional $50

                75-100 miles round trip - Additional $100

                100 + miles round trip-    Additional $150

              *If we have cleaned your pond, waterfall or fountain but it has been several years (2 or more), the price may fall                               between the two columns above or it may be considered a exploratory cleaning. We will need to evaluate the                                water feature condition before pricing.

So there you have it, you have now read about how much a pond, waterfall or fountain cleaning costs.  You are either at a point where you have some more questions or would like to find out exactly what our estimate is for cleaning your pond, waterfall or fountain.  Maybe this will help you on your journey to understanding water feature maintenance.

More Helpful Resources On Pond, Waterfall or Fountain Cleanings:

• Services Performed During A Water Feature Cleaning-
• Pond Cleaning Service Details & Description
• Waterfall Cleaning Service Details & Description
• Fountain Cleaning Service Details & Description
• Poseidon Ponds & Landscaping Openings & Closings Page-
• Spring Cleaning Your Water Feature, What To Know-

To Request A Price For Cleaning Your Pond, Waterfall or Fountain Click Here And Follow The Directions:

Owning a pond, waterfall or fountain certainly doesn't need to be difficult, so be sure to contact us to see what we can do to educate you and set your mind at ease.  For more educational information be sure to visit www.poseidonponds.com or for more inspiration visit our Facebook page and start following us!

Appreciatively Yours,

Cory Mann
"Poseidon Pond Mann"