DannerManufacturing, Inc., Pondmaster Pond De-icer, Red, #02175

This pond breather really works. It keeps my pond from totally freezing over in the depth of winter . It works and my gold fish make it thru winter!

I waited until spring to write this review. The pondmaster kept up with the winter (heavy) ice, leaving an opening with no problems. Great product I had no problems with this in central Illinois. Thank you for this product, just what I needed.

So Far So Good. Pond is staying unfrozen and fish seem well. Wish it was available in other colors or black.

EZ operation just plug it in and place it in the middle of the pond among the Lilies and it keeps the water from freezing over completely…..works

Here in Ohio we’ve had some cold days the last couple of weeks: low teens at night to mid 20’s for the high. The “heater” completely froze over. It’s a small preformed pond where I used the Tetra heater in the past, it did its job until it didn’t. This product was a replacement supposedly for the better, but now completely frozen over. Don’t know if the fish survived, pessimistic. The heater is either overwhelmed/ineffective or just trash.

I have a fish pond. In the winter when things freeze I use this heating element. It is necessary for the gases to escape from the pond and keeps oxygen flowing along with a pond pump/waterfall. When it is really cold/frozen and it has been in position for a while I change that position to melting through the ice in a different area or just next door to it. Chopping through ice can shock your fish and this prevents that action.

This is my second pond season with this heater. With the aerators and fairly mild winter last year I didn't have to use it very often. But it did the job. However, with the extremely frigid cold this year, it just couldn't keep a hole open. I actually put in in the pond a couple of days before the weather turned frigid to make sure it worked. The first night when it got down to 5F, I checked the next morning and the center hole was completely frozen, same the next night. It wasn't until the temps got above 20 or so that I could tell the center was ice-free. So just be aware that if you have a really cold snap, don't just plug and forget, but make sure the hole stays open. So yeah, this thing works OK if not too much is asked of it.BTW, if the pond freezes over, DON'T use a drill or blunt instrument to try and break the ice. What worked for me was heating up a kettle to boiling, then pouring over an area where I knew the fish weren't. That opened a good hole for a few hours.

This de-icer has done the job so far this winter here in SW Virginia. My koi loves it and hangs out underneath it. I don't feel any warmth when I put my finger in the water nearby or underneath the de-icer. I think my fish just enjoys being underneath it, possibly because he feels somewhat under cover and protected. So if it is emitting any heat, it is very subtle and not dangerous to my fish. Anyway, the few times that the water garden has iced over this winter, the de-icer has left an area where no ice has formed, doing its job. I did a lot of research before buying a de-icer, and I recommend this item, it has delivered what I wanted in a de-icer. I hope it will last for many years. Being made by Pond Master, it might. I have a Pond Master pump/fountain that is over 20 years old and still going strong. BTW, I unplug the de-icer when the temps are above freezing. Soon I will be putting it away until next winter.