But whether you’re a harbormaster, a property manager or part of a lake’s HOA looking for some guidance, there are some best practices and must-do’s for any permanent or temporary dock.
In this post, we will cover fountain winterization, basic dock maintenance for year-round as well as winter, deicing solutions and give an in-depth example of how a proper deicing solution can enhance a community and extend the enjoyment of lake resources.
Just to make we are all on the same page, a few key terms are outlined below. These are some of the basics when it comes to docks, types of deicers, structures and more.
All through the spring, summer and fall, your fountains have been hard at work. And now that temperatures are dropping, they must be removed from their lake or pond to ensure that they don’t become damaged.
Hoses, pumps and any other associated equipment should also be removed and stored to ensure that they are not damaged from ice or freezing temperatures.
This is also a great opportunity to have the fountains examined, tested and repaired as may be needed. This will help them to perform without failure or replacement over the following seasons.
Docks thankfully don’t require a ton of hands-on work, but they do require annual maintenance items to keep them in tip-top shape and extend their life. At Clarke Aquatic Services, we recommend checking off the following each year:
And it doesn’t stop there, you will also want to make sure that you take care of winterizing mechanical equipment or pumps and that you properly care for floating docks. This includes:
Of course, you will also want to keep your permanent docks free of ice to prevent damages – we’ll cover this next.
Without proper preventative care and maintenance, ice can wreak havoc on your permanent docks and marinas, including:
Of course, a lake or dock’s deicing solution depends on the lake’s size, the size of the intended areas, local laws and more. And there are also plenty of deicer types – mainly agitators deicers and bubbler deicers – these should be planned for and placed properly by a professional to avoid damages and high costs as well as to work efficiently.
You should also be aware of the dangers of improper deicing installations. This can be in the form of:
Depending on your deicing goals, there are several options to consider.
There’s a lot that goes into properly creating a deicing solution – and a lot that can go wrong if you fail to do so. It may be tempting to simply purchase a couple of deicers and haphazardly place them around your dock – hoping for the best – but working with an aquatics professional can help prevent inefficient systems, dangerous conditions and damages to boats and structures.
At Clarke, we listen to your goals for your community, building a winterization and deicing strategy that takes those and the characteristics of your marina into account.
Clarke’s team of experts bring years of expertise to diagnosing and implementing deicing solutions and helping managers and communities through their annual winterization efforts. To learn more, contact our team here, or check out other articles such as: