Water Leveler Deceptions

Whether you sell pond or pool equipment or are in the market for a water leveler for maintaining the level of water in your pool, pond, fountain, hot tub or water garden, here are some important facts that could eventually save you both time and money.

There are well over 130 mechanical water levelers on the market today and most all of them have a propensity to rust, corrode, break, stick, jam, or simply malfunction. Many of them resemble the toilet tank type floats that range from a simple mechanical float arm and brass or plastic valve, to as many as 16 various plastic, metal or brass parts, all of which could become a source of a malfunctioning valve. You can even log onto a website site and take a course called Toilet Tank Valve Repair 101. Toilet tank Water Leveler Valve-College - now there is a goal for the "Lion Heartedless"!

Okay, ready for a snap quiz? (Just checking if you are paying attention) Question: Are mechanical water leveling devices a good thing to entrust your pond, pool, fountain or hot tub to? Question: Do you want to sell a product to a customer that has the potential to cause hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in flood damage by sticking or jamming in the open position? Some of these cheap leveling valves are not so cheap, ranging from $8 to $150, and a few are $60 to $80 plastic controllers that attach to a garden hose and hang over the side of a pool or pond.

The most reliable water level controllers are the electronic type sold by Levelor, Pentair, Savio, Jandy or AquaFill. These auto fill devices range in price from $60 to over $400 with warranties ranging from 1 to 5 years; and not too many offer 100% satisfaction guaranteed or your money back. When shopping, look for one that is hermetically sealed so that it won't be susceptible to condensation with drastic changes in temperature or exposure to corrosive ocean salt air. The least reliable electronic water levelers are the type that read the water level by measuring the resistance of the water by two electrodes because the probes can become corroded by acidic, alkaline, or chlorinated water.

Choose a water leveler that can be easily hidden in a skimmer or in the rocks along the edge of a pond or mounted in a remote holding basin outside a fountain, fountain pot or container garden. A reliable automatic water leveler can be a convenient, time saving, water saving, and money saving addition to any water feature. A poorly designed or engineered device can end up being the source of an expensive insurance claim or lawsuit from a nasty overflow and consequential flood. Be wise, be dry, be leveler.

Douglas C. Hoover; CEO of Aquamedia Corp, Master Waterfall Builder, architect, engineer, freelance writer, author, designer & builder of well over 2000 waterfall and ponds in CA (29 years). Author of "Professional Waterfall and Pond Construction Manual" and developer of the "Ultimate Training Course" for designing a pond and waterfall using the "Digital Design Library" and Microsoft's Digital Image Suite Software.  Douglas C. Hoover