Oase Pondovac Classic Pond and Water Garden Vacuum with Exclusive CalPonds Extended Warranty

I really like this product. I have only used it four times so far. My pond has not been cleaned for several years. It stunk. Had to drain it remove fish and plants then shovel the gunk out. I have a water trough for a pond. It was a lot of work to clean. Now I'm using the vacuum no plant or fish removal. Yay. There was no instructions , but looking at box it was easy to figure out. It really does work. The drainage hose could be a little longer. So far so good.

Works good. Cleaned my pond with relative ease. Tank fills up fast and it shuts off to self empty, but no big deal.

A 450 gallon koi pond -- and koi -- came with the home we purchased 4 years ago. I've struggled and struggled to keep the pond as clean as possible, utilizing pond nets, sludge removers, algicides, clarifiers, etc. -- all with limited results. Because of the Pondovac Classic's cost I was reluctant to invest in it. Finally, after 3 years of struggle, I broke down and purchased it -- and am very sorry I didn't before. The amount of sludge and algae clumps the Pondovac sucks up is astounding. It is gratifying, even fun, to use and my pond looks much better. I now need less algicide, and spend far less time sweeping debris via a pond net.The Pondovac Classic is very easy to use and cleans up in minutes. Suction is robust. It comes with several hose tools, including one with an adjustable opening. A clear plastic tube attaches to the hose, allowing visualization so you can efficiently move on to the next section when the water runs clear. Included is a sturdy mesh bag can be attached to the outflow hose to allow collection of algae clumps and other debris. The bag also serves as a safeguard to catch anything inadvertently vacuumed up, and easily hoses out.Because my pond is small, the time it takes for the Classic's alternating vacuum/ drain cycle is not problematic although I could see why a multi-chambered pump with continuous vacuum would be worth the investment for large ponds. A shop vac would be a poor substitute for the Pondovac for multiple reasons, including the repeated need and effort to dump out the container.CalPonds offers an extended 3 year warranty (the manufacturer offers a 2 year warranty), which is why I ordered from them. I don't anticipate ever needing to utilize the warranty but it is nice to know it is there.Bottom line: I regret not purchasing the Pondovac Classic earlier. It has been a great investment and is worth every penny.

Based on the glowing reviews, I was hoping for a miraculous pond transformation. That definitely did NOT happen. I don’t generally right three star reviews as I either really like a product or really dislike it, but this product is well designed and I can see how it would work for many situations. Unfortunately mine was not one of them. After years of neglect, in a pond with lots and lots of sludge buildup, I can see that it would just be easier to drain the whole pond and get in there and clean it up. While the vacuum does work, as soon as I begin to use it, the water becomes instantly too cloudy to see what I’m trying to remove. I also had some issues with complete blockage at the handle which does not dislodge easily. Stopped sucking completely.

To vacuum out leaves s remove algae. The leaves get stuck to the sides of the tube and clog the passage way. The vacuum just spreads the algae and won’t pick it up.

I wasn't sure if this could handle my nasty pond I've let go for a few years, but man did it surprise me! My pond had been overtaken by leaves, limbs and sludge after years of neglect once our fish were eaten by a heron. This vacuum was able to get everything out without a problem and I'm simply amazed.The wait time to drain is not a big deal at all. I was able to simply lay the hose into the pond for more than half of the drain and walk off and do other things while it did it's job. Once it got down into the thick mess of leaves and sludge I needed to bang the end of the hose occasionally to free up the accumulation of leaves, but otherwise it pulled just about everything in without an issue.The only thing that this vacuum had trouble with was a random giant gumball that would get stuck in the suction hose. This happened only 3 times in my 400 gallon pond, so I'm not complaining at all. I simply unhooked the hose and took my pressure washer out to clean the hose out, sometimes just banging the end would dislodge whatever was caught up in the bend.This was well worth the investment because the cost to have someone else do this job was outrageously high and half of the job this baby did the work on it's own. If you are worried about how it will handle debris, don't be. My pond was grossly neglected and it cleaned it up without any major issues. I'm very satisfied!

Won't even turn on when I got it. When you order something this expensive for a specific use, you expect it to work or to be quality tested? There's nothing in the instructions beyond what each item is, I tried 3 different outlets. What a let down.

I don't care for it shutting on and off. I use it to clean out our pool and when it shuts down the dirt goes back into pool unless you take it out of the water.