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How to winterise a garden fountain

Updated: 22 October 2026

The first hard frost is forecast, and the stone-effect fountain is still full. What cracks a resin body is ice in the hollow, not the air temperature on its own. The pump dies first if you leave it in that ice. This page is the shutdown for a polyresin or fibreglass piece in the amazon.co.uk set. It does not pick a model. The rows are on the [stone fountain comparison](/hub/garden-decor/stone-fountain). Why the shell is not quarried stone is on the [stone effect garden fountain buying guide](/hub/garden-decor/stone-fountain/sub/stone-fountain-buying-guide). Peter F. used Haddonstone, GardenSite and UK Water Features. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The first hard frost is forecast, and the stone-effect fountain is still full. What cracks a resin body is ice in the hollow, not the air temperature on its own. The pump dies first if you leave it in that ice.

Our top picks

Teamson Home Teamson Home stacked-stone bowls

Best overall

Teamson Home Teamson Home stacked-stone bowls
9.6/10about £139
View offer
Bumilgar Bumilgar 130 cm cascade

Alternative

Bumilgar Bumilgar 130 cm cascade
9.2/10about £329.99
View offer
Gardenwize Gardenwize solar lion head

Alternative

Gardenwize Gardenwize solar lion head
9.0/10about £119.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What actually cracks
  2. 2.Drain and move a resin fountain
  3. 3.The pump
  4. 4.Cover, and the piece you cannot lift

What actually cracks

Water left in a bowl expands when it freezes. Haddonstone says even cast stone it calls frost-resistant must be drained, because ice damages the pump. GardenSite says ice cracks the piece, and a movable feature belongs in a shed. UK Water Features, on a polyresin tier that is not one of these ASINs, says never to allow ice in any part. Weather resistant is not a frost test, and none of these seven prints a temperature. If standing water is still there at dusk and a hard frost is forecast, that water is the job. Light resin still cracks.

Drain and move a resin fountain

Empty the bowls before you think about a cover. Catalogue weights run from 4.75 kg on the Gardenwize lion to about 18 kg on the 130 cm Bumilgar. Drain first, then lift. Two people for the heavier pieces is sensible on wet steps. The Teamson stacked bowls have no drain. A UK text says the maker suggested a siphon or a bucket. Do not upend the stack. The bullet says 19.84 kg and the details say 4.13 kg, so lift the empty piece in front of you. The first-week siphon is on the how to set up a garden water fountain page. Store the shell where rain cannot refill it.
Teamson Home Teamson Home stacked-stone bowls

Testsieger

Teamson Home Teamson Home stacked-stone bowls
9.6/10about £139
View offer

The pump

Take the pump out once the body is empty. Ice around an impeller is the failure Haddonstone highlights. Do not run it dry. A clean pump kept away from freezing water, or a bucket whose water stays above freezing, both meet the same aim. A bucket in an unheated porch only moves the ice. Put the transformer indoors with the pump. Low winter sun does not change the drain. Hours are on the solar or mains garden fountain page. Do not leave a solar model full because you hope a weak panel will keep the water moving.

Cover, and the piece you cannot lift

A cover is the second step. GardenSite’s order is drain first, then cover. A tarpaulin over a full cascade traps the water that will freeze. None of these listings includes a cover. Heavy cast stone stays outside because you cannot carry 110 kg, and it is still drained. Haddonstone’s tennis ball is a fallback for a bowl they cannot empty, not the method for a resin fountain you can lift. Foras allows a light night frost on their own stone if the pump keeps running, and they say ice will not damage their stone. That sentence does not transfer to a hollow polyresin bowl in this set.

Common questions

Do I have to drain a resin fountain?
Yes, before a hard frost. Ice in a hollow bowl or cavity is what cracks polyresin and fibreglass, and UK Water Features says the same of a stone-effect tier on its own site. Haddonstone drains even the cast stone it calls frost-resistant. Weather resistant on an amazon bullet is not a temperature. Empty the bowls, towel them and take the pump out. A light body is easier to move. It is not a reason to leave the water in.
Can I leave it running through a frost?
Not as the default for this resin set. Foras allows a light night frost, with a thaw in the day, on their own features if the pump keeps running. They are not describing a 7 kg polyresin cascade. Haddonstone still wants the water out. If the forecast is a hard frost and the bowls are full, drain them. Do not rely on a solar panel in December to keep a trickle going.
What do I do with the pump?
Lift it out after the fountain is empty, clean the intake and store it where water cannot freeze around it. Do not run it dry. Haddonstone’s method is a clean pump kept safe from freezing water. Some retailers prefer a bucket so the seals stay wet. Either can be right if the pump is not frozen and not run dry. A bucket left in an unheated porch can freeze, which misses the point. The transformer comes indoors with the pump.
Is a cover enough on its own?
No. A cover stops rain refilling an empty feature. It does not protect water you left in the bowls. GardenSite’s order is drain, then cover. None of these seven listings includes a cover, so you supply one. After a storm, check that the cover has not sagged into a pond of its own. Absorbent material in a bowl is GardenSite’s extra for a piece that stays outside, and it still assumes you emptied it first.
Where do I store a piece that has no drain plug?
Siphon it into a bucket, then towel the sump. That is how a UK buyer dealt with the stacked Teamson, which has no outlet in the listing. The maker had suggested a siphon or a bucket. Do not tip the stack. Once it is empty, a shed or a garage is the store. The bullet weight and the details weight disagree, so lift the empty piece you have.

Related pages

Best stone effect garden fountain

Stone fountain

Stone effect garden fountain: body, site and power

Set up a garden water fountain: level, fill, power

Solar or mains: which garden fountain keeps running

Sources

Public UK sources for outdoor electrics, product safety and winter care of water features. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts are from the listings used in this comparison. Retrieved 22 October 2026.

  1. RoSPA, pond safety (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. RoSPA, garden safety (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. NICEIC, gardens and electrics (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. Approved Document P (2013) (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. GOV.UK, Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. Haddonstone, pumps and fountains care (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. GardenSite, how to care for your water feature (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. Just Fountains, solar or mains (retrieved 22 October 2026)