BCman:

When you see the leaves on the trees just begin to change color, get to work! Fall of '[acronym:6616a8ee99="Actinic lighting"]03[/acronym:6616a8ee99], I was late, what a leafy mess in my pond, ugh. (kind of funny, dates on posts are virtually the same, goes to show timing can change each year)

With your Pump, you can, and probably should, clean it, but then return it to the pond, or keep it in a bucket of water. It's my understanding that once a pump has been submerged, it should stay wet. I believe if you let it dry out, it has a chance of having the various internal seals and gaskets dry out and crack. No personal exp. here, as I just leave mine in the pond all year, even though turned off for the winter.Good idea to attend that seminar, if they have info I didn't cover, add it on to this post. What other questions do you have? I'll try to help...