Nova Scotia Lake Docks, Ready for Every Kind of Winter
Snow on Monday, rain by Wednesday, hard ice again by Friday. Keep the water open around your dock through all of it.
Lake country with Maritime weather
Away from the coast, Nova Scotia is full of freshwater lakes lined with cottages and year-round homes. Sherbrooke Lake, Big Mushamush, Fancy Lake and Pernette Lake in Lunenburg County, and Lake George and Waterloo Lake in the Annapolis Valley, are just a few.
The Atlantic keeps winters here milder than in much of Canada, and temperatures often sit right around freezing. The result is more freeze-thaw cycles than most provinces see, and lakes that can ice over, open up and freeze again in a single winter.
Why on-and-off ice is hard on a dock
A mild winter sounds easy on a dock. Often it is the opposite.
Each time the ice warms, cracks, fills with water and refreezes, it grows and pushes harder against anything frozen into it. Each swing in water level under the ice can also lift the posts it grips. Repeated cycles are what cause the worst of that pressure. Our post on how ice damages a dock explains it step by step.
A setup built for a changeable season
- Be ready before the first skim of ice. In a winter that freezes and thaws more than once, the pump needs to be in the water from the start. See When Should You Turn On Your Dock De-Icer?
- Find 4 to 6 feet of water. That depth lets the pump hold a 40-foot circle open. For a crib or post dock, the Dock Bundle bolts on and pivots to aim the flow. Where there is nothing solid to attach to, the free-standing Lake Bottom Bundle sits on the bottom.
- Plan for storm outages. Winter storms here can bring high winds and power cuts. If the power is out long enough, ice can start to form, so line up a neighbour to look after a big storm. Our guide to running a de-icer at an empty cottage has more tips.
Lakes and ponds, not the wharf
The Arbrux setup advice on this page is written for freshwater lakes and ponds. If your dock is on a tidal cove, harbour or saltwater inlet, call us before you order so we can talk through your site.
Nova Scotia FAQ
Do you ship to Nova Scotia?
Yes. We ship from Portland, Ontario to anywhere in Canada.
Our lake doesn't freeze solid every winter anymore. Is a de-icer still worth it?
If your dock stays in, the weeks when ice does form are when the damage happens. If you are nearby, you can plug it in when ice starts to form and unplug it in a long mild spell. At an empty cottage, leaving it running is the safer choice. How Much Does a Dock De-Icer Cost to Run All Winter? helps you estimate the cost.
Can the same pump help in summer?
Yes. Aimed toward the bottom, it works as a circulator, keeping water moving around the dock and clearing a 60-foot diameter of lake bottom.
Ready for whatever this winter brings
Arbrux pumps carry UL and CSA certification and a 2-year warranty, and every one is built in Canada.
