Posts Tagged ‘ponds’
Don’t Forget to Line your Pond
I remember trying to make a pond as a young child. After digging a modest hole at the end of the garden I would run back and forth with a watering can for a day attempting to fill it with water. Of course, all the water would simply disappear into the earth and being no more than 7 years old, I had no idea why my pond wouldn’t hold the water like the ‘natural’ ponds I would see outside.
What I didn’t know back then was that ponds need to be lined because the earth is porous. Just like your sandcastle moats, without a liner water just drains away.
Using a pond liner in pond construction is a no brainer. Pond liner comes from a roll similar to a carpet so you would simply need to work out the amount of liner you need for the size of your pond. Pond liner calculators are very handy for this task, just measure the depth, width & length of the pond.
What about Pond Underlay?
If you have quite a large pond construction project pond liner underlayis a must. Especially if there is the likelihood the liner could be punctured from rocks or tree roots!
Got the Liner – What next?
Once you have lined your pond and filled it with water it doesn’t end there. You have to prevent the water becoming stagnant. Depending on the purpose your pond will almost certainly need a pump, particularly if you intend keeping fish! Choosing a pond pump, like liner, has a lot to do with the size of the pond. The pump must be powerful enough to pump and renew all the water in the pond within a certain time frame.
I doubt I would have discontinued trying to fill that childhood pond in my childhood had I known the truth about pond liners and the science of building ponds. Racing to get back with buckets of water before the previous contents soacked into the mud and turning my parents kitchen into an indoor paddling pool was so much fun!
Looking for a Water Feature Pump?
It can be a daunting and confusing task choosing water feature pond pumps due to the variety of manufacturers, styles and sizes available. This is a breakdown of the various pumps available and how they are generally used.
Fountain pumps are the most common pumps available. These pumps are primarily designed to run a fountain in the centre of your pond or water feature. Fountain pumps come complete with variety of jet and fountain jet extensions.
Fountain Pump Hint: Do not use a fountain pump to power a filter system as this will lead to water clarity issues in the future.
Filter pond pumps can pump free floating debris from the pool and then pass it to a filter system (solids handling). This keeps the pond clear and free of debris. Most of these pumps can pump particles such as plant matter, leaves, pebbles, blanket weed, fish waste up to 8mm in diameter.
The solids handling capabilities mean maintenance can be reduced to a minimum because these pumps don’t get blocked very often.
Filter Pump Tip: If you want a fountain and filter system in your pond then add a fountain pump and a filter pump. The fountain pump shouldn’t block up because the filter pump will remove all the free floating debris.
Patio water features come in a vast range of designs, shapes and sizes; from a converted watering can to a custom made stainless steel sculpture. Feature pumps are best for powering water features because they are usually designed small yet have a high pumping pressure. These robust pumps can be sited in shallow water or sometimes positioned dry.
Water Feature Pump Hint: The pipe size you run the water through to the top of your water feature will have a deciding factor on which size pump to use. A larger pump than normal will be required if narrow tubing is used because narrow tubes can cause huge restrictions on pump flow rates. So a wider pipe will save money in the long run.
