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The location of your pond should be decided. You've picked a good spot in
your yard where you can see the pond from different places, and its near enough
to the house so you can see it from a window. This is really part of the fun
because you can visualize the landscaping ideas you'll be incorporating into the
pond area once the dig is finished.
The first thing to do is outline the perimeter of your pond. Avoid square or
sharp corners because your pond liner will conform much better to a freeform
round or kidney shape. You should also have made the decision by this time about
the size of the design. I would strongly suggest not going too small. I changed
the size of our pond two times because the first and second time just weren't
big enough. Lay out the final design and size on the ground where you plan to
dig with a can of spray paint.
The next thing to decide is the depth of the pond. I would suggest at least
twenty four to thirty six inches. Our pond is thirty six to forty eight inches
deep and the main reason is the fact that we have fish. Some of our fish are
quite large, we have two Kois that are about eighteen inches long and they
definitely need the room. If you're going to have fish, or think you might get
fish in the future, then don't skimp on pond depth. If you live in a cold winter
climate like we do, then the fish need room at the bottom to winter over. Like I
mentioned previously, we haven't lost a fish to the winter in the eight years
we've had our pond.
Keep in mind that you want to keep the top shoreline edges pretty level.
The reason for this is that once you put the liner in and fill the pond with
water you won't have a large piece of the liner showing on the high side of the
hole. Also as you dig, remember that you are going to want a ledge most of the
way around the perimeter of the hole, about six to twelve inches down from the
top and about twelve inches wide. This will provide you with a shelf to set
your pond plants on.
Once the hole is dug and shaped to your satisfaction and with any protruding
sharp rocks removed to provide a relatively smooth surface for the liner to rest
on, then you are ready to install the liner. Here are the quick calculations to
figure the size of your liner:
Length: Length of the dug out area plus two feet plus the depth plus three
feet.
Width: Width of the dug out area plus two feet plus the depth plus three
feet.
For Example: The hole is ten feet long by six feet wide and the depth is
three feet. Therefore, the liner LENGTH is 10 + 2 +3 +3 = 18 feet. And the WIDTH
is 6 + 2 +3 + 3 = 14 feet. So the needed liner size is 18 feet long and 14 feet
wide.
Some people have lined the dug hole with old carpet scraps to provide a
little extra cushion under the liner and also a little more protection in case a
sharp rock may have escaped detection. Personally, I didn't do this and we
haven't had any leakage problems.
So, now its time to install the liner. Make it easier and get some help for
this operation. Position the liner over the hole, trying to keep an even overlap
on all four sides. Next push the liner down into the hole as evenly as you can,
keeping in mind that you want the overlap to be as equal as possible all the way
around the hole. When you are satisfied that the liner is positioned correctly,
place a few heavy rocks on the overlap equally spaced around the pond.
Now its time to start filling the pond. Obviously, the smaller the pond, the
quicker the fill. A large pond can take quite a while, and while it is filling
use the time to disperse the liner evenly so that you don't get a lot of large
folds. You're bound to get some folds but if you work on smoothing them out as
the water is going in the end result will be a nicer appearance. If you have to
make any moves to even out the overlap, do it before too much water is added
because it gets heavy fairly quickly and once the weight of the water takes over
you won't be moving anything. As the pond fills and the liner conforms to the
shape of the hole and you see that your overlap around the edges is looking
pretty good, then you can start to relax because the hard part is done.
Robert Dorrance has had a pond for the last eight years and would like to
share his experiences with you. You can read other articles and download my free
e-book, How To Build A Beautiful Backyard Pond at http://www.Backyard-Pond-Guide.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
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Filter
The
capacity of the pond should pass through the filter
once in every 2 hours e.g. a 1000 litre pond requires
a pump with a flow rate of 500 litres per hour, at the
height of the filter above the surface of the pond. |
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Waterfall
A
pump with a sufficient flow rate at the required head
is essential. Every 15cm width of waterfall requires
approximately 1300 litres per hour at the top of the
waterfall. |
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Fountain
A
pump with a sponge pre-filter is essential to prevent
the fountain blocking. A T-piece is useful to adjust
flow and allow a filter to be used in conjunction with
the fountain. |
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Water
Feature
As with a fountain, a pre-filter and
a T-piece are essential. |
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 Choosing
The Right
Size Of Pump
In order to choose the
best pump for your pond, you will need to identify The
Flow Rate and The Head (the maximum height
to which the water is pumped above the water surface.)
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Hydratech Torrent Pumps are the latest in solid waste
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Hydratech Torrent pumps have synchronous motors
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All Hydratech pumps come with a three year warranty.
The Hydratech Multi range of pumps features a foam
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shaft and flimsy plastic impeller vanes the Amphibious
impeller runs on ceramic bearings, which last a lifetime
and has a unique robust impeller vane design. This,
combined with the lack of moving components makes
for a low maintenance, ultra reliable pump.
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