|
Water garden questions - 4 Water loss (with waterfall) If you are going to install a water feature please make sure that in the case of a waterfall it has a liner under the whole of the course (unless it is one piece fibreglass) we had an enquiry about water loss and within 10 hours of the new waterfall running the pond was almost empty. Obviously without seeing it we can not definitely say why but it was mentioned that no liner was put under the course, and since it is now built the only way to check it is to remove it and install a liner. It may also be that the fall is actually running backwards and water escaping this way. Water loss (in general) If your pond is loosing water it could be due to one of several things. Is it very hot? it has been known to loose 1 1/2 inches of water a day on a very hot day, due to evaporation Is it windy? wind can also cause water loss is it a leak? Leaks are not easy to find strait away, if you suspect a leak you should make a note of the water level, and re fill. if water level goes down again to the same point or lower you have a leak. Its still not easy to find where your leak is, you can look around the area for a damp / wet area, this is some times the case. It may be that your leak is a loose pipe on a fitting for your filter for example, or a pipe may have been damaged in some way, if it is either of these then i suggest you change the affected part. If it is the liner that has the leak its not as hard as you may think. Once you have established it is nothing else, leave the leak until the water stops dropping (you may have to move your fish etc to a "holding tank") your leak will be at this new (lower) water level since once past the damaged spot water can no longer escape, you want to look very carefully as the leak may be as small as a pin hole. You may have to remove the liner and hold it up (or shine a torch from behind) where ever you see light, that's your leak, but always continue to check in case there is more. You can repair pond liners with pond liner repair kits Flowing over If you have a water feature / pond when designing it is is a good idea to install an over flow. Why? if your feature fills too much it may literally burst (rare but not unusual) also if it is at ground level if it is a lot of extra water your fish etc will be able to swim over the edge but not be able to get back when the water recedes, by by having an over flow you will prevent this Mould for pool We were asked what to use as a mould to make a 3 foot concrete "bowl" Its actually quite simple. Dig a hole in the soil to the required shape, line with say an old bin liner, fill with a thick concrete mix. Add a layer of chicken wire to act as reinforcing, leave for at least a week to dry. Remove form soil and use a sealer such as G4 Do be warned concrete can be very heavy What is a hose tail? please click here Painting a fibreglass pond We had a question about how to paint a fibreglass pool a different colour. The colour of fibreglass* comes from the colour of gel coat used in its construction, so you can not paint it, well you can, but not if its for use as a pond, since the paint will lift off, and will probably be toxic to fish / plants *The fibre glass matting itself has no colour When snow melts, where does all the "white" go? Don't forget to send in your questions, contact us
|