[Nephrus]

Hi Everyone

Just settled into my new home with a backyard and spent a week excavating my long awaited project (will post pictures later). I have pond liner ready to go but I wanted to clear with some experts to ensure its safe to proceed. There is originally a small black plastic tub pond built in that I am aiming to connect both ponds with dig out tunnel, is this feasible?

Thanks
Nephrus

 

[mikebike]

Yes it can be done
the most critical point is the connecting/sealing of the pond and liner to prevent leakage.

 

[Sean's Ponds]

Yes it is, You need to make sure that one is higher than the other and that the lower one has a way for the water to drain away if your pump in the lower pond fails as the water from the higher of the two will drain into the lower until the water level of both is equal. I would suggest building a bog that is a little lower than the lowest pond for overflow and you can have marginals and some carnivorous North American plants like Sarracenia.

I am a founder and administrator at American Ponders and there is a wealth of information from the last 10 years there. I am happy to answer more questions here but much of what you want to know is already in print there.
Here is the link, you can browse without registering but will need to register to see locally hosted photos. American Ponders

Cheers,
Sean

 

[Nephrus]

Any recommendation on a product to use to seal the two together? I would like to take advantage of the heat we are having to ensure things stick well together !

 

[Sean's Ponds]

If one is a rigid liner and the other is EPDM or Vinyl, you can use Contact Cement to glue the two together then use silicone to seal the edges. Make sure to use rubbing alcohol to clean both surfaces to remove any grease before gluing with contact cement.
Great Stuff expanding foam is another product that can work but needs to be exposed to air to cure. Works great if you need to glue in rocks for a waterfall feature.

Cheers,
Sean

 

[Nephrus]

Here are some pictures of it I took today.

 

[Sean's Ponds]

How big do plan to have the new pond? The site looks great for planning out something larger. Will you be moving the bushes that are in place or will they remain? The reason I ask is roots can puncture an rubber EPDM or Vinyl liner over the course of a few years. Usually, if a tree or bush remains in place it is best to put in a heavy plastic wall as a barrier. This will save a lot of grief in a few years.
Connecting a new piece of liner to the existing would not be an issue from what I can see.

Cheers,
Sean

 

[Nephrus]

The perimeter that I have dug is primarily how large it will be, The bushes in the photo will remain and they have already some underlay that is keeping the roots at bay. I will lay out the pond liner tomorrow and take a look to see if it will allow me to push it a little further.

Neph

 

[Sean's Ponds]

How is the progress going on this project?

Cheers,
Sean

 

[Nephrus]

Just laid the pond liner to make some measurements

 

[mikebike]

a good start.
I went to the local carpet store and salvaged the under pad and carpet from carpets that they had removed.

I lined the pond area with it to help cushion the rubber/liner from any rocks or sticks/roots.

 

[Nephrus]

thats a great idea, I am actually removing the carpets from my stairs so they will do just fine there.

Neph

 

[Sean's Ponds]

thats a great idea, I am actually removing the carpets from my stairs so they will do just fine there.

Neph

Watch for staples in the underpad. Flooring installers use hundreds of staples in stairwell carpet. (I used to install flooring in my late teens)
Looks like the area will be well covered with pond liner.

Cheers,
Sean

 

[Nephrus]

actually would flattened card board boxes be more ideal?

 

[Rajan]

I read somewhere before I was building my pond that carpet or carpet installation was not a good idea for the long run. it will start to smell and if there was any leak that it would make it rotten over time cause it to smell more. don't wanna have a beautiful pond with a bad smell. whatever you do just make sure not to cheap out on what's under it. don't wanna have to rip out everything cause of something small that became a big problem. how about using underlay that is used for laminate flooring? just a thought. or nothing . liners are pretty durable. I'm pretty sure it will be fine without anything under it. just make sure no sharp rocks are sticking out

 

[Sean's Ponds]

You really do not need to use an under liner as your pond is very shallow, deep ponds, 2.5 feet deep or more can use the help but I do not see anything sharp in your dugout that would cause a puncture issue.

Cheers,
Sean

 

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Do you have a raccoon problem in your place. Making a pond that shallow would be like setting out a seafood buffet for ***** and herons. In Burnaby, I have a family of raccoons coming in my yard every night and my pond needs to be completely covered until the electric fence is completed later this week.

Anthony

 

[mikebike]

Many carpets these days are polyester and don't rot.

Cardboard is a definite no as it softens/rots when damp

I sliced open 45 gallon/200 L. barrels to create root blockers along the walls when the bamboo shooted through the fold in the EDM.
My bad design

 

[Rajan]

make your pond 4 foot deep. and don't use any cushion for the liner as long as nothing sharp is under it. that's it. problem solved. and if you have raccoons then make sure you got lots of money to keep replacing your fish or put a net over the pond which doesn't look all that great. I must have raccoons here since there is so much jungle around where I live but I haven't had any problems but then again I have a pond that's 5 ft deep and a 3 foot fake alligator swimming around to scare predators and no heron problems cause I have 2 large 3 ft tall heron statues by my pond.

 

[Nephrus]

Thanks for all the feedback, My pond is actually close 4 foot deep in the deepest part of it, I dug out a two leveled shelves for the fish to come up and go down on. I do have raccoon in the area I have recently secured the base of the cedar panels with metal wiring so that nothing can come from under but I do recognize that these guys can climb over, I will be using some scent deterrents I used in the past that have been effective.