Bogging in New Jersey

[bobchapman]

Well, it's back to bogging. We're having some nice weather here in NJ, much earlier than usual. Though there is some noise about snow two days from now!

Anyway, today I took the opportunity of great weather to take care of the cave-ins from winter weather: my pump pit, which is 4+ feet deep with vertical sides, lost some of the sides over the winter -- not surprised about that. So, I shovelled out maybe half a yard of dirt,mostly clay, today. It's a workout to shovel up 4+ feet! Particularly as the clay doesn't want to let go of the shovel when I try to pitch it up and out.

However, I see concrete in my future: pouring the floor of the pump pit. Could be soon, depending on the weather. I figure about 1.3 cubic yards, or some 70 or so 50# sacks of mix. No way to get a truck back in there, so it's going to be a by-hand job.

 

[myswtsins]

If I had to stick to the 24" rule I would have done it very differently than you but that's what makes this hobby so interesting! The frost line is 36" in NJ so yes you might need to take those guys in during the winter but the chance of moving water freezing down that far is rather slim although possible! Since we are here now though...

You definitely don't want to run your BD directly to a pump especially since you are practically setup to run a gravity fed BD to a settlement tank that you can flush right down the sump pit for cleaning. BD to pump is like taking all that large waste you've just collected so neatly from the bottom of the pond and turning it into a poo smoothie then trying to strain out millions of itty bit pieces or in your case just sending the smoothie back into your pond. yuck! You've been to koiphen, there are tons of DIY settlement tank threads/designs there.

Just for reference this is one place I would have done it differently though. For a goldfish and frog eco-system type of pond (vs a dedicated koi pond) I would not install a BD. A BD removes and kills all the organic life that thrives down there, like tadpoles and dragonfly nymphs even baby goldfish. I just want to mention this so you don't have to say later "I wish I knew that before hand"....which you will say about something else I am sure! lol

 

[addy1]

Just for reference this is one place I would have done it differently though. For a goldfish and frog eco-system type of pond (vs a dedicated koi pond) I would not install a BD. A BD removes and kills all the organic life that thrives down there, like tadpoles and dragonfly nymphs even baby goldfish. I just want to mention this so you don't have to say later "I wish I knew that before hand"....which you will say about something else I am sure! lol

I made one pond with a bottom drain, ended up turning it off. It did suck in my tads, nymphs, fry. My pond is wildlife oriented, no koi, whatever lives there I want to try and let it live. No bottom drain on this pond, the bottom , six years running now, is not deep in gunk. I just net out any leaves that blow in. The few times I have gone to clean it, there was not enough stuff to bother with. I leave it for the critters.

 

[Lisak1]

Just for reference this is one place I would have done it differently though. For a goldfish and frog eco-system type of pond (vs a dedicated koi pond) I would not install a BD. A BD removes and kills all the organic life that thrives down there, like tadpoles and dragonfly nymphs even baby goldfish.

Such an important point! People need to define WHAT TYPE of pond they are building before they start deciding on things like bottom drains, bogs, filtration, etc. Having a BD on an eco-pond is a detriment, not a help and is also completely unnecessary - added expense, work, worry, etc.

 

[bobchapman]

"You definitely don't want to run your BD directly to a pump especially since you are practically setup to run a gravity fed BD to a settlement tank that you can flush right down the sump pit for cleaning. BD to pump is like taking all that large waste you've just collected so neatly from the bottom of the pond and turning it into a poo smoothie then trying to strain out millions of itty bit pieces or in your case just sending the smoothie back into your pond. yuck! You've been to koiphen, there are tons of DIY settlement tank threads/designs there.

Just for reference this is one place I would have done it differently though. For a goldfish and frog eco-system type of pond (vs a dedicated koi pond) I would not install a BD. A BD removes and kills all the organic life that thrives down there, like tadpoles and dragonfly nymphs even baby goldfish. I just want to mention this so you don't have to say later "I wish I knew that before hand"....which you will say about something else I am sure! lol[/QUOTE]

Since the BD water will go directly to the bog, it seems to me that a bit of poop might be a god thing for growing the bog plants: No?

Since several of you have weighed in against BDs, how else do you pull water out of the pond? why doesn't a skimmer have the same detriments of pulling baby fish, tadpoles, etc., out of hte pond?

Thanks
Bob

 

[MitchM]

Since several of you have weighed in against BDs, how else do you pull water out of the pond? why doesn't a skimmer have the same detriments of pulling baby fish, tadpoles, etc., out of hte pond?

You will still lose some baby fish and invertebrates to a skimmer, but for the most part those creatures will live at lower levels for safety and food.

 

[addy1]

I dial down the suction if nothing is falling, less fry, tads get drawn in that way. But when the maple leaves fall, the apple flowers etc I run it full force and just peak every day or so, if I can and toss anything that is in there back into the pond.

 

[bobchapman]

Well, great progress over the past few days.

I got all the rebar in for the slab to make the bottom of the pump pit.

1/2" rebar on 15" centers, more or less, and up on "chairs". The blue thing is the plastic bin that will be the sump pit in the floor. All the plywood around the periphery is to keep more cave-ins from getting into the wet concrete that is to come. And so dirt doesn't interfere with the bonding of the concrete block to the slab. It will come out once I have some block in place, which will start next week.

Here's the walkway around the periphery so that we can wheel in the concrete:

Since my workers were not really "expert" with the wheelbarrows, I stood in the pit and guided the front-end of the wheelbarrows into place. Interesting task, what with all the rebar in the way. Only got one load of concrete down the front of me.


This is the pile of bags of concrete mix: 80 x 60# (cheaper per cubic foot, and a whole lot easier to handle than 80# sacks!).

Today, two (probably undocumented) workers and I mixed all that concrete and got it into the hole and reasonably well smoothed out. My skills as a concrete finisher leave something to be desired, but, after all, this is only the bottom of the pump pit, not my living room floor!

Happy Easter, everyone!
Bob

 

[addy1]

Looks very nice!

 

[RobAmy]

Nice work

 

[bobchapman]

Thanks, everyone. More to follow this week, I hope! We're supposed to have some nice weather, in the 50s or so.

 

[bobchapman]

Today I got half the number of concrete blocks that I need for the pump pit: 63 of them. My trailer was groaning all the way home! Managed to get 5 or 6 of them installed on the new slab, but had to spend part of the day removing leaves from the property, which I should have done last Fall, but didn't get it completely done. The next few days will be a combo of blocks and leaves!

Blocks surely are heavy. I found out that sliding them down a ramp into the pit, as a way to save effort, didn't work --- broken block. So it's lift and carry.

 

[bobchapman]

Yesterday I completed the second row of blocks, with some sleeves for the pipes that will eventually connect to the pond and bog. Today, started to install a part of the footing drain: during prolonged rains, there's a small stream (about as big in diameter as my thumb) that appears in the area where the pit floor is. So I'm putting a 2" PVC slotted pipe around the edge of the pit floor, and draining it into the sump bucket in the pit. From there it will get pumped to the rain garden, along with whatever other water ends up in the pit.

Also went back to the masonry supply house for more concrete blocks and mortar. My trailer is not heavy-duty enough to get them all at once.

 

[sissy]

I know that feeling as I have a small explorer truck and have been replacing to decks with new boards and have to put 16 foot and 12 foot long deck boards through the back window and tie them down .Almost done with both 6 more boards and done .Lowes is 25 minutes from my house and a hilly drive home .Scares the daylights out of me .Tied down but still scary .I would rather go to the dentist .

 

[bobchapman]

Hey, Sissy, be real careful doing that: if you get in an accident, those boards can kill you. Even if someone hits you from behind or the side. It doesn't have to be your error! At least here in NJ, one has to be real careful, as we have a bunch of crazies behind the wheel.