Disaster Diverted!

[addy1]

I just checked via the camera, we are still low, but not as bad as it was. At first I thought it was full but it was still dark out, well dawnish.

The storm added.............very approximate..............around 690 gallons. The pond needs about the amount twice more to get up to level. But with the way I have the inputs it is ok now. And that loop is shut off until we get home. Go figure it had been running without incident for around a month now.

I may need to walk our neighbor though doing a manual fill from the watering system. I have the pond on a hose fill from a automatic electric sprinkler system. It adds enough to keep it full when we are blazing hot, but not enough to make up for a loose of water like we had.

I love having the view from in the house, I watch that tv more than our regular tv if I am messing around inside. The heat keeps me in the house, once we get over 90 with humidity, can't handle it.

We picked up the system from costco, during one of their coupon sales (they have monthly) so for around 300 we got a 8 camera dvr system. The ptz cost more than the whole system, but it is worth it to be able to move your view. I was able to tell her walk forward, stop look down to the left etc and she would point then I could say yep check that lol, worked great. Real easy when you can see exactly where they are and what way she was facing, to walk her though a what the heck went wrong pond check.

Glad you caught your leak too neo, it is a bad feeling when you see the water low.

I ran though all sort of bad issues in my mind that we would have had to just turn off the pump until we got home in two weeks. Talk about a green pond then lol. But it was an easy fix YEAH!

 

[CometKeith]

Great story addy. Glad your pond is okay. Is there a way if those smaller ponds get clogged again the water can make it's way back to your pond? Maybe if the water reached a certain height in the smaller ponds it would flow into a pit with a sump pump that would only turn on if the water rose to a certain level?

 

[Mucky_Waters]

That's great you were able to catch that Addy. It's reassuring to be able watch your home (and pond) like that when you are gone isn't it?
I think I mentioned to you before that we also have a DVR surveillance system set up around are house, and just recently installed a camera to monitor the pond as well. Actually I have always had one pointed at the area where the pond is, but when we built our courtyard that view from that camera angle got blocked by the courtyard wall, so I installed a new camera in a different spot that gives me a clear view of the pond,, well,, half of it anyway. It's enough to let me know if any herons or racoons visit, and I'll be able to monitor the water level as well.
I actually ordered another 4 camera surveillance system last week, it's not for me though, my neigbor arcoss the street has a friend who's been having problems with kids stealing stuff from her house, he told her about my surveillance system and she said she wanted one and asked if I could get her one and set it up for her. So $300 for the unit and $300 for me to set it up, $600 buys her a little bit of security, and I'm guessing the presence of the cameras alone may be enough to detract those kids from bothering her, if not at least she'll be able to give the police the evidence they say they have been needing to do anything about what's been going on.

 

[addy1]

Great story addy. Glad your pond is okay. Is there a way if those smaller ponds get clogged again the water can make it's way back to your pond? Maybe if the water reached a certain height in the smaller ponds it would flow into a pit with a sump pump that would only turn on if the water rose to a certain level?

We are going to cut the tub and make a weir it will only be 2-3 inches long but with cutting down the edge of the lotus tub and having it flow right into the next preform there is no way it would be able to back up enough to flow out of the lotus tub. The first preform flows into the lotus tub via a small weir type opening, premade. That edge is lower than the rest of the preform.. The lotus tub when it backed up, did not have anyway to flow into the second preform. So we are going to fix that.

The second preform also flows into the big pond via a premade type weir, that point is lower than the rest of the pond, it drops into a liner stream that is around 3 foot long that goes into the big pond. That opening is pretty safe, it would take a dead animal to block it. The only unsafe was the lotus tub, we had the openings separate by a bunch so if one blocked the other would flow. well something blocked both. I will find out when we get home. They will be fine sitting still, will probably get full of algae, but the tads will love it.

I love our cameras mucky, we have two that watch the front of our house just in case someone decides to visit. One goes to the dvr, one is an ip camera, does not need a dvr. We are pretty safe out there, but you never know. It is comforting to just dial in do a quick check of water levels, pump running and know all is done. And after that bad ass storm last night I could check to make sure all was ok up there, nothing badly broken. Buses and all flipped over.

The worse part of the install is running all those wires! The cameras down by the pond I needed 100 foot wires to make in down pipes around decks and up into the house.

 

[j.w]

So glad the rains filled your pond up much more than it was addy! I just went and looked via the cameras and it looks fine to me. Have a nice trip now and relax and enjoy!

 

[brandonsdad02]

Thats really neat. I was just there looking around on your cams. Does only one of them zoom and pan?

 

[j.w]

Yep only her #1 camera can you move. It's so cool and I really have enjoyed checking in to see what's going on at the pond and around the gardens Neat lightening storms and critter sightings also!

 

[addy1]

Yep only her #1 camera can you move. It's so cool and I really have enjoyed checking in to see what's going on at the pond and around the gardens Neat lightening storms and critter sightings also!

lol can't hide anything! One reason I don't run outside in my undies anymore...........................

 

[fishrich]

This reminds me to fit a low water pump cut off switch to my pond!!!

 

[addy1]

This reminds me to fit a low water pump cut off switch to my pond!!!

I had a lot of water to go before the pump sucked air, but it could have happened. It is a exterior pump. But the way it is set up the fish would still have had some water to live in.

The pump has a failsafe, if it quits drawing water it just starts swishing what water remains in the pump back and forth so the pump never burns up. The water gets hotter than hot but the pump survives.