Elevated Concrete Pond Drainage

[frebay]

Hi All,
Looking to build a rectangle board form elevated pond.

Originally I wasn't going to put fish in but wanted to future proof it so was wondering how important a bottom drain is. If so, Can I use a bottom drain liner for concrete or a concrete specific bottom drain? Also can someone point me to some diy instructions how to put pvc into concrete for the water feature pump and filter. Do I just leave a pvc pipe on the side and fill the form with concrete and seal with a fish safe epoxy or do I drill a hole afterwards?

 

[JamieB]

I’m not sure what you are looking for in a “ board form” concrete pond. Are you doing concrete over wood? There are considerations that you need to take into account, like concrete will probably crack and leak if you live in an area that ever freezes, the weight of water will put pressure on the concrete that it isn’t designed to take ( pushing to the sides rather than just down), and from all I’ve gathered, unless you have built multiple above ground ponds, expect a headache of trying to find a good method to do so. However, it can be done. There are threads on here from folks who’ve done it, and king of diy on YouTube built one in his garage ( he’s in Canada, and used a liner for one, marine epoxy for the other). Support is your friend, and if you’re going with concrete, please do all the research on how to reinforce it so that it doesn’t end up shifting, cracking, and ruining all your hard work. And if you do go that route, keep a pond liner of the correct size on hand if it’s ever needed. I thought of trying an above ground pond, on a concrete porch, and eventually gave up as it would stress the sides too much for me to actually put it into progress, and settled on an in ground design instead. And then I did a small one for my guppies, by adding a liner inside a metal frame, then having to drain that due to a leak, buying a new liner, and a sheet of plywood to prevent further leaks, and now have a nice indoor pond lined with a small liner, that my cats think is a great place to sit on.

 

[j.w]

@frebay

 

[poconojoe]

Welcome!
It's up to you, but I think you are making it more complicated than it needs to be.
Unless you are an experienced mason, I would stay away from concrete.
Just dig a hole and drop in an EPDM liner.
A lot of us dont have bottom drains.
The occasional scooping with a net will take care of any accumulated debris.

Again, it's up to you.

 

[Mmathis]

Hello and welcome!

Sorry but I don’t know anything about concrete or BD’s. Have to agree with @poconojoe — sounds like you might be overthinking this. If you want concrete, I would say hire a professional. No, a BD isn’t necessary.