Fighting a leak

[Feddy]

It appears that I have a small leak somewhere in my pond right now. It's not an emergency situation, as it is a slow leak that is probably only losing a half inch of water per day. Give or take. My question is whether I should fight the fight on the leak right now, or wait until it either gets worse, or end of season. I plan on redoing my waterfall at the end of year, which will require drainage, which would be a better time to dig in to it.

Regardless of how many times they are told to steer clear, my son and his friend like to walk along the rocks lining the pond, and have had a couple of rocks falls in a result. I feel pretty confident that this is the problem. I'm painting up a "STAY OFF THE ROCKS SIGN" this weekend, and hope that will help.

Thanks for the input.

 

[Faebinder]

It's time to net your pond for a while till the kids forget the pond.

You could drain the pond take out the fish (not in that order) and explore for cuts that can be repaired with sealants.

 

[Faebinder]

Keep in mind that the most likely source of a leak is a connection.

 

[Nepen]

Are you sure it's not evaporation? I've had huge evaporation this past week.

 

[sissy]

Stay off the rocks recording that plays everytime they walk there .If you leave the leak it could get worse at the hottest part of the season .Do you see any wet areas or are plant roots sucking up more water if it is dryer out or windy

 

[Feddy]

Keep in mind that the most likely source of a leak is a connection.

I only have one connection in my pond, which leads straight the the waterfall. That hose is on top of the liner, so any leaks would leak back into the pond.

My first thought was possible wind and evaporation, as we've had many windy days in NE Kansas this Spring, but I feel as though the water loss is higher than what the wind and evaporation could/should account for. We haven't had particularly warm or sunny days this week, and I'm probably down 2-3" since refilling on Sunday after my shelf project. I was losing water before that project, so I don't believe that to be a source.

It is a big frustration though, since I rebuilt the pond last summer, placing down a 45 mil liner to replace the cheap one from the original owner.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Rocks falling in your pond from the perimeter should not have sufficient force to damage a 45 mil EPDM liner. I believe you need to look elsewhere for the source of the water loss.

 

[mrsclem]

Half an inch a day really doesn't sound like a leak. Water splashing on rocks from your waterfall could cause evaporation. You could try turning off your waterfall for a day and see if you still have a water loss.

 

[Lisak1]

Yep - half an inch is within the range of normal for some ponds. How old is your pond? Over time you get to know what's normal for your pond and you will know when you have a genuine problem.

Like Meyer said, a rock falling on 45 mil EPDM wouldn't create a leak. If you are losing water it's more likely a low edge (which walking on the rocks COULD cause) or an area where the water is being diverted out of the pond - waterfalls are notorious for that!

 

[Feddy]

I rebuilt this pond with a new liner last year, after inheriting a poor liner from the previous owner. I installed a new pump this Spring, but did not replace the hoses. Still, all of the hose lines run above the liner, but I will go through a more thorough inspection to see if I can identify any breakdowns before the water reaches the falls.

I refilled yesterday, and will track the water line this week to try and keep more accurate readings.

 

[tbendl]

I haven't read this whole thread but usually people recommend turning off your waterfall feature if you can and see if the leak originates from that (either the hoses or the actual falls) versus an issue with the pond liner. If you haven't, I would try this first.