Fixing a liner with out draining it.

[epidemic]

I am new here and just decided to pass on what I tried last night to others facing the dillema I was facing.

I have 1000 gallon lined pond that was draining 2 to 3 inches per day. I found a hole right at the bottom of my pond and decided I had to find a way to make a wet repair.

I can not vouch for the safety of this method but you judge for yourself.

I found a half inch hole in the liner of my pond square on the bottom. My Koi don't like being out of water much so I decided I had to make a wet repair. While digging through my garage I decided that I had found the perfect solution. I have not found any other suggestions on line so perhaps this is a unique solution.

go to your local boat shop and purchase Boat Life Calk. It is designed to cure in water and is rubber like when dry. I cleaned the bottom around the hole with a scrubby pad and squeezed a bit in the hole and then smeared it around the hole about 1 inch in all directions. I then took standard patch and stuck it to the boat life covered liner.

If there is any danger to the fish I would guess it would pass rather quickly being that it is 1000 gallon to a teaspoon ratio and it dries waterproof so I would think it would not leach much into the water.

take it for what it is worth.

my pond is not draining and my fish are still swimming.

 

[addy1]

to our group!

Neat idea, wonder if they have that stuff here, a lot easier than draining and fixing.

 

[epidemic]

Boat life is available at any boat supply shop. I know I used to acquire it in new york, new jersey, and now in virginia.

You definitely can buy it on line.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Boatlife-Li..._Accessories_Gear&hash=item4165821ec5&vxp=mtr

 

[don't ask]

welcome and nice creative solution

 

[taherrmann4]

Welcome and thanks for the tip...

 

[j.w]

epidemic

 

[brandonsdad02]

If that doesn't leak, try Gold Label sealant. It works great and can be used underwater. I tried the underwater claim, and they weren't wrong. It works underwater with the pond full. Its meant for pond use and is fish safe.

 

[epidemic]

Cool. how much is it?

 

[brandonsdad02]

I got that cauking gun size tube for $18.

 

[epidemic]

Well sounds good . I know that boat life stocks like nobodies business. But with unknown chemical danger to fish I would probably consider agree with your product.

 

[CountryEscape]

Thanks for the pointers! BTW, how did you find the hole in the bottom of your pond? I recently had a hole in my plant bog, and it was a devil to find, of course I could not look through the water, as pea gravel was in the way. But, my pond bottom has a good coating of algae on it. Did you see bubbles? Sounds like a couple of good ideas for repairing underwater. Thanks to you both.
Oh, and WELCOME Epidemic!!!

 

[epidemic]

Well, I found one hole this year by letting it drain to the level and it appeared quite clearly on the side about 8 inched down below full level.

The hole I just boat lifed was found mostly by luck. I have a whiteish tan sand bottom while walking in the pond cleaning the filter for the 6 millionth time I stepped on something unusual a cluster of exposed gravel. I did not think much about it and just grabbed the gravel and tossed it into the woods.

At that point my pond began to drain at an extreme rate. Still did not put two and two together. the other day I was walking the pond again to try and stir things up and get the last of the gook out from leaving the pond fallow for years. I stepped in a depression in the level sand bottom. The sand was pouring into the sink hole forming under my pond. I pushed the remaining sand away and found a thumb sized hole in the liner.

So I have no brilliant answers for you. I did not find it by skill or any trick.

I doubt you would ever see bubbles because the water would probably push the air into the soil rather than displace it into the pond.

 

[epidemic]

Hey I just thought of something. if you have a black lined pond and water flowing out of it. You might be able to dust the bottom of your pond with white sand and places where you see black form might be holes.

In the case of a gravel bottom I don't know what you could do

 

[CountryEscape]

Good idea, E. The bottom of my pond is covered with matt of algae, so it would be a matter of seeing where the algae is missing or all sucking toward, I guess. I hope I never have to worry about it, but if I ever do, I'll be calling for help.

 

[SE18]

interesting solution; I've never heard of the stuff before. I use concrete and in other places I sandwich liner between concrete, btw.