Hamstermann's pond build

[GaryMoz]

I like that thought. And I could test it on the fish - If I plug it in and they all die and start floating, then the electrics aren't safe. if they're fine, I can try a current tester like this on the water. If no current and healthy fish, I think it would likely be safe for people and then I could test that on me. In theory, it shouldn't be wet because the cord would be in gravel behind boulders and above water level, but better safe than sorry in case things flood.

At least you would have fried fish if doesn't work

 

[hamstermann]

At least you would have fried fish if doesn't work

There is that. I'm not a fan of seafood, but maybe Goldfish tastes better than I'd expect?

I did find these:

The heat shrink should be waterproof if successfully shrunken but I could also enclose them in a box like yours after shrinking them, if I can find one.

 

[hamstermann]

More rocking progress:

The blocks on the two retaining walls are done.

I thought this was really cool. The rock had a 90 degree section missing so we put that part down and made a natural fish cave.

This is another view of how things are shaping up. The only rock I have left to place is a giant one that will go up against the bog wall and act like a berm to hold back dirt. There's no way we can safely put it in the pond without a mini excavator and safety strap.

You can also see the drainage pipe fish cave at the bottom of the pond here.

I think the rocks on the ledge will be above water line but will hold back the gravel well. I really want to do the edges and hide the liner but I know I need to be patient and wait until it's full and I know there are no leaks.

This corner should be an interesting challenge to edge. I'll cut the geo fabric so it doesn't wick, then hold the liner against the back of the rocks. I know I'll need to backfill against the liner with something to hold the liner in place but I also need to make sure the weather-tight box can open so I'm hoping I can somehow slope gravel in there to accomplish that.

The one lone boulder there had a triangle shaped back so went into the corner.


After placing the last boulder (maybe tomorrow) it'll be time to go rock hunting or shopping again, but I need to unload the gravel from my truck into the bog. Hopefully that won't take long, it's not a big load.

As I walk across the bog I can hear gravel falling down through to he milk crates. I guess the holes between the larger rocks I put in were larger than I thought. I hope the bog doesn't clog up from too small gravel piling up in the milk crates. I really don't want to have to pull all this apart to redo it. At least when it's full of water I won't hear them fall.

 

[mrsclem]

I tried globbing on the solvent glue. We'll see how well it works when I plug everything in.

New problem: one of my pump cords is 3 feet or so short. Has anyone tried one of these shrouds in a margin area where it might be submerged?

View attachment 163851

These cases are good for connections exposed to weather but are NOT completely watertight! I got a pump that had a 5' cord- suspended it in the pond on a rope.

 

[GaryMoz]

More rocking progress:View attachment 163866
The blocks on the two retaining walls are done.

View attachment 163867
I thought this was really cool. The rock had a 90 degree section missing so we put that part down and made a natural fish cave.

View attachment 163868
This is another view of how things are shaping up. The only rock I have left to place is a giant one that will go up against the bog wall and act like a berm to hold back dirt. There's no way we can safely put it in the pond without a mini excavator and safety strap.

You can also see the drainage pipe fish cave at the bottom of the pond here.

View attachment 163869
I think the rocks on the ledge will be above water line but will hold back the gravel well. I really want to do the edges and hide the liner but I know I need to be patient and wait until it's full and I know there are no leaks.

View attachment 163870
This corner should be an interesting challenge to edge. I'll cut the geo fabric so it doesn't wick, then hold the liner against the back of the rocks. I know I'll need to backfill against the liner with something to hold the liner in place but I also need to make sure the weather-tight box can open so I'm hoping I can somehow slope gravel in there to accomplish that.

View attachment 163871
The one lone boulder there had a triangle shaped back so went into the corner.


After placing the last boulder (maybe tomorrow) it'll be time to go rock hunting or shopping again, but I need to unload the gravel from my truck into the bog. Hopefully that won't take long, it's not a big load.

As I walk across the bog I can hear gravel falling down through to he milk crates. I guess the holes between the larger rocks I put in were larger than I thought. I hope the bog doesn't clog up from too small gravel piling up in the milk crates. I really don't want to have to pull all this apart to redo it. At least when it's full of water I won't hear them fall.

Looking good.

With a bit of luck the stone will all settle down and stop moving.

With mine I use 3 sizes of stone and so far there doesn't seem to be any movement , I have't used any pea gravel yet my finest stone is around 20mm (3/4"). Looking at Aquascape and a few other places it seem okay plant in, no need for smaller. Having said that if I need to I can get some bags of smaller stuff to plant in to

 

[hamstermann]

Looking good.

With a bit of luck the stone will all settle down and stop moving.

With mine I use 3 sizes of stone and so far there doesn't seem to be any movement , I have't used any pea gravel yet my finest stone is around 20mm (3/4"). Looking at Aquascape and a few other places it seem okay plant in, no need for smaller. Having said that if I need to I can get some bags of smaller stuff to plant in to

Thanks!

I used 2 sizes, sort of. I used 6-inch minus which is a mix where it seems to be 3-inch to 6-inch stones, and 1-inch minus, which is a mix where the largest stones are 1-inch. I guess I should have either made a deeper layer of the 6-inch minus or put on a layer of 3-inch minus before the 1-inch. Either way I think it's the "minus" part that's the problem. It's pretty hard to find stones that don't have the gravel mixed in near me.

These cases are good for connections exposed to weather but are NOT completely watertight! I got a pump that had a 5' cord- suspended it in the pond on a rope.

Do you have a picture of that? What was the rope hanging from and how did you make it look natural or hide it, if you did?

 

[mrsclem]

No pic- sorry. The pond has been partially torn down. Just tied rope around the pump and hung it over the edge. This was a raised pond. I can't understand why they make pond pumps with short cords!

 

[hamstermann]

No pic- sorry. The pond has been partially torn down. Just tied rope around the pump and hung it over the edge. This was a raised pond. I can't understand why they make pond pumps with short cords!

Me either!

I've ordered a bigger pump with a longer cord and a wider diameter flex pvc. It's a headache and I hate spending that much money but I guess it's better to build everything at once and take all the financial pain at once.

 

[hamstermann]

Made some cute little minimalist stairs today. Hopefully they don't help any unwanted critters get into the pond, but do help people and critters get out.

 

[hamstermann]

We'll, we made good progress today:

And then this happened:

The worst I got was a torn shirt and a scraped up elbow. I'm going to pray hard and hope to amazed at not having any holes in the liner.

I was just holding the strapped up rock out too far from the cab of the mini ex as I turned - the center of gravity was too high and I tipped.


We got the mini-ex because the gate to the backyard is less than 5 feet wide. Should be interesting to see how they're able to get it upright tomorrow. And see if I have any extra fees for repairs, damages, and an extra rental day. I'm hoping they just freeze/extend my time but since it's operator error, who knows?

 

[j.w]

We'll, we made good progress today:
View attachment 163959

And then this happened:
View attachment 163960

The worst I got was a torn shirt and a scraped up elbow. I'm going to pray hard and hope to amazed at not having any holes in the liner.

I was just holding the strapped up rock out too far from the cab of the mini ex as I turned - the center of gravity was too high and I tipped.


We got the mini-ex because the gate to the backyard is less than 5 feet wide. Should be interesting to see how they're able to get it upright tomorrow. And see if I have any extra fees for repairs, damages, and an extra rental day. I'm hoping they just freeze/extend my time but since it's operator error, who knows?

How awful and glad you weren't hurt badly! Now your poor liner and cost of keeping the machine longer, ugh!

 

[addy1]

Opps!

Hope you are OK and your liner ok

 

[hamstermann]

How awful and glad you weren't hurt badly! Now your poor liner and cost of keeping the machine longer, ugh!

Thanks! I didn't really want to pay for a second day but if that's the worst that happens I can deal with it.

Opps!

Hope you are OK and your liner ok

I'm good. As far as the liner, I'm not sure. I guess we'll have to see how things look once the machine's out of the hole and/or when we fill the pond up. I already had major anxiety about holes before the excavator and I took a dive.

I'm just glad I told my son he couldn't drive it when he asked. Better me getting hurt than him!

 

[GaryMoz]

We'll, we made good progress today:
View attachment 163959

And then this happened:
View attachment 163960

The worst I got was a torn shirt and a scraped up elbow. I'm going to pray hard and hope to amazed at not having any holes in the liner.

I was just holding the strapped up rock out too far from the cab of the mini ex as I turned - the center of gravity was too high and I tipped.


We got the mini-ex because the gate to the backyard is less than 5 feet wide. Should be interesting to see how they're able to get it upright tomorrow. And see if I have any extra fees for repairs, damages, and an extra rental day. I'm hoping they just freeze/extend my time but since it's operator error, who knows?

I'm glad you are okay and hope the pond is and that it doesn't cost too much to put right.

Good luck with it

 

[YShahar]

Yikes! Glad you're OK. Here's hoping for no holes in the liner, though if there are any, it looks like they would mostly be at the top.