Hey Group! Hope everyone is gearing up for Spring! We are changing over from a rubber-lined koi pond to a shipping container pond with a bog / sharea

[Scooter2323]

Hey Group! Hope everyone is gearing up for Spring! We are changing over from a rubber-lined koi pond to a shipping container pond with a bog / shallow shelf area for plants & critters (turtles/frogs, crawdads, etc.). I am curious as to whether or not anyone has ideas on a containment system to form the actual shallow area that will flow into the koi pond (shipping container). I'm looking specifically for material ideas other than rubber, clay, concrete, or block. The rubber liner has always worked great for me (40 years in different ponds), but chasing the leaks caused by (I'm assuming) ground squirrels is taking the fun out of the pond. Has anyone used a totally different material to build a shallow pool or shelf adjacent to their pond? I'm thinking like aluminum composite panels or even aluminum that could be welded & coated with a sealant. Any ideas? Thanks for the read and any information -

 

[Lisak1]

Wow! You're really thinking outside of the "box" - haha! Are you planning to bury this container? How will you make it leak proof?

As for other materials, I'm no help there. The beauty of EPDM as you know is the ability to easily mold it to the hole you create. Have you considered using hardware cloth under the liner to prevent the animals from chewing? Or are they chewing from the top side?

 

[Scooter2323]

Lisa - ideally the water level in the shipping container will be around 10” above grade, with the ‘shelf’ maybe slightly higher. I plan to have a place or two where the turtles can get completely out of the water to sun/hopefully lay eggs. I hadn’t thought about the hardware cloth, seems like an option for sure. And the current leak is definitely between the liner and the dirt behind it, somewhere half way up the side wall (pond will only hold 30” in depth).
Thanks for the idea!

Scooter

 

[Jhn]

Interesting/inventive idea for repurposing one. What are you doing to protect the bottom of the shipping container from rot? Those things aren’t the thickest of metal on the sides either.

 

[Scooter2323]

It’s being made by a company that makes shipping container pools & spas. It’s going to be roughly 8’ long x 18’-20’ wide and 52” deep, set on a 6” deep sand bed. Totally reinforced, welded cap, fish-safe epoxy inside & out - they’re making some pools that are 8’x40’ for high-rise hotels. They’ve got it down to an art. Only drawback is lifting it over an existing fence!
I’ll post some photos throughout the process is setting it.

 

[Jhn]

It’s being made by a company that makes shipping container pools & spas. It’s going to be roughly 8’ long x 18’-20’ wide and 52” deep, set on a 6” deep sand bed. Totally reinforced, welded cap, fish-safe epoxy inside & out - they’re making some pools that are 8’x40’ for high-rise hotels. They’ve got it down to an art. Only drawback is lifting it over an existing fence!
I’ll post some photos throughout the process is setting it.

Got it, sounded like you were diying a regular shipping container, sounds like you did your DD on it.

 

[j.w]

Please show us if you can how you do all this as we would love to see photo's or video's of your huge project!

 

[Scooter2323]

That’s the plan. It’s looks like a cinch in my crayon drawings

 

[GBBUDD]

I DON'T KNOW ABOUT A CONTAINER FOR UNDERGROUND WITHOUT adding a very hd coating of waterproofing and even then some. Like @Jhn said they are not a forever material . and i extremely doubt they would outlive epdm . Place a epdm inside two layers of 12 oz non woven needle punch geotech and it should last 50 years without question. If you want forever go concrete.....

 

[j.w]

I DON'T KNOW ABOUT A CONTAINER FOR UNDERGROUND WITHOUT adding a very hd coating of waterproofing and even then some. Like @Jhn said they are not a forever material . and i extremely doubt they would outlive epdm . Place a epdm inside two layers of 12 oz non woven needle punch geotech and it should last 50 years without question. If you want forever go concrete.....

He wrote above in a post that it was going to be made for him and will have a coating of epoxy etc. Sounds like it will be made for water usage.

 

[GBBUDD]

I would go fiberglass over a container any day. OR CONCRETE WITH A FIBERGLASS COATING .. NOW THATS TUFF STUFF

 

[Lisak1]

Ah. I gotcha. I imagined you were gonna bury an old shipping container.

Can't wait to see this one in progress!

 

[GBBUDD]

Could make for a very interesting look overall,

I recently replaced railings outside with purple heart cedar trees no shaping , Just strip the bark and sand them up. They add a rustic flair to the pond area