Is it stupid to start construction in the rainy season (fall)?

[combatwombat]

I'm in the Salem OR area, so I'll join the PDX subchapter if you'll have me!

This is going to get awfully expensive for @brokensword.

Hey @nimrod, sorry we hijacked your thread for the shenanigans. What are you thinking? Are you going to go for it?

 

[GBBUDD]

more the downstream effects it might have on my pond

If you start digging in a rainy season I strongly recommend two things
tarp the entire excavation and at least 3 feet beyond the edges try to keep the spoils creating a berm to stop runoff from washing in
and a small sump pump. when your soils get wet they loose structural integrity you can not pack mud when water is absorbed all materials swell some more then others. and sides collapse. i had excavated x mass week to see if i had the depth for a pond and i ended with a hole all winter i though the snow would not be an issue but the freeze thaw was a problem and sides collapse you can see the whole story bellow this post where it says you can see my build here======= >>> https://www.gardenpondforum.com/threads/going-for-it-phase-one-12-000-gallon-pond.22563/

 

[nimrod]

What are you thinking? Are you going to go for it?

I am going to call my guy, see what his availability is. And if he's available, I'm going to give it a go!

tarp the entire excavation and at least 3 feet beyond the edges

Do you mean tarp it before digging to help dry it out? Or after the excavation begins? I was planning on putting a big tarp over the hole, but I was going to tent it, so that water doesn't pool in the bottom. Is the sump pump for removing the water that pools in the bottom of the hole even with the tarp? or is the tarp acting like a makeshift liner that you use to collect the water, and pump out before returning to the excavation?

Thanks for the tips!

 

[brokensword]

This is going to get awfully expensive for @brokensword.

Hey @nimrod, sorry we hijacked your thread for the shenanigans. What are you thinking? Are you going to go for it?

you don't know that nimrod is going to be prez of this new subchapter, do ya, CW? First order of business is to find out where all that pig stench is coming from...

Btw, can you set the zoom background to show a pond behind you when we do this because...oh wait; you don't have a finished pond yet to have such a video on the zoom green screen, do you?...sigh. See nimrod? See why we need YOU to man the gavel? I bet YOU'LL have a pond vid sooner of your own to show behind any @nimrod zoom meetings...

 

[Dimelius]

let's do it!

 

[GBBUDD]

Primarily covering the excavation once your digging. A tent is great but not necessary once the water builds up on the tarp just suck it up with a pump

 

[nimrod]

I do need deadlines to make me do stuff. Otherwise I end up in decision paralysis until something forces my hand.

A nice position of power might just be the ticket!

 

[brokensword]

I do need deadlines to make me do stuff. Otherwise I end up in decision paralysis until something forces my hand.

A nice position of power might just be the ticket!

Fine; here tis--November 16, one day before CW finishes his. The gavel is yours, IF you can show him how to git 'er done!

Otherwise, may have to dock you a submission fee, which I'm SURE CW will usurp and apply toward his RPF.

 

[GBBUDD]

A nice position of power might just be the ticket

Trust me drag your feet in an area with anything but clay and rock where the sides will hold even when exposed for months and you'll learn quick that mother nature will be that forces your hand and when she does she can easily double your work

 

[GBBUDD]

Hey ease up on cw he did his homework so much so he did all the homework for other newbies that did none.. He's getting there. Besides proof is not in time but in the final presentation.

 

[brokensword]

Hey ease up on cw he did his homework so much so he did all the homework for other newbies that did none.. He's getting there. Besides proof is not in time but in the final presentation.

what fun would that be, GB? You realize, especially as the season winds down and there's less and less time to enjoy MY pond, that all that extra loafing time I USED to have can NOW be applied to sitting on CW's OTHER shoulder. You know, sort of a counter weight to the HRPer's influence already there! heh heh

If'n CW didn't have anybody ridin shotgun on 'im, he'd be bored with all this pond stuff, methinks!

 

[nimrod]

I called my "guy" yesterday, and he is out on vacation until Nov 14!! (hunting season, I should have seen that coming!)

But when he comes back we are moving forward. His recommendation is to pile the dirt up instead of trying to redistribute it to avoid a giant mess. So my pond will look pretty shoddy with a giant pile of mud next to it for the next 4 months! But getting it up and running for my ducks is the primary goal, so we will have to deal with the eye sore for a while.

All you PNW folk, any recommendations on where to get a quality pump or liner locally? Or is the internet still king?

Also, quick aside: if my pond contains 1750 gallons, and my bog is 600 gallons (before filling with gravel) -- do I get a pump that is sized for 1750gph or 2350gph? I am assuming bog filtration requires turning over the water in the whole pond once per hour.
(recommendations for pump brand greatly appreciated!)

 

[brokensword]

I called my "guy" yesterday, and he is out on vacation until Nov 14!! (hunting season, I should have seen that coming!)

--- damn; there goes my other pool/deadline.

"But when he comes back we are moving forward. His recommendation is to pile the dirt up instead of trying to redistribute it to avoid a giant mess. So my pond will look pretty shoddy with a giant pile of mud next to it for the next 4 months! But getting it up and running for my ducks is the primary goal, so we will have to deal with the eye sore for a while."

--- have him berm the sides as you'll want something in the end to keep runoff from getting into your pond and you might even landscape it; it's what I did.



"Also, quick aside: if my pond contains 1750 gallons, and my bog is 600 gallons (before filling with gravel) -- do I get a pump that is sized for 1750gph or 2350gph? I am assuming bog filtration requires turning over the water in the whole pond once per hour.
(recommendations for pump brand greatly appreciated!)"

--- better too much than not enough; general rule of thumb for average for pond turnover is 1-1/2 times per hour but the bog is a bit different. Many push a lot at fast speeds and some push less at slower speeds. It doesn't seem to make a lot of difference re the ponders success. I'd opt for slower just to give the plants and bacteria a chance to do more. I use a Dayton pump. Actually, I have two as redundancy with a pond is real valuable!

 

[nimrod]

Thanks for the tips!

My long term plan is to add a second pump that that will be used to pull nutrient rich water out of the pond and use it to run the drip irrigation to my garden. Then I'll replace the water that I pull for watering with fresh water (Instead of watering my garden with the fresh water.) I'm sure I'll be running to the forum for recommendations on the type of pump and filtration required. I assume I'll need to remove all the solids to prevent clogging in my drip system, but that's a phase 2 issue.

 

[Evguy1]

I missed my window of opportunity. Had the hole dug in the early summer but was also to busy all summer to get the liner in. Managed to get the bog liner installed the end of Sept but then it started to rain. Now the pond is full so I am stuck looking at an empty hole again next summer by the time the pond dries up, install liner and then get enough rain to fill it. I was really looking forward to getting my Jurassic pond finished for the summer of 2022.