Is there a super heavy duty pond scooping net?

[miamicuse]

I have been looking for a net that would allow me to skim floating leaves and frui drops from a giant tree overhanging the pond as well as heavy duty enough to scour the bottom of the pond and pick up sunken leaves and some muck or other debris.

I have been using regular pond nets or pool nets but they are not very effective for several reasons. First they are made of soft netting materials and would tear easy if I scour them at the bottom; Second, they scoop up the materials but along with a lot of water and I would like something coarser that allows the water to run back out quicker; Third, if I have a bunch of leaves or fruits inside the net, it's always a struggle to empty it into a bucket as you have to turn the net upside down and inside out.

I started to look for a sturdier and flatter net made of a more stiff material but I couldn't find any. If there is one available somewhere please point me to it.

So I end up making one myself. I used an existing pool net, with an aluminum edge, I cut away the nylon net it comes with, then I used a sheet of hardware store 1/4" hardware cloth, cut it larger then the shape of the net, and bend it all around the edge, then I took a roll of 20 gauge SS wire to loop around and secure it tighter. It works as I intended.

In the second picture you can see the figs that drops down from the tree, at a rate of 20-30 a MINUTE, into the pond. If I don't scoop it up it will sink and start fermenting in the water. I can scoop this up with my homemade ugly net in about 15 minutes what a regular net takes in over an hour. Mainly because it's indestructible, can scoop things up quicker, empties easier with minimum water retention. But I have to think there is a commercial one available out there.

 

[j.w]

Your net you made is perfect for what you want it to do so why even bother w/a commercial one? I made one too kinda like yours but I wanted mine to have a fine netting so I used fiberglass screen door material. Used an old pool net w/aluminum edge covered in plastic and a long pole from something. Duct tape is my friend too but have to replace it once in a few years.

 

[Mmathis]

I like your idea — I usually end up with an overload of “naked” pond net skeletons.

My only concern is that (I assume) you are using metal hardware cloth, and wrapping it with wire. I would be afraid that I would puncture my liner. I wonder if some of the plastic (nylon, whatever) “hardware cloth” would work — you can usually find it in different sizes — and use something like zip ties (or strong fishing line) to secure it to the frame. Of course, it wouldn’t be as indestructible as yours, but I tend to be an-accident-waiting-to-happen

 

[Lisak1]

I don't think you could puncture liner that easily @Mmathis - I've had to stab at it three or four times to get a utility knife going in it. But better safe than sorry in that case! You could wrap any exposed wire with duct tape or electrical tape I suppose.

After buying three or four "pond nets" in as many years, we finally sprung for a decent pool net. We got two interchangeable "heads" and it has lasted me now five years and looks brand new. It sits outside 365 days a year - no deterioration at all. I highly recommend the investment.

 

[miamicuse]

I like the one I have made and it's very effective especially in skimming those berry/fig drops. They are flat and will not sag into a soft net so you have to kind of flip it upside down a few times for it to drop into a bucket.

The only issue I have with my contraption is because I had to cut the hardware cloth to fit the shape of the aluminum rim, I used a pair of tin snips to do the cutting, the ends are sharp. It took some time to bend them inward and down so the sharp end doesn't point out, but it's not perfect. I still have two or three sharp end after using it a few times that flared out, which end up catching plants in the pond. So I had to bend it in tighter, and eventually I wrapped the whole thing with thin metal wire to get the cloth to hug the rim as tight as it can be.

Yes, if you push into the pond bottom hard you may do damages I suppose. I have been thinking of a way to smooth off the few pointed ends around the edges. I have been toying with the idea of applying some JB Weld type product over the entire edge, embedding the hardware cloth with the rim into a single smoother edge, with all the sharp cut ends buried inside the epoxy.

But I was hoping someone would just say "Hey there is this thing available at this place for $19.99 that works better than your ugly contraption" LOL.

 

[poconojoe]

I like your idea — I usually end up with an overload of “naked” pond net skeletons.

My only concern is that (I assume) you are using metal hardware cloth, and wrapping it with wire. I would be afraid that I would puncture my liner. I wonder if some of the plastic (nylon, whatever) “hardware cloth” would work — you can usually find it in different sizes — and use something like zip ties (or strong fishing line) to secure it to the frame. Of course, it wouldn’t be as indestructible as yours, but I tend to be an-accident-waiting-to-happen

I use pet resistant screens when replacing my window and door screens. I think it would be great for a net. I'm not sure what it's actually made of. It looks like nylon, but when you cut it, the inside looks like fiberglass strands. It's very strong. My dogs, cats and grandson have never ripped it. It's really strong. Once installed, I have never had to replace any of it. I'm sure the big box stores have it. Last time I bought it from Amazon.

 

[sissy]

I did the same jw with window screening and the plastic thread they sell but found out fishing line was even better to sew it with .I used all fiberglass window screening and use the same stuff for my plant pockets to hang over the side of my pond

 

[j.w]

Yep I used fishing line and it worked great!

 

[sissy]

I used that plastic sewing thread in my sewing machine for my planter pockets .It was easier than sewing them by hand

 

[miamicuse]

I did not try fishing line to "sew" the edge. I thought about it but thought a fishing line may not be able to hold the metal grid in position tightly.

I did have some old window screen material I tried for an earlier version of this, but that didn't work for me as the window screen I had was not heavy duty enough, and the mesh was too tight, a twig or something always getting caught in it and it retains water too long, I had to scoop the leaves up, and wait a few seconds before the water runs out before I flip it into a bucket or wheel barrow. With the 1/4" mesh size I did not have to wait even a split second and it speeds it up a great deal. With the old sagging nets I basically scoop up what I had, lay the entire bag down on the deck, go get a drink while the water runs out then come back to empty it. I also had 1/2" cloth but then the figs and berries would run through it.

The down side of the metal wire is I cannot use a super super long wire to do the wrapping. I pulled out a section of say 24" long and wrap it around and around tightly and it will cover 25% of the rim. Then I run another piece from another end to meet the end of this piece in opposing direction so I can twist tie them real tight together. Then I have to figure out how to bend that twisted end out of the way so it wouldn't be catching and tearing something as I use it.

 

[Alice_Bee]

I use plastic hardware cloth from Lowes or Home Depot to make replacement skimmer nets for the really big Grande dual skimmers, and I am sure it would work for your purpose. I build all kinds of stuff with it, I buy zip ties in the 1000 count bag. It's half inch, just like regular, but plastic. In the fencing and chicken wire section