We have a pond in our garden built by the previous owners. It has a strong plastic liner built within a brick frame. After many years, the pond is leaking considerably but we can't find the leak. We've turned off the pumps, cleaned all the filters and the water levels have continued to reduce. We've allowed the pond to empty (moving the fish) but still can't find the escape route. It needs gallons of water daily to top up the levels. Is there anything we can try ie. bentonite (will this work on this style of pond) or relining or something else? Thanks.
Leaky Pond
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j.w
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Have you tried to fill up your pond and just let it leak out till it reaches the level where it stops? If you can do that you will know that the leak is right at that level and can search ever so careful around that stop line. Turn off and waterfalls, pump etc. If it empties completely than it will be a leak on the very bottom. Perhaps you have already done this if so then what were the results?
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So, is this a hard plastic preform type pond?
If so, drop a flexible 45 mil EPDM liner in it and you should be good. Don't use a cheapo flexible PVC liner. Use EPDM or HDRPE.
If so, drop a flexible 45 mil EPDM liner in it and you should be good. Don't use a cheapo flexible PVC liner. Use EPDM or HDRPE.
j.w
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A new liner would be just the right thing to do! Just make sure there are no sharp edges or pokey things to puncture your new liner. I'd put in some padding first. Old blankets, carpet etc. to protect it. Some just keep the old holy liner in there and put holes in it and then the new liner over that. The holes are so no water can settle between them and make big bubble up (hippo's they call them) which could cause your new liner to float upwards.
It would appear someone loved this pond and spent many a hour getting the liner just so i don't see one wrinkle and that is a challenge in it's own right. But like @j.w said placing a new liner over this one is an option but where they did such a nice job with the liner i would find the hole. Cleaning the rubber thoroughly can help to show the pin hole if that's the case. Like was mentioned fill up the pond and everyday record how much the water drops. when it stops that is where the leak is. If you look at the results and every day for 3 days has 2 inch drop but 3 days later it drops only one inch per day would say the water dropped past one leak and is lowering to the next.
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Oh, you said it was a "strong plastic" in your original post, so I thought it was a preform.
Yep, I agree with what's been said. If you can't patch the old liner, poke holes in it, lay some type of underlayment and then lay in your new EPDM liner.
Is the material stretchy? or does it seem not so much . if flexible there are repair kits for epdm liner. some have even used s30 by locktite and just caulked the hole
We haven't yet bought the replacement liner. We're thinking of placing a new liner over the top of the existing rubber one as we can't find a hole, so hoping that a new liner over the top of the current one would seal it. Therefore we wondered if it need some form of adhesive to hold it in place?
The new liner will be a bit of a challenge to make as nice as is the one you have now, but a few wrinkles will disappear as the algae grows. the other challenge is to cut out the old mortar or caulking on the vertical wall and lifting the cap