New pond, nervous about winter

[addy1]

I have had a few leaks, a apple, leaves, water plants, blocking the out flow. Luckily my yard is so sloped the water, if it runs under the liner, it keeps going down hill and does not accumulate under the liner.

 

[sissy]

Mine happened like that and found moles had chewed holes in my liner .

 

[MitchM]

Thank you all. I feel much better about the things I just posted about. MitchM--you had another one of those amazing transformations with your pond. It's awesome. ...

?? Are you sure...?
I think you have me confused with someone else....
The main purpose of my pond is for a fire safety backup.

.

 

[morewater]

Why not simply shut it down for the winter? The most reasonable explanations for your "hippo" are as follows:

a) a low spot in the liner perimeter that water has leaked across until reaching equilibrium
b) your running watercourse is losing water somewhere along its length and it's leaking under the liner.

Lift the liner somewhere along a down-sloping area. Stick your garden hose under the liner as far as it'll go. Turn on the garden hose full open. Leave for about 30 seconds. Don't turn off the hose. Crimp the hose with your hand. Remove the hose ring from the tap bib on the wall. Run the hose downhill and let the siphoning action remove the water from beneath the liner.

When the water trapped under the liner is gone, fill the pond back up to its natural fill volume (de-chlorinate).

Shut it down. Disconnect the pump in the skimmer, blow out the lines, vacuum out the waterfall vault and relax. Toss in an implement to keep a hole in the ice for gas exchange. Tackle it come Spring.

There's really no need to keep it running all year long. It'll all be there come Spring, as will your existing problem. At least at that time of year you're able to assess and fix without freezing your ass off doing something that isn't wholly necessary at this time of the year.

Imagine your dismay if you go to all the trouble of lifting the skimmer, running it for a week and the same problem occurs. If so, repeat steps above (but in much colder temperatures)

It aint getting any warmer any time soon.

 

[morewater]

?? Are you sure...?
I think you have me confused with someone else....
The main purpose of my pond is for a fire safety backup.
.

I stress this fact with many of my rural clients. Your pond is not simply a pond. The fact that you have a pond of appreciable size nearby the dwelling, accessible by fire pumpers allows you to claim an appreciable deduction on your home's fire insurance.

When there are no hydrants available and pumper trucks can only carry so much water, an accessible pond provides an ample source of readily pumpable water for the Fire Department.

 

[Spartamets]

?? Are you sure...?
I think you have me confused with someone else....
The main purpose of my pond is for a fire safety backup.

.

Your pond is huge. I couldn't imagine building something that big, and not only because it would barely fit in my yard.

 

[morewater]

I'm gonna show up at Mitch's this summer and launch my 186 SmokerCraft and do me some trolliin'.

If I stay over the horizon, he won't even notice me with my stealthy electric bowmount motor.

Sssshhhhhhh.......

 

[Spartamets]

Why not simply shut it down for the winter? The most reasonable explanations for your "hippo" are as follows:

a) a low spot in the liner perimeter that water has leaked across until reaching equilibrium
b) your running watercourse is losing water somewhere along its length

Lift the liner somewhere along a down-sloping area. Stick your garden hose under the liner as far as it'll go. Turn on the garden hose full open. Leave for about 30 seconds. Don't turn off the hose. Crimp the hose with your hand. Remove the hose ring from the tap bib on the wall. Run the hose downhill and let the siphoning action remove the water from beneath the liner.

When the water trapped under the liner is gone, fill the pond back up to its natural fill volume (de-chlorinate).

Shut it down. Disconnect the pump in the skimmer, blow out the lines, vacuum out the waterfall vault and relax. Toss in an implement to keep a hole in the ice for gas exchange. Tackle it come Spring.

There's really no need to keep it running all year long. It'll all be there come Spring, as will your existing problem. At least at that time of year you're able to assess and fix without freezing your ass off doing something that isn't wholly necessary at this time of the year.

I'd be inclined to ignore it all for the winter, except I worry that the fish will all die. The "hippo" takes up a good portion of my pond, and the fish are being squeezed into a tiny segment of it as a result. Otherwise, I would definitely wait until Spring. That is when I had intended to work on the skimmer. I feel like I absolutely need to get rid of the huge bubble(s) to save the fish, and if I'm doing that, I might as well raise the skimmer now, when the added water depth will have more than merely aesthetic value. The extra depth in the pond will help the fish for the winter. Trust me, I'd much prefer to wait. Our winters are better than yours, though--today got to 58 degrees, which is an aberration, but highs in the 40s are typical for this time of year. I can deal with that. I was planning to take out the pump once we were facing a string of days where it won't get above freezing, which is usually in mid- to late January. The two day December deep freeze we just had was as rare as the 58 degree day today, and I knew that this warm spot was coming to thaw everything or I might have taken the pump out beforehand. I also think I would have had the bubble whether the pump was running or not. I think the ice is the main culprit.

 

[morewater]

Once you've removed the "hippo" and filled it back up with de-chlorinated water and have put something in to keep a hole in the ice........why would your fish die?

My pond has been completely iced over for a couple of weeks now, there's a small hole in the ice from the aerator and my breather is visible above the snow.......my fish don't die.

I maintain over 30 ponds of varying dimensions, styles, filter-types, fish loads, etc. Their fish don't die.

You're overthinking it and are over-reacting, IMO.

I've given you the most logical, simple and least time-consuming method of correcting your current problem.

This "fix" will carry you through whatever the Winter brings. Do what you will.,

 

[MitchM]

I'm gonna show up at Mitch's this summer and launch my 186 SmokerCraft and do me some trolliin'.

If I stay over the horizon, he won't even notice me with my stealthy electric bowmount motor.

Sssshhhhhhh.......

I'm sorry, I don't allow alternative fuel vehicles on my property.
Diesel or nothing.

 

[morewater]

My bowmount electric motor is hooked up to a diesel-driven Caterpillar generator located on the shore.

The extension cord is a bitch................

 

[Spartamets]

Once you've removed the "hippo" and filled it back up with de-chlorinated water and have put something in to keep a hole in the ice........why would your fish die?

My pond has been completely iced over for a couple of weeks now, there's a small hole in the ice from the aerator and my breather is visible above the snow.......my fish don't die.

I maintain over 30 ponds of varying dimensions, styles, filter-types, fish loads, etc. Their fish don't die.

You're overthinking it and are over-reacting, IMO.

I've given you the most logical, simple and least time-consuming method of correcting your current problem.

This "fix" will carry you through whatever the Winter brings. Do what you will.,

If I can get rid of the hippo, I will let it go. The fix is to get rid of the hippo. I have dense, heavy clay under my liner, and I don't expect the hippo to go away on its own for quite a while. In fact, before it goes away, the water down there will re-freeze and re-expand, thus perpetuating the hippo. If it drains on its own accord more quickly, I'll wait. I just don't think it will do so unless I add the vent system. And if I have to add the vent, then I might as well fix the skimmer while I'm at it. My preference would otherwise be to leave well enough alone, but things are very much not well enough right now. I'm not kidding when I say that more than half of the water volume is gone right now and can't be refilled until the hippo leaves. That is why I worry that the fish will die.

 

[morewater]

I don't think that you read my post through. Re-read it.
I told you how to get rid of the hippo. It's the only way to do it.

Shut off all potential sources of leak (pump, blow out lines, vacuum out waterfall vault)
Siphon-drain the hippo.
Refill it
Ignore it.

 

[addy1]

Like he is saying get a siphon going drain out the water.

I turn everything off for the winter the fish do just fine. A lot less stress for me, no worries about ice dams, leaks, issues. I take a break from running water for xx months, usually 5-6 or so. We shut ours down early, mainly due to the fact my dear honey wants to head south. We shut it down early, so the house sitters do not have to mess with shutting it down. Usually in October, turn it back on sometime in March dependent on the temperature.

 

[Spartamets]

Thank you for the advice. I will try to siphon the hippo, but it was not caused by a leak (this time). My stream is one piece of liner. Turning off the pump will not address the cause of the problem in any way.