New pond setup, could use some advice

[sissy]

remember buy the warranty on your pump ,the you never know could happen and that protects you for at least 3 years .I did not use a skimmer either same reason and really did not need one on my pond no trees close by .I did buy a skimmer for a intex swimming pool at big lots clearanced out and put it on my neighbors pond and it works good and even better if she remembered to clean it out .

 

[CliffandJoann]

We made a little bump out and put the skimmer in the bump out, then put a dock over the skimmer.

Our friend put in a through the wall skimmer and the weight of the water eventually pulled the liner
around the skimmer and he got a leak..he evenutally removed the skimmer and copied our idea.
there is a post on the dock if you care to see it, (in the garden pond section) it's both decorative and functional.

 

[sissy]

At least you don't ever have to worry about a leak doing it that way .You can always get something decorative to put over it .

 

[Coinr]

I looked at the dock. Very nice pond and great idea. Something like this might work for me. My wife has said she would like to have a place to sit at the edge of the pond so maybe I could incorporate something like this. Maybe a little bigger? So any thoughts on what type of filter you would use for this type of install? I guess I should also point out that we have lots of trees in and around our yard. I learned last fall that I couldn't come close to keeping up with trying to get all of the leaves out myself. So when thinking about the skimmer I need something that won't clog things up quickly.

Also, just thinking in general, when freezing temps come what keeps things like skimmers from freezing and cracking/breaking if they are installed in a manner which can't be removed. I do plan on putting a heater in the winter, but I don't think that will keep the edges from freezing.

 

[CliffandJoann]

Our skimmer we made from our old swimming pool skimmer. We take it out in the winter
and store it in the garage.

We also have huge oaks, and mainly use the skimmer in early spring when the tannins fall
from the trees. By the beginning of of May this is over and then we shut the skimmer down until late fall.
Truthfully we skim the leaves in the late fall with a net when they are blowing and falling into the pond.


We have a bottom drain gravity fed system and that's what catches and removes all the
fish waste and small particles of leaves that sink to the bottom.

 

[addy1]

I made a nice big fold of liner under the cut out for the skimmer. So far no shifting of the liner. With the fold there is plenty of liner that will move without affecting the cut out i.e. pulling on it.