Spent lunch shoveling in gravel. Looking pretty nasty but I'm sure it'll settle out.
Newbie New Pond Construction
- Thread starter frogbath
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TheFishGuy
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Now that is dedication! I spent my lunch eating lunch
also, great job notching in for your edging, looks great.
Mmathis
TurtleMommy
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That’s awesome, and it was nice being able to see an intake bay in action! Thanks for sharing!
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Great progress! Is your intake bay just gravel or do you have some void space under it (sorry if you mentioned that earlier)?
Also, a lesson I've picked up from the tales of others here: give yourself plenty of freeboard in your bog. If you're borderline overflowing without any plants, then you'll probably have trouble once the plants grow in and choke off more of the flow.
Also, a lesson I've picked up from the tales of others here: give yourself plenty of freeboard in your bog. If you're borderline overflowing without any plants, then you'll probably have trouble once the plants grow in and choke off more of the flow.
There is a "Little Giant 566410 Simply Falls Pondless Waterfall Vault" under the intake bay that I covered in gravel. Honestly the 3/8" pea gravel is probably just a little too small for the slats on it but I went for it anyway. I probably should put a filter mat or something inside but at the moment it's just the pump and some extra flex PVC in there and seems to be working ok.
I got the rest of the bog filled this evening and built up the berm on the short side of the bog. Also compacted some of the wall to make a secondary overflow waterfall that's now the second lowest spot in the bog. Seems to be working for now:
I got the rest of the bog filled this evening and built up the berm on the short side of the bog. Also compacted some of the wall to make a secondary overflow waterfall that's now the second lowest spot in the bog. Seems to be working for now:
looks like the build is coming along nicely.
Ideally you would use aqua blocks over the pump vault 8n the intake bay, but at the very least use graduated sizes of rocks ie large 6-12” rock directly over pump vault, then golf ball size, then your pea gravel. Using all pea gravel may very well clog quickly depending on the amount of debris in the pond and how well you stay on top of clean8ng it...not to mention as you suggested the gravel could end up getting in the pump vault and sucked into the pump.
Ideally you would use aqua blocks over the pump vault 8n the intake bay, but at the very least use graduated sizes of rocks ie large 6-12” rock directly over pump vault, then golf ball size, then your pea gravel. Using all pea gravel may very well clog quickly depending on the amount of debris in the pond and how well you stay on top of clean8ng it...not to mention as you suggested the gravel could end up getting in the pump vault and sucked into the pump.
Yeah once everything settles out in the next few days I'm going to open the vault and see what the situation is in there. The vault I have has lots of perforations on it and some texture to keep too many rocks from fitting right next to it so I'm not too concerned about it clogging but I don't really have a frame of reference yet so we'll see. I did toss some larger 1.5" rocks in at the beginning but I didn't really take too much care in graduating it out. Might end up having to redo it; fingers crossed I guess.
Got the waterfall and the bog overflow capped with some rocks. The water is definitely clearing up too.
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Looks great! How’s it setting some of those bigger boulders?
TheFishGuy
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I would like to know that too! I am looking for a way to set some big ish boulders without a giant piece of machinery.
@combatwombat and @TheFishGuy I work with rock every day, those rocks while bigger aren’t too big to be moved by just manpower. It won’t be easy, but I have moved bigger rocks by myself (in my younger days), it’s just how hard are you willing to push yourself. Although, will say for thefishguy at 12 years old you are going to need an adult or two to help.
TheFishGuy
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Yea I've spent some time farm handing so just manpower is the move around here. Should have bought that tractor we were thinking about getting back in the spring though. Two of the rocks at the mouth of the intake bay required my wife's help, but she is also an old farm hand so the two of us can haul some weight.
For the ones I can actually lift up I haul them from the back of the property with the garden cart and yard tractor. For the huge ones thay I am able to maneuver but not fully lift I'm moving them with a dolly and ratchet strap.
For the ones I can actually lift up I haul them from the back of the property with the garden cart and yard tractor. For the huge ones thay I am able to maneuver but not fully lift I'm moving them with a dolly and ratchet strap.
Also I'll say moving them too the pond and seating them is one thing. The pain comes on the subsequent moves because the ledge isn't low enough and needs to be redug, or the liner has a weird fold, or it moved and isn't locked into place.... The moving over and over is the brutal part. I'd say most of these larger rocks are right at the edge of what I think I'm capable of moving and having mostly control... Cause it's slippery on that first pond ledge!
Just to also say, no flat tires are a must on the dolly rock mover.