no taping...just smooth out the folds and creases by hand.
Photos of expansion project
- Thread starter D&RW
- Start date
cool. i guess if it was hot, dry and i had lots of time, it might be worth trying to tape them down. but it's cold, partly cloudy and the fact is i had no problem with the folds before so, no tape unless somebody else weights in with a convincing argument. guess i've got two rolls of 3 in tape to sell. :biggrin:
even if it was warm...no taping. LOL! You risk the tape coming up or creating even deeper pockets of spots where bacteria can accumulate in.
This would all be easier in the spring, as the water would be warmer, and your liner would therefore be more pliable. So it's going to be a task to smooth things out in cooler weather, but just get in there and smooth it as the water fills in the pond. It will never be perfect--as sticking a rectangular liner in a rounded hole can't be. But a bump is better than a crevice...avoid folds and creases under the water line. You will inevitably have to fold, but all that should be happening above the water level.
Good luck!
This would all be easier in the spring, as the water would be warmer, and your liner would therefore be more pliable. So it's going to be a task to smooth things out in cooler weather, but just get in there and smooth it as the water fills in the pond. It will never be perfect--as sticking a rectangular liner in a rounded hole can't be. But a bump is better than a crevice...avoid folds and creases under the water line. You will inevitably have to fold, but all that should be happening above the water level.
Good luck!
thank you for the well wishes. i'm hoping to borrow my neighbors waders tomorrow. yikes it's cold. but i'm really looking forward to getting it filled up. ya hoo. :biggrin:
koiguy1969
GIGGETY-GIGGETY!!
i started working my liner from inside the pond and found it easier to work it from outside with simple pulling. every ponds different but i had absolutely no problems working mine alone. of corse mine was only a 20 x 20. but wrinkles are at a minimum and small.
well, i just got started today, but i found a combination of inside and outside was working pretty well.
This is what my liner looked like after installing it. Water pressure during filling fixed 99% of the folds. It took me and a buddy 10 minutes to drop it in and unfold it. I worked on creases from the inside while filling it. (it was summer, not sure I would want to stand in water in December)
borrow a pair of waders, DR&W! It's gonna be chilly in there! Brrrrrr! LOL!
newday is 100% correct. as you are filling it the weight of the water will push the liner against the walls and flatten it out.
Please do take a picture of that one when you're standing in chilly water! LOL!
newday is 100% correct. as you are filling it the weight of the water will push the liner against the walls and flatten it out.
Please do take a picture of that one when you're standing in chilly water! LOL!
I used to enjoy scuba diving up here in the NW, particularly up around Vancouver Island. Great diving. But way, way cold. We used drysuits, hoods, booties and gloves but the area between the mask and the hood would burn and then go numb. I found that in temps above 50 it wasn't bad and i didn't mind. Below 50 I really wanted one of those full face, full head set-ups, but they are much too expensive. And i guess maybe somebody made better booties and gloves because with mine both sets of extremities would get very cold too.
Yesterday I didn't check the water temp, but my guess was high 50s or low 60s. Unfortunately we've had a cold front come through and today may be the warmest day for awhile--yesterday it was up to 50--last night down to 25. i figure i'll have about 2 hours above 45 outside temp to finish sorting out the liner, filling as i go. but that should be enough.
now then, as for "pickies" as the Aussies say, i'm not a member of any polar bear club, but if it wasn't for this old body being so, well, unappealing i'd try to take one from the rear in the buff :biggrin:. as it is I will try to get one with my suit and hopefully my neighbors waders on.
Yesterday I didn't check the water temp, but my guess was high 50s or low 60s. Unfortunately we've had a cold front come through and today may be the warmest day for awhile--yesterday it was up to 50--last night down to 25. i figure i'll have about 2 hours above 45 outside temp to finish sorting out the liner, filling as i go. but that should be enough.
now then, as for "pickies" as the Aussies say, i'm not a member of any polar bear club, but if it wasn't for this old body being so, well, unappealing i'd try to take one from the rear in the buff :biggrin:. as it is I will try to get one with my suit and hopefully my neighbors waders on.
HAHAHA! That gave me a good belly laugh! I can picture it now....
Exhausted. I've had three days off and worked feverishly to get it filled. Yesterday I felt a very sharp object under the liner, so decided to empty the pond and check it out. Only a rock, but very sharp. Removed it and placed some additional underlayment. Of course, all this meant I had to completely redo forming the liner. Temperatures have been up to 55 during the day, but dropping down into the 25ish range at night. Right now I've got about 1800 gallons in, the skimmer's plumbed and I'm getting ready to wade in and make sure the last of the major folds turn out ok.
I ordered an Aqua UV Ultima II 4000 and have sold the 2000 on EBay. As soon as I get the new filter I'll hook it up and get it going. It's going to be awhile before I can get the waterfall up and running, but the Ultima II 4000 should be adequate until then.
I ordered an Aqua UV Ultima II 4000 and have sold the 2000 on EBay. As soon as I get the new filter I'll hook it up and get it going. It's going to be awhile before I can get the waterfall up and running, but the Ultima II 4000 should be adequate until then.
nice work there! Good to have gotten rid of that sharp rock...smart thing to do.
Out of curiousity, are you going with the bead filter as your only form of filtration?
Out of curiousity, are you going with the bead filter as your only form of filtration?
The reason I bring this up is that these bead filter companies like to make you believe that a bead filter is an all-in-one product that can be used as a solo form of filtration, and this is usually far from the case. Now, I know that the Ultima II isn't really a "bead" filter technically, it's more of a pressurized media filter, but it functions on the very same principles. These types of filters are great to have and can be placed anywhere, which is a great feature--and the cleanout method on them is fantastic. BUT, they act more like a fines type filtration and you should still have some kind of settlement chamber in before them. A sieve or barrel would totally work to serve this purpose, and would add an extra dose of a place for bacteria to grow.
I use my barrel technically as a settlement chamber or pre-filter for my pressure filter to pick up the thicker detrius before it hits the pressure filter. I suggest, D&RW, that you do the same. Don't fall for the manufacturer's gab about this being the perfect solution for complete filtration for your pond. You can definitely check other koi forums that discuss these bead-type or open media filters heavily to verify what I'm saying. Also, you will find that many serious ponders are not fans of the open media that is inside an Ultima II because it is prone to clogging and getting trapped in the open chamber of the media. So, it would be super important for you to include a settlement chamber/barrel before this filter to prevent that from happening. You don't want to have to end up opening this thing a few times a year to clean out the media. It would be a total PITA. Or, you could opt for buying closed beads and replace the open media the Ultima II comes with...pricey to do, of course.
When I build my new pond, I plan on using one of these pressurized filters as well, but I certainly will not be getting rid of my barrel and using one as a pre-filter before it at well.
I use my barrel technically as a settlement chamber or pre-filter for my pressure filter to pick up the thicker detrius before it hits the pressure filter. I suggest, D&RW, that you do the same. Don't fall for the manufacturer's gab about this being the perfect solution for complete filtration for your pond. You can definitely check other koi forums that discuss these bead-type or open media filters heavily to verify what I'm saying. Also, you will find that many serious ponders are not fans of the open media that is inside an Ultima II because it is prone to clogging and getting trapped in the open chamber of the media. So, it would be super important for you to include a settlement chamber/barrel before this filter to prevent that from happening. You don't want to have to end up opening this thing a few times a year to clean out the media. It would be a total PITA. Or, you could opt for buying closed beads and replace the open media the Ultima II comes with...pricey to do, of course.
When I build my new pond, I plan on using one of these pressurized filters as well, but I certainly will not be getting rid of my barrel and using one as a pre-filter before it at well.
Hi Koikeepr,
I bought the Ultima 2 specifically for fines and it works great. It will serve as the only filter only if the other pump goes out and then only as long as a replacement takes to get. However, it'll have to serve for awhile until I get the waterfall constructed--it has an EasyPro medium filterfalls that I've modified to be more efficient, I hope. It has three types of media for bacteria.
I really like the idea of a settlement chamber, but I wouldn't know how to plumb one. The pump for the Ultima 2 filter sits in the skimmer and is fed both by the skimmer weir, but also by an Aquaart surface mounted bottom drain. Inside that bottom drain I put a piece of ordinary white matt filter material which I change periodically. And the skimmer has matting between the pump intake and the water flow as well.
It just doesn't seem like a non-gravity flow system would work with a settlement chamber. BTW--total gallons as measured with a water meter = 4500
I bought the Ultima 2 specifically for fines and it works great. It will serve as the only filter only if the other pump goes out and then only as long as a replacement takes to get. However, it'll have to serve for awhile until I get the waterfall constructed--it has an EasyPro medium filterfalls that I've modified to be more efficient, I hope. It has three types of media for bacteria.
I really like the idea of a settlement chamber, but I wouldn't know how to plumb one. The pump for the Ultima 2 filter sits in the skimmer and is fed both by the skimmer weir, but also by an Aquaart surface mounted bottom drain. Inside that bottom drain I put a piece of ordinary white matt filter material which I change periodically. And the skimmer has matting between the pump intake and the water flow as well.
It just doesn't seem like a non-gravity flow system would work with a settlement chamber. BTW--total gallons as measured with a water meter = 4500
