pond wont clear

[pond1]

Hi

Hope your well

A week ago i had pond fitted in my garden but the water wont clear its a sandy colour there is a pump for my waterfall how long will it take to clear also the black liner spoils the look as its popping out all over i havent paid yet as im not happy will it clear and can they cut back the lining also i dont want fish to much hassle but want frogs etcccc and a place for animals and birds to water

Thanks

 

[Lisak1]

So we need a bit of information first. How big is your pond? How is it constructed? Do you have any filtration or is the pump just circulating water? The black liner - do you mean popping out around the edges? How is the pond finished - rock edging, mulched, etc.

A few pictures will help - a picture is worth a thousand words, after all!

 

[MoonShadows]

If you can post the info @Lisak1 mentioned, you'll get a lot of help from the knowledgeable folks here. In my short time, I can't believe how much I've learned.

The "sandy" color you mentioned sounds like there may be dirt in the water.

 

[budgenator]

Sounds like fine Sediment from water source. We get that in our well water, about the same color, the well I grew up on had black sediment, methane and oil in it. If you have the same sediment in the water tank on the back of your toilet, that's probably what it is. That sediment if it's really fine can take a long time to settle out, try using http://www.acurel.com/ Follow the directions

 

[moby]

Has any substrate been added to the pond, clay, sand, pebbles, rocks, or is it just the liner? What type are the waterfall rocks, slate, sandstone for e.g.? They could be washing down fine particles into the pond and causing the discolouration. A week isn't really a long time to get clear water from suspended sediment, it can take much longer, but I guess you want to know where it's come from. Need pics as mentioned.

 

[Usman]

Hi

Hope your well

A week ago i had pond fitted in my garden but the water wont clear its a sandy colour there is a pump for my waterfall how long will it take to clear also the black liner spoils the look as its popping out all over i havent paid yet as im not happy will it clear and can they cut back the lining also i dont want fish to much hassle but want frogs etcccc and a place for animals and birds to water

Thanks

try to stop watterfall for few days or add plants , fine sponges in filter
if its meant to settle through correct system then it should within month , if its still murky then some thing not rite , do u get leaves? you can try changing some water
if your talking about linner inside then it wont stay black , it will turn brown green from algae soon

you can trim liner then you need to tuck the liner on borders under some rocks stones,gravel or grass , shrubs

 

[pond1]

Hi

Hope your well

A week ago i had pond fitted in my garden but the water wont clear its a sandy colour there is a pump for my waterfall how long will it take to clear also the black liner spoils the look as its popping out all over i havent paid yet as im not happy will it clear and can they cut back the lining also i dont want fish to much hassle but want frogs etcccc and a place for animals and birds to water

Thanks

Hi

Hope your well

A week ago i had pond fitted in my garden but the water wont clear its a sandy colour there is a pump for my waterfall how long will it take to clear also the black liner spoils the look as its popping out all over i havent paid yet as im not happy will it clear and can they cut back the lining also i dont want fish to much hassle but want frogs etcccc and a place for animals and birds to water

Thanks

WOw thanks for the replies ive put a whole load of pics on its a big pond not sure of size the pump is for the water fall i think i might be just being impatient

 

[moby]

That's a pressurised pond filter there surely, seems like a Hozelock model from what I can see?
It looks like they've not washed the gravel before adding it. However 'washed' the supplier says it is, gravel always needs a good hoseing down before use IMHO. However, there does seem to be a lot of sediment collecting on the liner and it's not all settled out yet. Where is the pump placed, is it at the far end of the pond, it should draw water 'through' the pond and not just be close to the waterfall?
Can I ask, were they a professional pondscaping team? I can see a few probs at the mo. The soil will wash into the pond if the angle of the surrounding ground is flat or slopes towards the pond....is it sloping away?
The liner should have been pulled much tighter and flatter around the edge, that way it could have been disguised better by placing the edging rocks to slightly overlap the edge of it.
Some kinds of liners can actually degrade or go brittle and split if there's sufficient sun shining on them, despite the sun being sometimes elusive here in the U.K., plus being exposed they can suffer damage and get punctured more easily....and it doesn't look quite right as you said.
The water level should ideally come up to the underside of the surrounding rocks, both for protection and looks. They need to be turned so that their straight edges slightly overhang the pond edge, can easily be trimmed to fit together, jagged edges then protrude into the soil etc.
Was the waterfall and other rock work washed down in any way after it was jointed? The runoff from the new mortar could also be contributing to the cloudiness. It should ideally have been washed along with the gravel till everything run clear, the dirty water emptied so you start with everything clean.
If it were my pond, I would seriously consider getting them back to do some tweaks in order to get your pond looking better especially as you don't sound happy with it. I certainly wouldn't accept their work as it stands. Yes the water will clear given time, but I think there are some other issues that they should be made aware of. It's going to be a great natural pond for creatures though. Where are you situated, no need for exact location, just out of interest? I'm in Staffs Moorlands.

 

[Lisak1]

Ok, number one - I would not pay for this work. Definitely not a professional pond builder.
The edging is done all wrong - you should never see liner like that if a builder knows their stuff. And the waterfall - did they just stick the hose in there without any kind of spillway or weir? Where did the rock come from? It appears this was built into an existing wall?

The water does look like it's full of sediment from all that gravel. Will it settle? Probably given enough time. But unless you get it out of the water, it will get stirred up any time you get a heavy rain or get in the pond, etc. I would pump all that water out and start over if it were my pond. But you definitely need to address the construction issues before you worry about the water quality.

 

[addy1]

Per the edging, add rocks to the shelf, right alongside the edge of the pond. Stack them up and use them to support the rocks that are around the edge. Like said above turn the rocks so they lay over the edge and out into the pond.

The red would be rocks on the liner in the water, the blue rocks supported by them and hanging over. Add water up to the edge of the liner. Stick pots with plants or bare rooted plants into the rocks.

Like said above make sure your outside of the pond liner is higher than the surrounding land. If not remove the rocks, add dirt under the liner raise it up around 2 inches to divert any rain run off so it does not run into the pond.

Per the dirt, since you want this to be a wild life pond, leave it, the critters will love it, it will settle.

Or drain and clean, your choice. Mine was full of dirt after I filled it, from my pea gravel bog type filter, it did take some time to settle and clear.

 

[addy1]

I like the gravel beach, it will make it easier for critters to climb out of the pond. But over time some of that gravel may wander into the bottom of the pond. Maybe add some rocks here and there for interest and to help keep them there. A hard rain will tell you if they will wash in.

The wall with the waterfall, not bad looking, but make sure there is a way to divert water coming off the hill behind it. You don't want lawn chemicals flowing into the pond. I don't use anything on our lawn, but a lot do. You might need to raise the top edge of the wall a bit.

 

[Lisak1]

All good advice @addy1 except the OP said he's expected to pay for this work. Maybe his pond builder can read this thread and get some good pond building tips!

 

[MitchM]

I would not be happy with that work either.
It looks like the motor assembly of the pressure filter will be flooded when it rains, which will cause electrical safety issues and damage the unit.

I don't know if I would even trust that the company was competent enough to finish the job properly.

.

 

[Lisak1]

I don't know if I would even trust that the company was competent enough to finish the job properly.

Same here @MitchM - the whole thing is just not right. You'd think these people would spend some time researching proper pond design. It's not rocket science here. From the looks of it, this was not even built by someone who understands landscape design. This is what gives pond builders a bad name.

 

[addy1]

All good advice @addy1 except the OP said he's expected to pay for this work. Maybe his pond builder can read this thread and get some good pond building tips!

I missed that............... don't pay until they do the fixes being suggested. Don't pay, but work with them, make a list of all the issues, say you want them fixed, you don't want them to haul you into court assuming they do that there like it is done here.

i havent paid yet as im not happy