Pondgard Liner Question

[mistermango]

I ordered a 20x25 liner online that was listed as being Firestone Pondgard. It arrived today and I noticed it wasn’t stamped with the Pondgard logo. I’ve read some places say theirs feature the logo, but can’t find any photos of what a liner with the logo looks like or any documentation from Firestone that this is standard practice.

It does have something printed on it. It’s really hard to read, but it looks like “221203 45 EPDM”. I know the 45 is the thickness, but I can’t fine any reference online to 221203.

Did I get a non-Pondgard product? Does it not always have the logo? Are there any other distinguishing features that I could look for to see what kind of liner I have?

 

[Lisak1]

Good question! Where did you buy it from?

 

[mistermango]

Amazon. I asked the seller and they said they only sell Pondgard liner. I don’t have any reason to not trust them, but doing my due diligence here.

 

[Mmathis]

Hello and welcome!

I did a Google search using the numbers 221203 45 EPDM. I found these. Maybe it is a patent? My first search took me to Amazon — they called it a roofing liner. Made by Firestone. My pond liner was made by Firestone.

 

[j.w]

@mistermango
Mine was from a roofing company and it was just as good as the pond ones. They are all made out of the same kind of rubber. I just made sure to rinse off the powder they put on them.

 

[Mmathis]

@j.w Probably the only difference in the liner you bought and the one I bought, was that mine was stamped with “fish safe,” all over it in bright blue ink. I always wondered why they did that since the fish were the only ones that could see it under the water! Maybe the Firestone Co. wanted the fish to feel safe, LOL!

 

[GBBUDD]

I am on my 10th liner order and I have opted for the first one each time and they all had the pond guard stamp. If you protect the rubber from the sun it sh I uldnt n after too much..
I recommend" just liners " Though one shipment was damaged on delivery they replaced no questions asked . I did get stuck with the damaged liners but that made some decent tarps. Etc

 

[GBBUDD]

from what i have been told there's a powder on the roofing roll of epdm. Which I have seen i believe its a fire retardant and to keep the rubber from sticking together . Wash it good and you should be fine

 

[mistermango]

Thanks, y’all. I reached out to a couple of retailers about the Pondgard liner they sell and asked about any demarcations. One said theirs is sometimes stamped with the fish safe logo, but sometimes not; the other said theirs is never stamped. I also just went to a local retailer and looked at the roll on their spool and didn’t see any stamps or indication of it being a Pondgard product.

My primary concern was installing a liner that wasn’t manufactured to be fish safe (and also buying something that claimed to be a specific product and may be something lesser). But after doing this research, it seems that Firestone doesn’t bother to indicate the product—at least not consistently—so it either doesn’t matter or it’s impossible to tell unless you buy it off a roll that happens to be marked.

I plan on letting the liner offgas for a few days and rinsing it very well before installing in hopes of mitigating any potentially adverse affects of a non-Pondgard liner should that be what I have.

 

[Mmathis]

@mistermango Is Pondgard a brand name? Is it the company that sells the liner or is it the company that manufacturers the liner? I’m just curious. I’ve only ever purchased one liner, so I don’t really have any experience in that area, but I don’t recall that it had a “brand” name, other than being manufactured by Firestone.

 

[Lisak1]

@Mmathis - if I remember correctly, PondGard is what Firestone brands their EPDM product that's marketed as being fish safe for ponds.

 

[mistermango]

@Lisak1 is correct.

See: https://www.firestonebpe.com/en/products/lining/decorative-ponds/pondgard-epdm