Pondless Waterfall Build Questions

[Lisak1]

We got our piece of culvert pipe from a plumbing company that does big road work projects. They have extra pieces all the time. We needed about 18 inches - we got 6 feet. (We took the 18 inch piece we needed and cut it into a half circle that we used as a fish cave for a number of years.)

Anyway - just a thought! The guy we got ours from said you can usually pull up to any road construction site and ask if they have a chunk and they will happily toss it in your trunk.

 

[msr0459]

@GBBUDD, you illustrated many pages back, how one can plant/landscape directly on top of the liner, and I've seen on your features plants all over the place. I'll be putting down my liner over the next couple of days. I've got an area in the middle, between the main stream and my meandering stream. Would it be a good idea to go ahead and dig out that area in a concave fashion, such that after the liner, rocks, etc. are in place, I could put some soil in that area to plant something? Just not sure what plants, or IF there would be enough depth for a root system.

Cart way before the horse I suppose. But figured before I lay the liner why not ask.

 

[msr0459]

And the decisions never end! Lol Here's the latest view from above (top deck of house). I can't dig out any more towards the bottom of hill, as that's where the excavator has to be. But I'm planning on kicking the water back and forth, where those areas are dug out more on the sides. From a creativity point of view. If I make all the pooling, side areas even wider,.. Will that crowd my meandering stream that going down the middle, and thus look unnatural? Just looking for opinions.

As you can see, there's not much room closer to the deck stairs, but I could go over more on the other side,..but again, that top one would be right next to the stream.

 

[msr0459]

Just posting my decision making. I'm sooo tired of trying to figure this vault thing out. I'm going this afternoon to purchase, new, an 18" x 20' stick of culvert pipe. I'm having them cut it in half so I can transport back home. This way I can take a 10' section and do whatever's necessary to make 2 vaults, custom fit to whatever depth is necessary on my hillside basin. Unless someone here tells me to stand down! Lol

 

[GBBUDD]

@GBBUDD, you illustrated many pages back, how one can plant/landscape directly on top of the liner, and I've seen on your features plants all over the place. I'll be putting down my liner over the next couple of days. I've got an area in the middle, between the main stream and my meandering stream. Would it be a good idea to go ahead and dig out that area in a concave fashion, such that after the liner, rocks, etc. are in place, I could put some soil in that area to plant something? Just not sure what plants, or IF there would be enough depth for a root system.

Cart way before the horse I suppose. But figur ed before I lay the liner why not ask.

You certai ly can you just want to make sure that the plants you choose don't have agreesive roots.. but yes I have liner under many plants along the stream and pond.
That is one way to truly make your project look real to show some erosion off the the side ofvyour stream.
Having a Boulder sottingbin the water surrounded on all sides helps to break the string of pears and gives the eye an adventure as it gollowsvthe stream and circles back around the Boulder. Or even if plants hide most of it it's a great area for pitcher plants that don't like to be disturbed.

 

[msr0459]

That if you tie in the culvert with the cmp_. Cut the cap at the bottom now you have the mass of the blocks as your storage youcould never get enough pumps to draw faster than is available

Was re reading this, as I'll be picking up my 18" culvert pipe soon. Pretty sure I get what you're describing, but JUST to be clear... when you say "cut the cap at the bottom", this is pipe, what cap are you referring to? The pipe will be open on the bottom, sitting directly on the underlayment, correct?

Should I sit the culvert lower than the matrixblox, like most commercial vaults I see recommend? Then slide the blox into the side by side blox about 1/4" or so? Which would of course dictate the opening I'll need to cut out on both pieces of culvert (2 pumps).

Curious, what does "cmp" stand for?

Thanks again for your patience

 

[msr0459]

Tangent. I saw on an Aquascape video the guy using a long, flat nosed pry bar for adjusting large rocks, so as not to cut the liner. I've searched everywhere locally and online and can't seem to locate one.

Where does one find such a tool?

 

[combatwombat]

Should I sit the culvert lower than the matrixblox, like most commercial vaults I see recommend?

I would recommend that.

Tangent. I saw on an Aquascape video the guy using a long, flat nosed pry bar for adjusting large rocks, so as not to cut the liner. I've searched everywhere locally and online and can't seem to locate one.

Where does one find such a tool?

I bought this one. Very handy.

 

[msr0459]

I would recommend that.



I bought this one. Very handy.

Yea, I saw that one. I'd be afraid that would gouge the liner though, if I need to move a boulder by a few inches or whatever. Those guys had one the looked like a duck bill on the end.? I may have to go with that one,..and just take precautions.

 

[msr0459]

Even though I went larger with the liner size for the main fall/stream.. it STILL needed to be about 5' longer. I was so worried about the width, I didn't calculate the length, taking into account the multiple walls down hill.

These are just the 1st underlayment,..but if the liner measures out the same, clearly I'll now have to seam as it goes into the basin. I'm pretty sure I'll have enough basin liner overhang to pull it off.

I also don't have as much "wiggle room" up at the spillway as I would like, but I think enough to be able to fold over and secure to the bulkhead on the Aquascape spillway I have ordered.

 

[msr0459]

Well, here's the spillway area with the liner in place. The x indicates the back end of the liner. As I already stated, i believe there's enough on the back to fold over and seal to the back of the Aquascape spillway. But not by much.

Do I need to slide the entire assembly up about a foot, to give the spillway area more liner?,.. If I do, it will obviously decrease the stream liner by 1' on opposite end... which, I still calculate having at least 3' of overhang coming out of the basin to create a seam.

Basin width is a little over 3'. The longest wall (towards the slope) is 3',.. so, rounding up,.. 2 x 3' walls + 3' width at bottom = 9'. I have a 15' liner,..so I "should" have maybe 4' overhang on the splice side, and 2' on the other side.
Am I thinking correctly?

Just want to make sure before I commit to putting the final layer of underlayment down.

Thanks again everyone!

 

[msr0459]

@combatwombat , since we've been discussing the culvert pipe for my pump vault(s),... IF both pumps will fit inside one 18" pipe,..is there any reason for me NOT to use just one vault (18" culvert)? The largest of the 2 pumps is 12"Lx6.75"W

 

[GBBUDD]

The pipe will be open on the bottom, sitting directly on the underlayment, correct?

No the cap I'm talking about is the same as we talked about before there's two actually. One is like a man hole cover but made out of plastic you cut that just like the cmp so the cmp sits nicely against the aquablocks.
The second that they have is the thin walled plastic that closes off the pipe but it is much thinner but both in my eyes are a heck of a lot less likely to to cut your underlayment and liner. IF YOU ARE CAREFUL AND CUT THE CMP SO THE ROUNDED EXTRUSIONNIS WHAT SITS ONBTHE underlayment thanbyoull b e fine but if it's just a 1/8 inch plastic thatbthe pipe will have to sit on will cut even the underlayment

 

[msr0459]

No the cap I'm talking about is the same as we talked about before there's two actually. One is like a man hole cover but made out of plastic you cut that just like the cmp so the cmp sits nicely against the aquablocks.
The second that they have is the thin walled plastic that closes off the pipe but it is much thinner but both in my eyes are a heck of a lot less likely to to cut your underlayment and liner. IF YOU ARE CAREFUL AND CUT THE CMP SO THE ROUNDED EXTRUSIONNIS WHAT SITS ONBTHE underlayment thanbyoull b e fine but if it's just a 1/8 inch plastic thatbthe pipe will have to sit on will cut even the underlayment

I guess I'm just too dense, as I still can't picture exactly what you're saying.

I just picked up my 18" culvert. I have located a lid online for $50 that allegedly will fit on all 18" corrugated pipe. This lid will of course be on top of the pipe (vault). I hadn't considered the sharp edge on the bottom after cutting, so for sure would need to file smooth or whatever,... but are saying there's another type of lid I need to place on the bottom?, to alleviate this issue.

 

[GBBUDD]

The blue rectangles are the aqua blocks you'll want to knotch the 18 inch pipe so it fits over and around the blocks. That way your pump sits at the bottom of the pit. So in red is part of the circle if it were the cap but placed on the bottom that way you havexa flat smooth surface supporting the pipe. Thevred area cuts cut out of the cap so it now looks like a pizza with a slice missing. The pipe needs to be cut up to the top of the blocks so it can be supported and aligned..
Sorry don't know how else to say it. Go to my showcase you'll see in the cistern what I'm talking about. Way down in the blog