Recommendations for liner patch

[YShahar]

I know it's a bit late for the tears you already have, but we learned to use a scrap piece of liner or underlayment to drag big stones around. Number one, it's easier because you can create a "handle" of sorts and number two - you avoid scraping rock on liner if you're moving them into place. (My hands still hurt thinking about how heavy some of those stones were!)

Yes, whenever I'm able to rope my Larger Half into helping me move rocks, we use the underlayment-as-rock-sling trick. When working alone, if I have to roll rocks I normally wrap them up in underlayment. I think what happened with this one is that I moved it into place thinking that there was underlayment under it when there wasn't. And yeah, it's one of those rocks that I shouldn't have been moving at all as a one-person job--but then, I get impatient to get things done...

The rocks that I was pin-wheeling into place when I discovered the leak were outside of the liner--part of the landscaping around the stream--so at least I didn't compound the damage. But now I'm totally paranoid that there are all kinds of pin-hole leaks all over my stream... I started digging out gravel and spot checking that the underlayment is in place under the rocks. So far, it seems to be fine.

 

[YShahar]

Well the good news is that, with an intake bay, it should be practically impossible to drain the whole pond with a leak in the stream. That's assuming you used a single liner for the pond and intake bay—which I don't remember if you did.

When the leak is in the stream, water level can only fall to top of the intake bay before flow is cut off to the pump.

You know, I hadn't even thought of that! But of course, that would be the end of my pump... And if I install an autofill, then it would be a race to see which got drained first--the pond, or my bank account.

Ah, the pleasures of pond ownership! ;-)

 

[GBBUDD]

yeah i imagine there's a hefty charge on water out there.

 

[YShahar]

yeah i imagine there's a hefty charge on water out there.

Indeed! (And don't even get me started on how much we pay for petrol--looks like it will be going up to $12/gallon fairly soon, given the global market). But one thing about the high price of water is that there's every incentive to conserve, which has led to all sorts of improvements in gardening practices in my little lot. I'm slowly changing out all the plants that need supplementary watering in summer for natives that can make do on their own once established. The result is far more lush and green than might be expected, given that these plants get no water at all from May to November.

 

[GBBUDD]

Indeed! (And don't even get me started on how much we pay for petrol--looks like it will be going up to $12/gallon fairly soon, given the global market). But one thing about the high price of water is that there's every incentive to conserve, which has led to all sorts of improvements in gardening practices in my little lot. I'm slowly changing out all the plants that need supplementary watering in summer for natives that can make do on their own once established. The result is far more lush and green than might be expected, given that these plants get no water at all from May to November.

I'd imagine natives will be thrilled just being close to water and in a tight garden area that probably holds in most of the evaporation from the pond.