Rehabbing a Completely Overgrown Pond

[Dirty Dawg]

Hi everybody, just joined the forum and have read some great info. so far.

So I buy a gutted foreclosure of a house and move into it four years ago after my divorce.

Just off the deck and basement walkout was a pretty good sized pond. I estimate 5-6 thousand gallon. Landscaping all around it and the house gutted as well. Pond wasn't too overgrown at that point, but now four years later it was completly overgrown, no pump running all that time. I've spent those years getting everything else back in shape, and now this summer the pond has become the project.

Pond when I bought the house:

 

[Dirty Dawg]

Pond when starting on it this summer:

 

[Dirty Dawg]

A week later everything was dead, and the mucking began.

We've hauled at least five yards of muck and plants out, one five-gallon bucket at a time.. Man those lilly roots get big, and go under every rock. Talk about back breaking work. Wow.

 

[Dave 54]

Need to rid yourself of the reeds for a start DirtyDawg my friend, do you have a pump and filter on the pond along with a UV-C or was that gutted out as well ?
If not a quick overhaul of the pump cleaning of the filter and a change of UVC-C should have the life support sytem for the pond up and running again
Dont forget to check the butyl liner for any holes and if that ok no need to replace it
I dont think its going to take that long to get it back to its former self , its a nice size pond for a few koi too

Dave

 

[Dirty Dawg]

Edited pic above to the mucking process.

More pics coming, lol.

 

[Dirty Dawg]

Oops, gotta get used to this forum software, looks like I double-posted, so I edited it to the mucking and now the original is gone.

Before spraying everything with Roundup, pulled some lillys and another plant for later transplant. Sitting in an $8 kiddy pool. Waited a week for the roundup to kill everything, then began mucking.

 

[Dirty Dawg]

Hope I don't get flamed for the Roundup, lol.


One the end where the waterfall once was, the liner was cut down pretty far.

Liner patch installed, with more liner waiting to go up the hill and build a waterfall.

More mucking as well.

 

[Dirty Dawg]

Mucking and liner patch done, and I got to fill it this weekend. Took nine hours with two garden hose from my well, and well pump turned-up to 62 psi so it wouldn't cycle on and off.

Savio skimmer filter installed and running 7,200 gph pump the previous owner left behind. I was so happy to pump some water! All the plumping is temporary, waiting on my flex hose and fittings to arrive. Had some old 4" drain tile with filter sock I'm pumping into to get the big debri out before putting the filter in the skimmer.

 

[Dave 54]

Personally I'd rid yourself of the rocks it makes for a much cleaner bottom it being easier to maintain without them i;e when vacuuming the pond to rid it of detritus and gunk

Dave

 

[Dirty Dawg]

Used sand pool filter I bought on Craigslist before deciding to buy the skimmer, and my home made fountain and pump from my last house. We had a 60' unlined pond.

 

[Dirty Dawg]

My old fountain pump in the bottom of the pond feeding the pool filter and then back out to the fountain:
Man does that pool filter cause a pressure drop, unrestricted the fountain was at least ten feet tall.

 

[Dirty Dawg]

Skimmer filter installed and running.

 

[Dirty Dawg]

Now I need to build the waterfall up this hill. I've got a Savio 31" filterweir and a 10 x 20 liner minus the 5 x 5 piece I cut out for the patch. Thinking a couple good drops, same type of stone with cracks between sealed with the black foam. Thinking of making some type of ledge for a nice lip for the final drop into the pond.

 

[Dirty Dawg]

Personally I'd rid yourself of the rocks it makes for a much cleaner bottom it being easier to maintain without them i;e when vacuuming the pond to rid it of detritus and gunk

Dave

Not a bad idea for the bottom at all Dave. I have the pump that came with that pool filter, the extension pole, hoses and the vacuuming heads.

You mentioned Koi. I had bought the place in the fall and had no time for looking at the pond. The following spring I happened to be out on the deck looking into the pond and caught a sight of orange. A big sight, lol.

There was one loney Koi in there, and I only ever saw him during the spring before the Lillys covered the surface.

This past winter was very harsh here. I found him floating this spring. All of 12" long. I was bummed.

I'll prolly get a couple to replace him.

 

[Big Lou]

Welcome and continued good luck.