String algae white, aphids, organic matter breaking down
- Thread starter dinm
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How deep is the hole? Could you suck it out with a shop vac or a pond vacuum? If you don't have either of those, you could bail it out with a smaller bucket or toss a towel or old rag in there to soak up water then remove the cloth, wring it out, and repeat until it's empty. The cloth method is how I have to get the water out of a toilet trapway when removing a toilet to fix something.
i think its probably 2.7 ft or something. but yeah its not nice. given this is the rainy season also, digging in that kind of clay makes me sick, and its a narrow space also so its not like you have much to work with. i mean at that point it is becoming clay with no organic matter which is even worse.
yeah, I hear ya on how much clay sucks.
though im not sure if just leveling the soil there would work. wouldnt it settle anyway i end up with a barrel thats not level some time later. maybe not though i dont know.
Wonder if you can dig a few more inches and put a layer of sand on top of the clay, maybe that would help keep it level and give some drainage to water that ends up there. As for the pipes clogging up, I think you mentioned before you do not have anything to catch debris before it goes to the bog. Maybe something needs to be put in to catch that debris, I have a skimmer with a large basket that catches a lot and then my external pump has another basket that catches debris before going to the bog. If there is no way to screen debris then you would have to somehow design the bog so you can do a clean out of the pipes.
ive just gone ahead dug it out a bit more, didnt find any more water and it was just clay. then i used this chip i had used for the bog which i had no use for anyway now.
couldnt fit a clean out pipe in the middle one though, but i think this should work well. have geotextile after the gravel, and geotextile below the pipes as well.
For the bottom layer i'll be using bigger round pebbles. I think that's what they say anyway, bigger on the bottom, and then you go smaller. well ill be doing this tomorrow anyway i think, but most of the work is done. Closed loop is removed and so it should circulate water properly..
but yes unfortunately the surface is decent size, and it catches a lot of debris, it's right under a tree as well... though i think the design was quite poor either way, the pipes were full of mud, clogged absolutely, besides rocks were randomly placed, i had flat stones i used for some reason, and i guess all that plays into a dead bog essentially even though theres some moving water.
a bonus is it looks more natural as well. and now its level. I've also made the hole on the spillway a rectangle.
Though i fear the threat of something smaller drowning now in the bog increases... I suppose I can add some stones inside on top to make it better for wildlife. Less standing water this time though, i had probably 10-15cm of standing water in the previous iteration. Flow rate should be better as well.
Had 9 slits on 3 pipes for 2000gph, so it is really no wonder they all got clogged, especially in that loop system where it was probably working on one pipe only as water goes where it wants.
Had 9 slits on 3 pipes for 2000gph, so it is really no wonder they all got clogged, especially in that loop system where it was probably working on one pipe only as water goes where it wants.
If it's not too late, I'd widen those slits to about a quarter inch at least, and either eliminate the center pipe or put a cleanout on it.
no going back now as ive finished putting in gravel. and the barrel still ended up not level so great after all the work still not level..
then theres the issue of the barrel's now too low, putting liner under the spillway is effectively impossible without causing a leak or wicking. unless you lower the water level which isnt the greatest solution.
i figure i may be at this point in a few months again given theres no skimmer or anything. but maybe this works better than the last design. dont know
Sounds like at this point we just hope for the best - Good luck!
i dont know why it wouldnt work though. other than it being a pond with no skimmer the bog design now should work properly. i have on the bottom bigger pebbles and close to the top i have pea gravel.
i mean the one thing now is flow rate of the bog is way better. which makes sense, i had 9 slits in total on the last one. now i have a reason or two to believe that might not have been enough for 2000gph and then it was a loop as well.
of course it works now but let's see how it stands the test of time.
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I am pretty much done. Some touch ups on the waterfall tomorrow, 3/8 pea gravel has been added and compared to the 3/8 sharp blue gravel i had it is an ease to deal with. Actually two bags (50kg) got me almost to where i wanted but ill order another one.
i have read that roots do best in rounded tiny gravel which is the whole point... and it just looks better of course.
my main question now is how do you prevent such mud and foul?
i have read that roots do best in rounded tiny gravel which is the whole point... and it just looks better of course.
my main question now is how do you prevent such mud and foul?
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I don't have much ideas on how to make this look proper... There's always the issue of wicking too which is hard to deal with in this case since the pond and the bog are essentially the same level. Wondering whether digging it a bit deeper, adding in rocks and ensuring water flows on top of the rocks would work better... I feel it would but i have no idea.
before the bog was higher, now it's lower and pond and bog are at the same level. so its tough because the water even without waterfall running is at that level. there's also no sound, it runs well, much better than previously of course. but there is no sound as they are so close.
I'd plant something in those areas right next to the spillway that look like they're outside of the liner (plants hide a lot and make things look more natural and soft) and cover the liner with plants, gravel, moss, etc. or you could make a berm of dirt on the liner around the edge so you don't get runoff in the pond and maybe plant some grass on it?
Also, I hate to say it, but if you want a height difference between the bog and pond, I'd raise the bog up. Maybe put some sand underneath it so the container serving as your bog is higher. Either that or lower the pond. If you don't want them at the same level, one of them has to move vertically from where it is now.
Also, I hate to say it, but if you want a height difference between the bog and pond, I'd raise the bog up. Maybe put some sand underneath it so the container serving as your bog is higher. Either that or lower the pond. If you don't want them at the same level, one of them has to move vertically from where it is now.