The pond dig has begun!

[sissy]

yeh said we were supposed to get a dusting but so far all I see is sunshine .Even the weather channel says it is raining here ,but woke up to sun and still sunny out

 

[addy1]

Yes I did ce, we were out hanging siding all day, then my pup got sick. I need to look at it when my mind can focus on everything you are saying.

 

[j.w]

CE your pond drawing looks really neat. I can't tell you if anything could be different tho as I just have done the simple dig a hole pond w/ no frills attached. You are really getting into this gung ho and will be fun watching it come together! Of course I tried to LIKE your post of the drawing/explanation but I am out of LIKESagain!

 

[addy1]

I think I would leave it close to how you have it, you would not want to cluster the pond around the deck, (well I wouldn't) By having the second pond further away you could have a nice path to it, a sitting area. It would cause you to wander down to look at the pond and fish. Mine, by default, had to be down the hill from the house, we can look down and see the fish, but it is also fun to walk down and wander the yard to take a close up look.

 

[CountryEscape]

Thanks, JW and Addy for your thoughts. I hope your pup is doing better, Addy!
I thought of something last night, when my body decided no sleep needed again ... was after 3:30 before I drifted off. Anyhow, I don't think a waterwheel will be a good idea. I'll have to post on Whiskey's build but I'm afraid with my high winds, unless the waterwheel has some type of brake and "no reverse" mechanism, there will be nothing to keep it from going hell mell forward or worse, backward and kicking the water out of the area. I sure don't want my pond emptying out because of a windy day and a running away water wheel. I even thought of putting it in the stream, to turn with the flow of the water, but again, if it's really windy would it push the water up and throw it everywhere? Those are answers I bet Whiskey can answer, and then I will be able to make a decision on that.
I know I posted these pics on the "what was your weather like today" thread, but thought I should have posted them here, and I'm posting the drawing along with it, so you have maybe a better idea of what my backyard looks like and where the trees/stumps are.
View from inside the house, looking towards the area where the new pond will possibly go.

From the corner of the deck, looking over the left end of the pond, towards the area where new pond will be dug, unless I change my mind.

Diagram again of the new pond area, stream, and where the trees are situated.

 

[addy1]

I think that would look great. I turn off my deck pond during our winds, with the 4 foot drop into the stream, a bunch of water is blown out of the waterfall. So that is a good thing to think about ce.

 

[j.w]

Good you are doing your research about it all CE and if you could turn off the wheel and somehow fasten it down so it can't move in a wind storm maybe have some kind of latch thingy on it you might still be able to have one. But if it's windy most of the time there then maybe won't be worth the effort and cost.

 

[CountryEscape]

Whiskey thinks that if it's in a stream and about 12" deep (I didn't plan on the stream being that deep though) then it could not possibly turn with the wind. He also said if water is turning it from above, it won't change directions with the wind, unless gale force. Again, I wonder if that is possible, but I'm going to point out my worries to the guy that builds them and see what he says. I'm hoping Whiskey is right! I've always loved them. Yes, I could put a latch to hold it steady, as if it doesn't have water turning it, I would not want the wind to whip it around.

 

[CountryEscape]

Got the filter sealed up tight (at last all my tests showed no leaks) and put in place. Filled it up, watched the water, and I'm thrilled ... it's all going exactly where I wanted it to! Here's a picture of the water now falling over the first rock as opposed to sliding down it the way it was before. It was well worth the "rebuild" as now I have 2 waterfalls to listen to. I also made the pool deeper so that I could put more plants in it that needed more than about 10" of water. Not sure if the parrots feather is going to make it or not. It was frozen a few times, but I think I read it can handle being frozen. Anyhow, right now it only looks like dead stems. Not sure, too, if I should remove the long stems and if it comes back from the roots, or if the stems will show new growth.
Here's the new drain pipe with end plug. It leaked at first, until I used teflon tape. Will have to always put new teflon on each time I open it, but oh well. It's easier to open than the ball valve that I had previously.

Waterfall reworked, water just getting to the last rock before the pool.

Waterfall pool is deeper and a little bit wider, because of the depth.

Waterfall reworked, love how I now have a nice "fall" at the top, after the weir, and also how it flows over the entire bottom rock. Love my weir! Thanks again KoiGuy!

 

[johnnyi]

Very nice!

 

[j.w]

Good job CE! I like how that flows over the rock higher out of the water much better!

 

[koiguy1969]

first off...your welcome C.E.....i am glad your happy with weir, havent had a complaint yet, and i have sold a few (6) here, and more elsewhere.
your new revisions are looking good. and should add to the functionalty of the filtration and aeration of the water with the extra bio / surface area and every rock that the water flows over, and every pool of water it falls into, adds more oxygen to the water. and the higher the water drops into a pool from, the more effective the aeration is....

 

[CountryEscape]

Well, the good news ended pretty fast. While I was digging on the second pond, I noticed the big pond level had dropped. Now, I know that the filter takes a lot of water, and the pool ... but there was more trouble than that! The water was getting behind the weir, and I thought I had it fixed so it would not go that way. Then, I noticed that there was water leaking into the bog (I have liner going from the bog, up behind the stone wall, to the waterfall, so when it was getting over the rocks on the waterfall, it was seeping down behind the landscape stones into the bog. BUT, the bog level had dropped, too! Not sure what caused that, as I had nothing pulling or pushing water into the bog. I guess it decided to back siphon into the pond, maybe because of the water movement? That still intrigues me. Also had a small leak at the valves to the waterfall and the fountain. I forgot to put a clamp on 2 pipes! Oops!
Well, I won't bore you with all the leaks I had to deal with, but the bottom line is that the waterfall is back up running, the bog is full, and everything is leak-free! Whew!!! Never did get the rocks moved back on the waterfall to fill in the spots, because I was intent on digging the goldfish pond.

 

[j.w]

Unto us all a little rain must fall CE! It's all a big test on our willingness to learn and create and fix and mend and tote that bale,lol! It's always neat tho when you win the battle and everything just falls into place and there is peace in the fish pond.............till the next battle and so on and so on. Glad you figured it all out and nothing is leaking!

 

[pondlover]

CE your waterfall looks great. I like the drop to your main pond and think its really going to look nice when you have the rest of your rocks back in place. Good thing you were home when you noticed the leaks. Looking forward to more pics.