| Last time you read about planning your pond. In the | | | | Using a rubber or plastic liner for your pond can be |
| planning process, you should have decided where | | | | tricky too. Once the hole has been properly |
| your new water feature would be placed as well as | | | | excavated and prepared, you can begin the process |
| how big it would be. You should have also made sure | | | | of installing the liner. Usually, this starts with installing |
| that your new pond would be in compliance with any | | | | an underlying material first. This underlying material is |
| local ordinances too. | | | | a crucial component to a successful pond. |
| Finally you should have decided whether or not you | | | | It will help protect the rubber or plastic liner from |
| plan to house aquatic life like fish and plants in the | | | | sharp edges that may be present in the soil. This is |
| pond. Now that you have all of these decisions made | | | | especially helpful when you performing pond |
| and you plan is formulated, you need to choose what | | | | maintenance and have to walk on the liner later. |
| construction medium you'll build your pond from. | | | | Typically this underlying material is made up of a thick |
| Are you planning a concrete based pond or a rubber | | | | felt type of material. I have heard of people using old |
| or plastic liner based pond? Let's talk about the | | | | carpet, but carpet was not exactly designed for this |
| differences between the two mediums and how | | | | use. Stick with the felt. Once the felt is in place, you |
| they are installed. Each has their own positives and | | | | can begin to install the rubber or plastic liner. |
| negatives which you will have to live with for the life | | | | Care should be taken with the rubber or plastic liner |
| of the pond. | | | | as they can be fragile to a certain extent. Yes they |
| No matter which way to plan to go, concrete pond | | | | might be 45mils thick, but drop the wrong rock on it |
| or pond liner, you will have to excavate the hole in | | | | now and you'll end up dealing with patching the |
| which the pond will go. You may have to hire | | | | material. |
| someone with a tractor for this purpose too. You | | | | Put the liner into place and adjust as needed. Try to |
| should install all of your plumbing at this time too. | | | | remove as many of the creases from the bottom as |
| Make sure that the finished hole is as clean and | | | | you can. Folds and creases are one of the biggest |
| compact as possible. Soil that is not packed tightly will | | | | downfalls of a rubber or plastic pond liner because |
| result in possible erosion from under the pond later. | | | | they can harbor all sorts of things such as bacteria |
| Follow all proper procedure for preparing the hole. | | | | and the like. |
| Concrete can either be installed professionally or by | | | | Once the bottom is smoothed out, adjust the walls |
| yourself as long as you have the skills. You can count | | | | and temporarily hold them in place with some of the |
| on pouring at least the floor of the pond in concrete, | | | | rock you plan to use as coping later. If you do not |
| where the walls can be constructed of either poured | | | | know what coping is, it is the stone border that is |
| concrete or a concrete block type of material. | | | | set on top of the liner that forms a ring around the |
| If you have never installed concrete before, it is | | | | pond. The final coping will hold the liner in place. |
| nothing to be afraid of. There is always plenty of | | | | Once the walls are temporarily held in place, you can |
| reference materials available online regarding the | | | | add some water to the pond. Adding water to the |
| actual installation, but we'll cover some of the basics | | | | pond now will allow you to fine tune the adjustment |
| here. The first thing you should decide is whether | | | | of the liner. Only start will small amount of water that |
| you plan to pour the floor and walls or use concrete | | | | assist you in smoothing the liner out. |
| block for the walls. | | | | You will always have folds and creases. That is the |
| If you plan to pour the floor and the walls, you'll have | | | | nature of the beast when it comes to rubber or |
| to create forms for which to pout the concrete into. | | | | plastic liners. What you must do is attempt to fold |
| This means those forms should be built to | | | | the material in such a manner as to minimize this as |
| accommodate the floor pour first and the walls after | | | | much as possible. After the liner is in place all of the |
| the floor has started to set up. | | | | rock used as coping can be installed. |
| Trying to pour the floor and the walls at the same | | | | Sometimes this involves a slightly dug out trench |
| time would be difficult because you'd have no access | | | | behind the pond wall where the coping will rest and |
| to the floor itself. It would be encased in its own | | | | be built up from. This trench with liner laid in place and |
| floor. In that scenario, you could end up with all sorts | | | | rock on top kind of acts like a locking mechanism for |
| of blemishes caused by trapped air pockets. | | | | the rock and liner. |
| You'll also have to use rebar and steel mesh to help | | | | As you can see, there is a fair amount of work |
| strengthen the concrete after it cures. If the floor is | | | | involved with a either a concrete pond or a rubber or |
| to be poured first, you'll want to extend the rebar up | | | | plastic liner pond. The only real differences might be |
| out of the floor so that it ends up being part of the | | | | the actual cost of each type, but you have to |
| walls too. This goes for either poured walls or block | | | | amortize out the lifespan of each style too. You |
| walls but with block walls the placement of the rebar | | | | might have less expense with a rubber or plastic liner |
| will be critical. You do not want to rebar to come out | | | | pond, but you'd end up replacing a rubber or plastic |
| of the floor only to run into the block instead of | | | | liner sooner than a concrete pond. |
| passing through it. | | | | |