# Water Feature/Pond Repair Needed



## McNeeky (Oct 5, 2010)

I've got a 5000 gallon (estimate) pond/water feature with waterfall. I believe we may have a slow leak and some other issues. The waterfall is now more of a trickle, and the pond is also much more shallow than it used to be when we bought the house (lots of muck). Looking for referrals for landscape/pond contractor to come out and get it back into shape. Located on the border of Bath and Granger Townships near Rt. 18.

Thanks


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## Taco (Jan 4, 2009)

Ok, Ill give it a shot...

This isn't really the forum for this as this area is really for addressing fishing ponds (think millions of gallons) and not garden ponds. That said, if your really want to find a contractor I'd start by calling some reputable hardscaping companies in your area. Check their portfolio's if possible and check their past installations, thats the best chance of finding someone who truely knows what they're doing and not someone learning as they go.

Reality is, based on the limited info, you may be able to do it yourself in a weekend. Do you truely have a leak or are you losing water to evaporation? Fill it up and find out how fast your losing it and at what level it stops dropping. If you're pumping lots of water you are gonna have to refil every once in a while. If you do have a leak, and the water doesn't "find" a certain depth, then start with the falls and make sure any overlapping liners/pools/seems there are tight and not failure points.

If there's lots of muck, is it clogging the pump? If it just needs cleaned, rent a small pump for $15 and drop the water, clean out the muck (careful not to tear the liner), blast it with power washer, and fill. Local mulch/landscape supply should have some specialty products that may be handy.


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## catfishnut (Dec 23, 2010)

Well my company has installed 100+ waterfeatures.....ponds/waterfalls,creeks/streams, pondless waterfalls ect. And have repaired/renovated atleast that many over the last 30yrs of business. Most leaks are fairly simple to find and fix. Since I don't know the size if your waterfall, pump size ect. I'll just give you a walk through on how we handle a leak. It can take a an hour or several days to find it, but it's fairly simple. The most common leaks in the pond will be from falling branches, chipmunks or blue herons. Fill the pond to the point of overflow, leaving the waterfall and skimmer (if you have one) off and simply wait to see if the water level goes down. If it does, once it stops going down and stays at a constant level, you'll find your leak just above that waterline. You could have more leaks above the waterline but this method will find you the lowest leak.....and hopefully your only leak!lol A simple patch kit should fix it. If the water level stays high and doesn't go down after a day or two then your leak should be in the waterfall or the hose leading to the fall from the pump in your pond. Chipmunks love hanging around the rocks around waterfalls and ponds and every season we fix several hoses that chipmunks have chewed holes in. We just fixed a pond that a chipmunk felt was in his way and chewed through the liner.....yep he drowned. Lately the most common reason for leaks are blue heron, especially young ones looking for an easy meal and unfortunately their aim is not all that good, I've seen ponds with heron damage that looked like someone had peppered it with a shotgun. If your liner is more than 8-10yrs old I'd simply install a new liner or if your liner has become stiff. Some companys use cheap liners or rubber liners that weren't meant for a pond application, we use firestone 45mil EPDM pondgard (yep it's spelled right lol) . As for your slow pumping pump....it's either dirty and needs a cleaning or a cheap or old pump that's simply burning out.....but even the best pumps die sooner or later!! If you were closer I'd be happy to come down and give you some in person help/advice. If I can help with anything else or you need a professional opinon on quotes you recieve feel free to PM me. Just make sure you hire a company that specializes in hardscaping/waterfeatures and not Joe grass cutter "landscaper" who's installed 3 ponds. Lord I spent more time on this than I do when I'm getting paid!!LOL.....good luck


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## catfishnut (Dec 23, 2010)

Oh just one more thing!!lol Most, if not all cities require landscapers to register with the city they are working in. Some just require proof of insurance and general company info and some also require the company to post a bond. IF THEY ARE NOT registered and they are required to be in your city/town or can't show proof of insurance if they aren't required to register.....DON'T hire them!!! In most cities that require registering, they will gladly give you a list of hardscape/landscape companies that have registered with them and paid their registation fee......it's no guarantee that they know their stuff......but it's a good start to finding someone in your area.


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## McNeeky (Oct 5, 2010)

Thanks for the info. Pump was just clogged so I pulled and cleaned. Have a certified contractor that I found from the website of the pond system I have coming out to address the leak. Appreciate the details catfishnut, I will keep you in mind for any future needs.


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