Hello and thanks for the great question. Sorry it sat here so long. Feel free to email me directly with questions nate@practicalgardenponds.com We offer a wide variety of pond designs, especially the four Helix Pond Designs (you can email and ask for a free booklet). The helix designs include two pond designs that do not have bottom filtration and two that do are called the Four Fold Filtration designs. One is the "Under-Gravel Suction Grid" which is a mostly flat bottom pond that allows all of the rubber in a pond to be hidden, and processes the waste thru the gravel on the bottom of the pond like a septic system. The other is the "Dedicated Koi Pond" or "Bottom Drain Pond" which is a bowl shaped pond that uses one or more bottom drains to pull out the sunken debris out of the pond where it can be moved via a prefilter, sieve, or settlement tank. We may use any of these four designs or variations thereof, depending on a clients budget, taste and expectations. The Under-Gravel Grid and Bottom Drain pond are for the best results with minimal work, but are visually a very different effect. One is an all stone pond, the other has black liner on the bottom that creates a reflective appearance. When using the Dedicated Koi Pond design we would certainly use and recommend a professional quality bottom drain which is installed through the bottom liner. So, simply answer, yes! Thanks for the question. Nate
Cool video, I was wondering about the steepness of the sides, I've heard it depends on a few factors. Some have said 30 degree slope but then others say that with a liner you can make the walls steeper, more towards 90 degrees. I just don't want to mess up, thanks
Hi Brian, Different pond designs have different requirements. A pond with a bottom drain should be "bowl shaped" with everything graded nicely toward the bottom drain. In that case nicely sloped sides made sense. An UnderGravel pond, like mine requires a flat bottom. Then the only requirements are that, first, that the pond should still be concave, not convex. When water freezes it will expand pushing upward. If it is hitting portions of the pond that actually slant inward it will press hard against the sides perhaps tearing the liner and certainly moving things. In addition, any portion of the pond that is convex is prone to breaking down behind the liner and causing issues. The second requirement is that things stay in place. In my pond, along the left side where the AquaPonics, are, it is VERY steep. But our soil is firm and was virgin in that area. It was heavily compacted and i didn't think it posed any risk of caving. We did however need to stack larger boulders on the bottom and smaller ones as we went up the six foot high side, just to minimize the risk of a rock slide. These are all things to consider, but as long as it is concave i know of no reason why the slope must be a certain percentage accept in the bottom drain pond where you are using the slope to guide the debris into the bottom drain. Thank you for your positive comment about our videos ... you said video ... hope you were aware that there are nine of them in this series on this pond. We appreciate your participation. Enjoy your koi! Sincerely, Nate at PGP
why do you use tape for a seam again? I'm building a reflecting pool 10ft x 3ft in to a 1ft hole. I haven't done it before, I get I need underlay then liner but what is the tape for? Do I need it as its only going to be one sheet and then around the edge on the land we are putting slabs then gravel
Hi Helen, My apologies for the slow response (Note to all ... if you have pond questions please email them to us directly at "nate@practicalgardenponds.com" or "sales@practicalgardenponds.com" for a faster response). Helen, it sounds like you do not need a seam. On my pond we used two separate liners, a 10' wide liner for the stream and a wide liner for the main pond. Where the two separate liners came together is where we had to seam the two liners together. If you have only one liner (which is always more ideal) you do not need to use seam tape at all. Thanks for the question.
Hi William, We are happy to sell you pond liner in 5' increments from 5 x 5 to 50 x 100. We list it on our website but since shipping on liner is very different from one place to another, the best thing to do is to call or email and let us get you a quote, as we may be able to do better than our website price. You were sharp to pickup on that garden edging! We don't usually use that, but i wanted to keep my edges a close as possible so i used the garden edging in some places, so that i could get a good hard edge to drape the liner over, and have grass growing right up to the water's edge. You can call us at 484-237-2080 or email us from our website contact button at practicalgardenponds.com Sincerely, Nate
I had the same question about the garden edging... So after all said n done... The water is right at the edging then grass Could you send or post pictures
Thanks for your question. I am not sure i understand the application well enough to answer this question, but liner should always be seamed to liner ... since i can't imagine that there is liner across the bottom and sides and length of "a river", i don't see how seaming liner could be relevant and effective. If i am missing the point and you want to contact me, my email is nate@practicalgardenponds.com
Hi Herp, I'd be happy to draw up a specific list for your pond with product links and a package deal discount ... just drop me an email to nate@practicalgardenponds.com
Hi Fernando, We use firestone here as well. We like the 45 mil but a thicker mill would work too as long as it is still pliable enough to fit your application. I would be hesitant to use anything less than 45 mil.
I am from India.I am trying to built a swim pond . I am going to use HDPE oven sheet on my pond. I will use non oven geotextile material as underlay . EPDM and 6 ouns pond underlay material is not available in India. My question is , shoud I use double HDPE sheet when I put big sized rock over that sheet or a single layer is enough..? Please answer .thank you
Hi Arindam, Thanks for your interest. Unfortunately, I am not familiar with the materials you are asking me about, so i do not feel able to give advice. Best of luck with your build.
Wow... Your explanation is cristal clear. Great work.👌 Keep posting more videos like this 👍
thanks so much for making this video, I will definitely use your system for our (near) future country home in Portugal
Glad it was helpful!
Pond looks like one of Disney attractions massive
Wow ist very rear information thank you sir
So glad you found it helpful Rishi. Thank you for the kind words. Nate
Nice video..do you fit bottom drains on your liner ponds?
Hello and thanks for the great question. Sorry it sat here so long. Feel free to email me directly with questions nate@practicalgardenponds.com We offer a wide variety of pond designs, especially the four Helix Pond Designs (you can email and ask for a free booklet). The helix designs include two pond designs that do not have bottom filtration and two that do are called the Four Fold Filtration designs. One is the "Under-Gravel Suction Grid" which is a mostly flat bottom pond that allows all of the rubber in a pond to be hidden, and processes the waste thru the gravel on the bottom of the pond like a septic system. The other is the "Dedicated Koi Pond" or "Bottom Drain Pond" which is a bowl shaped pond that uses one or more bottom drains to pull out the sunken debris out of the pond where it can be moved via a prefilter, sieve, or settlement tank. We may use any of these four designs or variations thereof, depending on a clients budget, taste and expectations. The Under-Gravel Grid and Bottom Drain pond are for the best results with minimal work, but are visually a very different effect. One is an all stone pond, the other has black liner on the bottom that creates a reflective appearance. When using the Dedicated Koi Pond design we would certainly use and recommend a professional quality bottom drain which is installed through the bottom liner. So, simply answer, yes! Thanks for the question. Nate
Cool video, I was wondering about the steepness of the sides, I've heard it depends on a few factors. Some have said 30 degree slope but then others say that with a liner you can make the walls steeper, more towards 90 degrees. I just don't want to mess up, thanks
Hi Brian,
Different pond designs have different requirements. A pond with a bottom drain should be "bowl shaped" with everything graded nicely toward the bottom drain. In that case nicely sloped sides made sense. An UnderGravel pond, like mine requires a flat bottom. Then the only requirements are that, first, that the pond should still be concave, not convex. When water freezes it will expand pushing upward. If it is hitting portions of the pond that actually slant inward it will press hard against the sides perhaps tearing the liner and certainly moving things. In addition, any portion of the pond that is convex is prone to breaking down behind the liner and causing issues.
The second requirement is that things stay in place. In my pond, along the left side where the AquaPonics, are, it is VERY steep. But our soil is firm and was virgin in that area. It was heavily compacted and i didn't think it posed any risk of caving. We did however need to stack larger boulders on the bottom and smaller ones as we went up the six foot high side, just to minimize the risk of a rock slide. These are all things to consider, but as long as it is concave i know of no reason why the slope must be a certain percentage accept in the bottom drain pond where you are using the slope to guide the debris into the bottom drain.
Thank you for your positive comment about our videos ... you said video ... hope you were aware that there are nine of them in this series on this pond.
We appreciate your participation. Enjoy your koi!
Sincerely,
Nate at PGP
@@PracticalGardenPonds Wow, thanks so much for taking the time to explain all this, I really appreciate it
why do you use tape for a seam again? I'm building a reflecting pool 10ft x 3ft in to a 1ft hole. I haven't done it before, I get I need underlay then liner but what is the tape for? Do I need it as its only going to be one sheet and then around the edge on the land we are putting slabs then gravel
Hi Helen, My apologies for the slow response (Note to all ... if you have pond questions please email them to us directly at "nate@practicalgardenponds.com" or "sales@practicalgardenponds.com" for a faster response). Helen, it sounds like you do not need a seam. On my pond we used two separate liners, a 10' wide liner for the stream and a wide liner for the main pond. Where the two separate liners came together is where we had to seam the two liners together. If you have only one liner (which is always more ideal) you do not need to use seam tape at all. Thanks for the question.
Where do I purchase pond liner like that? Also, is that metal garden edging for the border?
Hi William, We are happy to sell you pond liner in 5' increments from 5 x 5 to 50 x 100. We list it on our website but since shipping on liner is very different from one place to another, the best thing to do is to call or email and let us get you a quote, as we may be able to do better than our website price. You were sharp to pickup on that garden edging! We don't usually use that, but i wanted to keep my edges a close as possible so i used the garden edging in some places, so that i could get a good hard edge to drape the liner over, and have grass growing right up to the water's edge. You can call us at 484-237-2080 or email us from our website contact button at practicalgardenponds.com
Sincerely,
Nate
I had the same question about the garden edging...
So after all said n done... The water is right at the edging then grass
Could you send or post pictures
I was wondering if that's going to work in a high tide low tide river?
Thanks for your question. I am not sure i understand the application well enough to answer this question, but liner should always be seamed to liner ... since i can't imagine that there is liner across the bottom and sides and length of "a river", i don't see how seaming liner could be relevant and effective. If i am missing the point and you want to contact me, my email is nate@practicalgardenponds.com
Can you enumerate again the materials needed for the pond?
I plan to make an aquaponics pond in my backyard.
Hi Herp, I'd be happy to draw up a specific list for your pond with product links and a package deal discount ... just drop me an email to nate@practicalgardenponds.com
Hi all kind of epdm are efective to build a pond? In my country we only find firestone rubbergard
Hi Fernando, We use firestone here as well. We like the 45 mil but a thicker mill would work too as long as it is still pliable enough to fit your application. I would be hesitant to use anything less than 45 mil.
You might want to check out "CRYSTAL CLEAR AQUATICS " they have a pretty cool idea on how to cover your pond liner. P.s. I LOVED YOUR VIDEOS. THANKS 😊
Good
Thanks for your kind word. :-)
I am from India.I am trying to built a swim pond . I am going to use HDPE oven sheet on my pond. I will use non oven geotextile material as underlay . EPDM and 6 ouns pond underlay material is not available in India. My question is , shoud I use double HDPE sheet when I put big sized rock over that sheet or a single layer is enough..? Please answer .thank you
Hi Arindam, Thanks for your interest. Unfortunately, I am not familiar with the materials you are asking me about, so i do not feel able to give advice. Best of luck with your build.
Hi im from India too. Did u build ur pond using hdpe.
@@RAZOR12334Yes, with HDPE . per my knowledge I am the first person who is building the first comercial swim pond in India.
🔥🚧🚛