Creating a garden pond is a lot of work. All the better when everything is done. But what if the pond loses water? Is the pond leaking?
There can be various reasons for water loss in the garden pond. A leaking pond liner seems the most obvious. But a defective filter system or an incorrectly installed or even missing capillary barrier can also lead to your pond losing water. Likewise, in very warm months without much precipitation, you will have to reckon with a sinking water level because a lot of water evaporates.
In order to put an end to the unnecessary water loss, you must first find out what exactly is causing the water loss. To do this, proceed as follows:
Capillary Effect
Check the shore area of the pond. If this is swampy, this is a sure indication of the so-called capillary effect: the contact between water and shore is comparable to a wick. Because the soil pulls the water out of the basin, just like a wick would do, in order to achieve a balance of liquid. A capillary barrier can help here.
Tip: Even if the pond liner is poorly laid, these folds often act like risers in which the water then rises above the water level, causing a loss for the pond.
Capillary barrier
The capillary barrier separates the pond from its surroundings. On the one hand, this prevents it from withdrawing water from the pond. At the same time, it also prevents soil or fertilizer from getting into the pond and causing over-fertilization.
If you want to set up a capillary barrier, you have the following options:
- Plates made of concrete or wood as a capillary barrier
- Ditch with gravel fill
- Pond edge system
- Fix the capillary barrier on the terrace
Plates made of concrete or wood as a capillary barrier
The easiest way to set up a capillary barrier is to position concrete or wooden slabs around the pond and attach the pond liner to them.
Ditch with gravel fill
Dig a parallel ditch around the pond, 20 centimeters wide and deepat. Then lay this out with pond liner and fill in the ditch with gravel.
Tip: Plan about 60 to 80 centimeters more on each side of the pond liner and only cut off the excess liner when the pond is completely filled and the gravel is already in the ditch.
Pond edge system
You can get plastic profiles by the meter in stores. These are usually between 14 and 20 centimeters high. In order to build such a pond edge system, plastic posts are driven into the ground at a distance of 50 to 60 centimeters around the garden pond and the pond band is attached to them with screws. Then just attach the liner to the pond edge system.
Fix the capillary barrier on the terrace
Border your garden pond to your terrace, it makes sense to attach the capillary barrier to this. The easiest way to do this is with wooden terraces. To do this, loosen the first row of decking boards and simply attach the pond liner to an existing end panel. To do this, simply pull the film over the panel. Then screw the decking board back onto the panel.
Tip: If your terrace has a slope towards the pond, you should use profiled wood to create a raised edge over which you can pull the pond liner.
If you have a terrace with stone slabs, you must first remove the first layer of slabs. Then lay the foil up to the second row of panels. When the pond liner is worn out wrinkle-free, put the removed panels back in place. This is how you attach the foil between the first two rows. Then cut off the protruding foil so that it closes with the stone slabs.
Defective filter system
If the shore area is dry, you should first check the filter system. Because leaking filter systems and defective hose connections can be the reason for the water loss. To do this, you should turn off the pumps and monitor the water level. If this remains constant, a fault in the filter system is very likely. You should inspect the system carefully and replace any defective parts.
Defective pond liner
If you can also rule out the filter system as the cause, it is relatively likely that the pond liner is leaking. To check this, you should monitor the water level over a longer period of time and mark the current water level on the foil every day. When the water stopsseems to sink, you at least know at what height the hole is. Now you can feel the pond liner for damage.
If you were able to locate the leak, you can start repairing the pond liner. To do this, you must first dry and clean the affected area. You can then cut out a generous patch from the remaining foil and glue it to the hole.
Tip: But make sure that you use the right adhesive for your pond liner.