How thick should my liner be?

[Joshaeus]

Hello all! I am planning on building a small wooden pond, as documented on my other recent posts. At this point I am leaning towards a 3 foot L by 16 inch W by 16 inch H pond, but I wanted to know...how thick should the liner be? Its occupants will be too small to attack the liner, and obviously I will not be stepping in it on a regular basis. Thanks!

 

[Mmathis]

45 mil EPDM is always a good, safe size, but you can go with thinner or PVC. What is the climate where you are and will the pond be directly exposed to the elements (as in, out in the yard vs on a covered porch)?

 

[sissy]

depends on how long you want it to last and if it will be in sun all day pvc liner is cheaper and a lot more flexable but on average only may last from 8 to fifteen years ,45 mil epdm is harder to fold into a tank and more expensive but lasts longer.They do have new thinner liners that are supposed to last and you can check on youtube for ratings on pond liners .

 

[Joshaeus]

I live in zone 5. Planning to pull it inside for winter, but it would likely encounter some frosts during the time it is outside. It will not be protected by a porch. I want it to last as long as possible.

 

[sissy]

pvc will last the through that and will hold up as I am not sure how long you will want the build to last .But with yours it will probably be easy for you to replace the liner and seems they are coming out with new stuff every day

 

[Joshaeus]

I ideally want this build to last decades, so...I will go with 45 mil. How can I make the wood last longer, by the way?

 

[sissy]

Wood these days is not old growth and pressure treated does not even last as long as it used too .The only problem I see is with 45 mil the folds take up a lot of room .I have a rectangular pond and no matter what I did the folds are extremely thick and visible .It is like taking a extra thick bed cover and trying to tuck and fold it under the mattress

 

[Joshaeus]

Sigh...

 

[sissy]

not easy to fold and wood will never be what it used to be .But oak is strong also .I used rough cut on a bridge and it lasted except where the knots were at and they rotted threw and it was built in 2005

 

[GBBUDD]

If you want wood that will last pressure treated is rot resistant but I dry's out and cracks and splits it ends up with a very rustic look. Mahogany decking 5/4 for the money is about a 1/3 more the last I priced it over P.T but looks and weathers much better. Then you have cedar and red wood both start getting very pricey and if you want all out money is no object you have teak and cypress. there's other choices out there but those are the most popular. one thing to remember that if you use a liner what ever liner is folded over the wood condensation will always develop and be an issue for longevity. an other option is 3/4 azek sheets and use some mahogany as reinforcement it will last a long long time