CW's Back Yard Water Garden Begins!

[addy1]

Me too! Same to both: shot this AM and my old butt being kicked!

Second shot for me, chills for about 40 minutes, sore arm the next day total fatigue. Other than that just fine.

 

[GBBUDD]

Didn't effect me one bit ..... didn't get it .... already had the virus...... don't believe these smart experts who wear a mask on a video conference call....

 

[combatwombat]

Alright, made a little video update on the wetland filter build:

Where I could use a little help is in deciding if this is a good idea or not:

Picked up these plastic pallets on FB for $7 each. I didn't dig the filter out in a way that really accommodates them well (sloped floor, oval shape) but figured it wouldn't hurt to test them since they're so cheap. I could probably carve them up a little bit to get them fitting better. Not sure how I would level them, though. Could also stack them to get more volume of space for settling.

Just an idea. Let me know what you think. If it's a bad one, I'll repurpose them for something else.

Oh! And the retaining wall blocks for one of the pond walls showed up today:

 

[brokensword]

Alright, made a little video update on the wetland filter build:

Where I could use a little help is in deciding if this is a good idea or not:

View attachment 138716

Picked up these plastic pallets on FB for $7 each. I didn't dig the filter out in a way that really accommodates them well (sloped floor, oval shape) but figured it wouldn't hurt to test them since they're so cheap. I could probably carve them up a little bit to get them fitting better. Not sure how I would level them, though. Could also stack them to get more volume of space for settling.

Just an idea. Let me know what you think. If it's a bad one, I'll repurpose them for something else.

Oh! And the retaining wall blocks for one of the pond walls showed up today:

View attachment 138717

okay, my initial thoughts upon watching your vid;

1. in the future, it would have been a LOT easier to just take a circular saw and cut 1/3 down from the top. Quick and easy, instead of all that drilling and sawzalling. A LOT QUICKER!

2. I'd really like to see you use a transition piece from the pond tubing to the drain pipe. They make them, as it's what I used for bog v1. You can also use a Fernco adaptor of the right size(s)

3. Have you measured the pump you're going to be putting down the snorkel? If you have it already, I'd do a test to see how that goes. What I found is that you really need some room to get it in and out. Your snorkel looks tight unless you have a very slim pump in mind. My snorkel (diy) was larger than yours and my first pump trial I used a sump pump; it fit but barely.

4. At the bottom, it would be better if you could actually get your pump to sit flat and not be hindered by the drain tubing coming through. You did it the way I did but I had more room and only let the drain pipe extend in a couple of inches. If you can, put some sort of transition piece at the bottom so you can attach the centipede OUTSIDE the snorkel and have this transition piece be attached to the outside of your snorkel.

5. As long as those FB pallets are strong enough, it'll work but I'd take some large, round stones (6-8") and lay them in the places you don't have pallet coverage. Too, from what I'm seeing, pea gravel is probably going to fall between the pallets and you'll probably not get the effect you want, unless you're planning on some sort of screen to stop this from happening?

6. IF YOU CAN, I'd definitely form your bog to be concave on the sides; it is the one major flaw my bog v1 had. Easy when you already have it dug but no water; just backfill and tamp on an angle, then replace the liner+underlay. Your bog will have less volume but not that much less as the top will still be the same surface area; it'll only be at the bottom you'll lose some real estate.


I think those were my main concerns upon seeing your lil vid. Hope you feel better soon!

 

[GBBUDD]

Nice job on cutting the slots in the culvert pipe. Me chain saw masaker looks the same in the end but 1/4 the time. One note of having the centipede stick into the snorkel like that it will make it tough to get tithe bottom around the centipede. If

 

[combatwombat]

I'd really like to see you use a transition piece from the pond tubing to the drain pipe.

Why is that necessary? What does it accomplish?

Your snorkel looks tight unless you have a very slim pump in mind.

One note of having the centipede stick into the snorkel like that it will make it tough to get tithe bottom around the centipede.

Looks you both had the same concern. Just went outside and tested the fit with my 4,000 gph utility pump. Fits with plenty of room to spare. Maybe not as easy once it's full of water, but shouldn't be much trouble. Wanted a good junction between snorkel/centipede to prevent any possibility of slippage/becoming disconnected.

As long as those FB pallets are strong enough, it'll work but I'd take some large, round stones (6-8") and lay them in the places you don't have pallet coverage.

Yes, I had the same thought.

pea gravel is probably going to fall between the pallets and you'll probably not get the effect you want, unless you're planning on some sort of screen to stop this from happening?

Probably no pea gravel in here. More like 1" river stone on top. And that's on top of min. 16" of other, bigger stone/cobble. Might mix some pea gravel in w/ the 1" on top, but can't see how it would migrate that far down.

IF YOU CAN, I'd definitely form your bog to be concave on the sides; it is the one major flaw my bog v1 had.

You've mentioned this a few times, but I don't really understand the purpose. How is a sloped wall an improvement over a vertical wall? What problem does it fix?

Thanks for double-checking my work!

 

[brokensword]

Why is that necessary? What does it accomplish?
.
.
.

You've mentioned this a few times, but I don't really understand the purpose. How is a sloped wall an improvement over a vertical wall? What problem does it fix?

Thanks for double-checking my work!

Helps keep the force pushing forward and not backward; your inlet piping from your pond will be a lot smaller than your drain tubing, yes?

IF you backflush, it matters. If you only send a pump down and let your pond pump push from the bottom, you're only going to get rid of anything settled there. Which is fine. But if you want to unclog the top layer, which is where you're going to get any clogging, you need to push a lot of water forcefully down into the bog from the top. Having concave walls means that when you backflush, all the energy is going to go toward your bottom most low spot. Think of it as 'dead spots' if you have vertical walls. Not an essential thing but as I said, easy to do now what CAN help in the future and you don't really lose much.

 

[GBBUDD]

From your slit cuts I imagine your circular cut to make the pipes join is tight but I would still add some fabric along that joint just to insure nothing shifts and gives a possibility of letting stones in. No I didn't I had a coupling .

 

[combatwombat]

From your slit cuts I imagine your circular cut to make the pipes join is tight but I would still add some fabric along that joint just to insure nothing shifts and gives a possibility of letting stones in. No I didn't I had a coupling .

Good call. The circular cut is good, but could be tighter. I just eyeballed and realized after the fact that I could have used a nail and piece of string to get a very accurate scribed line. Next time...

I plan to foam the joint closed.

 

[GBBUDD]

Good call. The circular cut is good, but could be tighter. I just eyeballed and realized after the fact that I could have used a nail and piece of string to get a very accurate scribed line. Next time...

I plan to foam the joint closed.

Agree with the foam but I would still wrap it in fabric and or if you cut the smallest size of the culvert ie the inner rings with rubber you can make a gasket

 

[GBBUDD]

Can I just remember the Shaquille pond build had retaining wall and fire pit. Inside the liner and they don't show alot but they do show prep under the liner then it looked like fabric and then pea stone. I myself would create that trench for the wall too shut in have tge liner follow the depression so the walls first block are buried in the trench and are locked in by the base of the pond stone.

 

[combatwombat]

@GBBUDD: I just watched a video on the Shaq build yesterday. The construction technique is actually what I already did. I dug a trench at the bottom of the wall and the liner follows that depression. Now I will use pea gravel or similar to create my base and stack the wall on top of that.

That Shaq build gave me two other ideas, too:

1. The in-pond fire pit. My wife was not totally thrilled that I repurposed our planned fire pit area on the far side of the pond for a waterfall because she didn't want to take up more space on the house side for it. But I could build it into the pond like Shaq's and I think it would be really cool and would solve her concern.

2. Gravity drain waterfalls. Think I'm going to install a couple 1" tubes in the wetland to siphon a bit of water out that will daylight somewhere else and create a kind of small, secret waterfall. Can even use one like a jet where I'm going to have a dead zone.

A couple weeks ago I was trying to come to terms with not having a waterfall at all, and now I may end up with 3 or 4 of them.

 

[GBBUDD]

Good move on the 3 or 4 . Trust me NOT ONE person comes and sees the pond and doesn't have waterfall in there very first sentences.
The hidden falls and tube I think is more work then you need to do . Your land is flat unless you want to just start a tiny trickle somewhere aways from the pond with a small stream then that's probably the best way but if it's just on the other side of a Boulder on a stream just have your liner wide enough on the bottom and then close in the area with your rocks and maybe even second piece of rubber sealed with foam to divert the water more so then to make it water proof.

 

[combatwombat]

My dad is coming over tomorrow with his utility trailer to help me pick up some gravel so that I can start rocking. Also working out a deal with a family friend to borrow their 6500 lb excavator for a bit. Just watched some youtube videos of a 6000 lb bobcat lift a 2000 lb rock at full arm extension without even breaking a sweat, so I might have to go get some bigger boulders!

In the meantime, here's a picture of the wetland a few hundred yards from my house where I see hawks, eagles, herons, and egrets every time I wander by:

 

[combatwombat]

First load of gravel acquired. Built a little stand to wheelbarrow the gravel over the deep end so I can dump it in.

Wife came out while I was working and asked what I was doing. Told her I was installing a diving board.