evaporation?

[bagsmom]

Just wondering... New pond is running! The waterfall is quite splashy and boisterous. It wets all the surrounding rocks. I have turned the falls off a couple of times to get back in and really foam it up good. I have plenty of liner up there, so even the stuff splashing should run back into the pond. It's been pretty windy.

What is a reasonable evaporation amount? I don't think I have a leak. I've been very careful with my work and put extra underlayment under the heavy rocks.

It seems like the water level goes down by a half inch in about two days. Reasonable with a splish-splashy falls?

 

[Nepen]

The amount of evaporation can surprise you I had a few time a year like that. You can do a few experiments.
There are many thread about this that you can look in detail.
I would turn off the water fall, see if the water still drop as fast. If the water didnt drop then it comes from the fall.
A dry windy winter days can quickly evaporate your water.

 

[DeepWater]

I think I lost 2 inches due to evaporation over the 3 days of super high winds last week.

 

[EricV]

I'd say totally reasonable even in mild spring weather. More when it gets hot.

 

[Lisak1]

Yup. Agree with all above. You'll get to know your own pond and figure out what's normal. Dry, cold winter days really suck up the pond! Wind can evaporate quickly as well as just plain old blow it out of the waterfall! And wait until your plants get growing - they suck up water and put it out into the atmosphere like you won't believe!

Just watch for low edges. Most new pond owners are convinced they have a leak - it's a natural fear - but those almost 100% of the time turn out to be an edge that settled or liner that got crimped and is wicking water out of the pond... another way you can lose water like crazy. Check your edges, especially around your waterfall, for damp or wet spots to be sure you aren't funneling water out instead of down!

 

[CometKeith]

I had an unsolvable leak last year. I even got in the pond and felt for cuts and abrasions in the liner to find the problem. I was certain that when some of my waterfall rocks toppled over one time they cut the liner. Last ditch effort before I replaced my liner I went and recut all the ends of the hoses from my pump to my filters etc so the ends were nice and firm with nothing stretched out. Leak problem=solved!

 

[bagsmom]

All this stuff is good to know! I do have some heavy rocks around the falls, but was very very careful placing and moving them. I do have some wrinkles, but they have been foamed up (to a point that is ridiculous. I am Foam Lady.)

I think the cold weather - plus the fact that the waterfall splashes and wets a bunch of the surrounding rocks - is increasing the evaporation. We are expecting a freeze, so I don't want to turn off anything right now. But after that, I will fill the pond and turn off the waterfall for a while, to see what I can see.

Thanks for all the info.

 

[Becky]

I'd agree with the others - the amount of water lost through evaporation can be quite surprising. We thought we had a leak in our pond last year and it turned out it was evaporation off the net!

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/threads/water-loss-caused-by-net.19713/

 

[MoonShadows]

Pardon my ignorance

, but what does it mean when you say "foam up".

 

[DeepWater]

Hahaha, 2 search terms that give 2 completely different results - waterfall and foam. This isn't the one related to DOCs - dissolved organic compounds. This is the pond safe black spray foam. "Foam Up" means squirting it behind and under the waterfall rocks to force water where you want it to go. This stuff:

 

[MoonShadows]

Thank you @DeepWater!

 

[teeemkay]

I agree with everything that has been said so far. Ponds still lose a lot of water via evaporation during the winter, especially after multiple days of very cold, dry weather. Half an inch of water disappearing over a couple days in winter conditions is about normal for my pond.

 

[MitchM]

Track your humidity levels and wind strength.
You'll lose more water and your water will cool down more on dry windy days than it will on still, high humidity days.

.

 

[adavisus]

When you have had a prolonged hard freeze, you might find rodents, sheltering behind liners, can only find water by pecking though liners, you might want to have a good patch kit on hand when you come across their mischief, likely to be behind hidey places where plants drape over the edge

 

[carolinaguy]

We saw about half an inch per day recently of evaporation with cool, dry air, sunshine, and about a 5 to 15 knot wind. After that weather passed and the wind died off, the pond level was unchanging to maybe an eighth. Ours is an 8000 gallon pond with a 9 by 24 foot rectangular surface.