I know this forum is about building a pond... but we purchased a new house with a nice ~10'x4' pond. We have one infant and a toddler and would like to fill in the pond for a few years, then later restore it. So would like to keep the linen. I wonder what's the best way to go about that? We have lots of stones, we could use to fill it in, although that will spoil the landscaping around the pond... I was also thinking in using construction blocks - less heavy than stones (for the linen and also to empty later on) and with holes so that there's some breathing at the bottom? Then put a layer of smaller stones and dirt for some swallow-roots flowers... thoughts? Appreciate your advice.
Filling in pond
- Thread starter Alfonso
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By retaining the liner, assuming it does not leak, it will retain water thereby mixing with soil and debris. In time, this mixture will turn into mock, rancid yet fertile. Bottom line is that you will have a smelly bog littered with all manner of stuff.
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The weight of the stone or blocks is irrelevant. How well the load is distributed is what's important. The corner of a block or rock with sharp edge can tear the liner. Any open space will fill with rotting organic matter and septic bacteria. Fill it with concrete sand and cover with soil. That will be cheap and easy to remove. When you do, mix the sand into your garden soil or flower beds and get a huge bonus in soil quality. Well, I'm assuming you're soil is not already overly sandy.
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10 X 4 is not very big. I would remove the liner and store it away.
Perhaps use the hole that is left behind as a rain garden.
Perhaps use the hole that is left behind as a rain garden.
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morewater
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Ditto. Pondless is the way to go. Install a vault and snorkel set-up..........Enjoy.
Thank you all very much! We will probably remove the linen altogether or make cuts at the bottom to avoid having a smelly bog as mentioned above, and fill it with sand/soil. Pondless waterfall is a great idea, but we are looking for an easy fix before summer.
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No! No! No!
Read my post #3 carefully. Pondless waterfall is a great idea, and it would attract all kinds of wildlife; birds, frogs, salamanders, rabbits, deer and much more. If you don't want to do that you don't have to destroy your liner to avoid a smelly bog!
The reason I suggested concrete sand specifically is that it is a mixture of a range of grain sizes, the reason being that each of the smaller size particles will fill the gaps left behind by the next larger size particles. This is why your concrete sidewalk isn't full of holes like swiss cheese that fill up with water and burst it into rubble the first time it freezes. By the same principle, the concrete sand will fill nearly every gap where bacteria can grow. Sure there will be some, but unless you grow the nose of a bloodhound, you won't know it's there. It's great fertilizer as Big Lou mentioned.
If you can buy the sand from your local stone quarry you can save about 4:1 over the price of buying it in bags. Further save by just covering the rocks with a 4" layer and using soil for the rest. If your soil is pure clay like mine, mix to 1/3 sand for the soil that cannot drain to be easy to dig back out.
Read my post #3 carefully. Pondless waterfall is a great idea, and it would attract all kinds of wildlife; birds, frogs, salamanders, rabbits, deer and much more. If you don't want to do that you don't have to destroy your liner to avoid a smelly bog!
The reason I suggested concrete sand specifically is that it is a mixture of a range of grain sizes, the reason being that each of the smaller size particles will fill the gaps left behind by the next larger size particles. This is why your concrete sidewalk isn't full of holes like swiss cheese that fill up with water and burst it into rubble the first time it freezes. By the same principle, the concrete sand will fill nearly every gap where bacteria can grow. Sure there will be some, but unless you grow the nose of a bloodhound, you won't know it's there. It's great fertilizer as Big Lou mentioned.
If you can buy the sand from your local stone quarry you can save about 4:1 over the price of buying it in bags. Further save by just covering the rocks with a 4" layer and using soil for the rest. If your soil is pure clay like mine, mix to 1/3 sand for the soil that cannot drain to be easy to dig back out.
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I would do a pondless, you have the water fall, have piping to the waterfall. Not sure what kind of pump, if submersible you are almost done. Your kids would love it and no amount of water to get harmed in.
Well you guys are convincing us to go for the pondless water fall 
... but I have some questions (maybe should I start a different thread?):
1) Should we fill it with sand + stones? Or only stones (small and big), If so how to protect the linen then?
2) Our pump is submersed, yes, next to the settling chamber (maybe 1-2feet under water level). We have bottom drain connected to the settling chamber... is this enough to circulate water properly?
Thanks!
... but I have some questions (maybe should I start a different thread?):1) Should we fill it with sand + stones? Or only stones (small and big), If so how to protect the linen then?
2) Our pump is submersed, yes, next to the settling chamber (maybe 1-2feet under water level). We have bottom drain connected to the settling chamber... is this enough to circulate water properly?
Thanks!
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I have never made one so not much help.
But here are a bunch of you tube videos on it.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=pondless+waterfall
But here are a bunch of you tube videos on it.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=pondless+waterfall
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Well then no sand. The sand was to prevent a stinking mess in a stagnant pool of water. Big rocks at the bottom, preferably those flattened ones with the rounded edges. The idea is to not stretch, pinch or poke the liner excessively. It's pretty tough. The flattened rocks will help distribute the load. Any size rocks above that, but you my want the ones on top to be small enough to keep out the leaves.
Now we learn you have a bottom drain and settling chamber. Can it get any easier? Sounds like you just need some rocks and a garden hose!
Now we learn you have a bottom drain and settling chamber. Can it get any easier? Sounds like you just need some rocks and a garden hose!
sissy
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The sound of water will still be there and can be calming to children .pondless is the way to go so I agree and what fun when the children see butterflies and birds come to visit