First Spring with Pond, need some help

[addy1]

So water is not running out of the liner, just not staying on top of the rocks. You could tear it apart and start over, or get some foam and squirt it in under the rocks where it is running out. Just keep watching the water flow, fix a area work down to the next.

 

[Lisak1]

You have a pretty pond! I'm with @addy1 - it sounds like the waterfall is indeed the culprit and since it's not huge the easiest thing might be to start pulling rocks and see what you can find. Rocks can settle over time and create areas where water can escape. And there' s no better way to get to know your pond than to start moving stuff around! Get a few cans of waterfall foam, turn every thing off and start moving rocks! It'll be fun! (She says from the other side of the computer screen!)

 

[addy1]

I moved rocks , foamed them, worked on the stream waterfalls etc for a bit after my build. Finding the tiny leak, fixing, redirecting the water flow, fixing, after winter fixing the settling, deer damage. This spring no issues, the deer had enough food without munching on all of my plants, stomping on the stream, moving rocks, etc etc

A few fell into the pond, big suckers, I need warm water to get into the deep end to get them out. That 3 feet of snow pushed them in. Eventually I will pull them out.

 

[krock51]

Hey everyone, just following up. I did end up removing most of the rocks and redirecting the waterfall with foam. This did fix the problem, for a few days until I was actually able to observe the actual problem. What was happening is that the waterfall pump's output would drop,causing the top waterfall basin to drain, filling the pond up above the drain in the skimmer box. Eventually, the pump would pick back up, putting out the correct amount water, but having lost water down the drain, the pump would begin to starve.

I have since removed the pump, hoping to find it plugged or dirty. Unfortunately, the bearings are seizing up in the pump. I am currently in the process of rebuilding it, an Aquascape SFA4500, with new seals, o-rings, and bearings. I currently have it apart and will be picking up the new bearings and seals this Friday. I know there are a number of people on here and other forums looking for how to rebuild these pumps, so I will be putting together a tutorial with pictures and part numbers/sizes.

Thank you all for the advice so far. I currently upgraded the fountain pump from the 350 to a 550GPH to at least keep the pond clean until I am able to finish fixing the waterfall pump.

 

[sissy]

I would have bought a new pump ,but that is me ,

 

[peter hillman]

I'd like to rebuild my pumps. Or would I?

 

[sissy]

At least I admit it peter, no way not worth it

 

[krock51]

I would have bought a new pump ,but that is me ,

A new Aquascape SFA4500 is $600+, parts will probably be less than $100. The $100 fits my budget better than the $600, especially with a baby on the way in October

 

[sissy]

I bought laguna pumps for energy savings .congrats on the new baby and you will have to post pics of your bundle of joy .

 

[Richardspond]

4500 gak pump is your problem. It's blasting water out. Way to much for a 200 gallon pond. Waterfall pumps have a lot of pressure at the head to push water up. I'd say you are over pressured

7 x 5 x 2
70

70 in volume feet
7.48 gal per ft is 523 gallons your pond
If you add fis you'd want double that. 1047 gph, you have quadroople what you need

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Sorry for the delay in a follow-up response. Richardspond is correct concerning the size of the pump, but this is not why you have been having trouble with the water flow. The skimmer weir is too small for the flow rate of the pump. For a pump this size an 8.5" weir opening is required. The 6" weir is not letting sufficient water flow into the skimmer box. Over time this translates into a constantly lowering water level within the skimmer box eventually resulting in the pump cavitating and overheating....destroying the pump bearings and perhaps the seals.
Solution is either to install a skimmer with a larger weir opening or reducing the size of the pump.
This from Savio-

• The 6" weir on the full size skimmer is recommended for pumps moving 500 up to 2,500 gph.

• The 8.5" weir is recommended for up to 5,000 gph.

The 16" weir is good for up to 8,500 gph.

 

[krock51]

Well, I just finished rebuilding the pump today. The biggest thing, how quiet it is, which should have led me to believe the pump was the problem to begin with if I knew what it should've sounded like in the first place. I'll keep this posted with results, but so far no water loss after 5 hours.

Meyer & Richard:

I have one 4500gph pump providing water to two (twin) 24" wide (48" wide total) waterfalls 36" above the pond surface. Correct me if I'm wrong, as I've only pulled up a couple calculators on the web, but based on that info, I would actually need a pump that provides 6000gph @ 3ft for the correct size. The SFA4500 puts out 4500gph at 5ft. Please tell me if my math is off, again, I'm new to this

 

[Meyer Jordan]

I have one 4500gph pump providing water to two (twin) 24" wide (48" wide total) waterfalls 36" above the pond surface. Correct me if I'm wrong, as I've only pulled up a couple calculators on the web, but based on that info, I would actually need a pump that provides 6000gph @ 3ft for the correct size. The SFA4500 puts out 4500gph at 5ft. Please tell me if my math is off, again, I'm new to this

Every pumps performance will vary among manufacturers. You need to look at a particular pump's performance chart to find out what the flow rate would be at a certain height.
If you are to follow the accepted calculations for waterfall flow, then for a 1/4" deep flow (usually the accepted minimum) you will need 100gph for each 1" of weir width. You have 48" total, so you need 4800 gph minimum.
Is this what you are asking?