Fixing a pond

[Jer]

Hello,we bought a house with a small pond (8x10) last summer. A couple of weeks ago we were gone for a weekend and when we came back half the water was gone. Once it was completely drained I pulled out the old liner and I'm having trouble deciding what liner to use. I narrowed it down to EPDM or RPE. Which one would be better to use? We would like to have some plants and a couple of fishes. We live in Maryland if that makes a difference.

 

[Jer]

This is a picture of the pond with the liner removed. The wooden boards are the edge of the pond and the rocks were around it and covering the boards. Would also like recommendations if there's anything I need to change. Eventually I would like to add a small waterfall, should I do it now or can I add it later?

 

[Mmathis]

Hello and welcome!

 

[j.w]

@Jer
I use EPDM 45ml and have never used the other. Some here have them so they can help ya. Did that pond have any kind of protective underlay under the liner?

 

[combatwombat]

I haven’t used EPDM, but that’s the standard. I have a number of RPE liners. They’re a lot stiffer but lighter and stronger. I think it would work fine for you.

If you want a waterfall, do it now and do the pond and falls with a single liner. Will save you a lot of headache.

 

[Jer]

View attachment 150971@Jer
I use EPDM 45ml and have never used the other. Some here have them so they can help ya. Did that pond have any kind of protective underlay under the liner?

Thank you! It did not have a underlay under the liner. I think I'm supposed to use one if I choose the EPDM liner,right?

 

[Jer]

I haven’t used EPDM, but that’s the standard. I have a number of RPE liners. They’re a lot stiffer but lighter and stronger. I think it would work fine for you.

If you want a waterfall, do it now and do the pond and falls with a single liner. Will save you a lot of headache.

Thank you for the advice. I read somewhere that the RPE was better for larger ponds since it's less flexible. Will it work fine for a waterfall too? Or should I use a more flexible one for that?

 

[CometKeith]

Thank you for the advice. I read somewhere that the RPE was better for larger ponds since it's less flexible. Will it work fine for a waterfall too? Or should I use a more flexible one for that?

Hi. I have always used epdm with good results. A liner might not be a bad idea because of the tree roots that I see. Definitely you could build a small waterfall on one end. Most experienced ponders will say you can never have enough water movement for a healthy pond. Also are you planning a biological filter? They are a great way of keeping the pond water healthy for your fish. Also I would recommend you make it 3-4 feet deep to keep a stable water temperature in all seasons and also to protect the fish from predictors. Be sure to berm the edges of the pond higher than the ground next to it to keep harmful water runoff that may have chemicals from your yard go into it. Also you may want to check the height of the wood on the sides and make sure everything is level. You can put a level on a 2x4 to check that it’s the same all around. Also when you install the new liner it can take a month or two before the new pond is chemically balanced so don’t add more than one or two small fish before it has cycled. You will know it’s cycled when a lot of the algae disappears on its own. Good luck!

 

[combatwombat]

Thank you for the advice. I read somewhere that the RPE was better for larger ponds since it's less flexible. Will it work fine for a waterfall too? Or should I use a more flexible one for that?

I've built 4 waterfalls big and small with the stuff now, so I'd say it's fine for that. You can't go wrong either way. They're both great materials

 

[Mmathis]

Definitely don’t go with a plastic or PVC liner. I used 45 mil EPDM. It was fairly easy to work with. Use an underlayment.

 

[addy1]

Welcome to the forum!

I used RPE type liner for 5 of my last ponds. From small to big and one huge rpe liner for my current pond and bog. They said I did not need underlayment. But our dirt is a bit of dirt with a ton of shale and rocks. So I did use underlay.

 

[j.w]

@Jer I myself would use underlayment for all types of liners just to be safe. You can use old pieces of carpet w/o any tacks or blankets, cardboard, towels, throw rugs or a combo of anything soft and thick. If using old blankets, towels or bedspreads you might want to layer them to make it thick. You don't want any punctures from rocks or roots.