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- Jun 11, 2023
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Hi all, I am a newbie and have a pond that was built by a former owner so I don't know the exact size. The pond is about 1,200 to 1,800 gallons based on approximate surface area and average depth. My pond has a skimmer at one end and a waterfall bio filter ("biofalls") that is similar to Aquascape signature series biofalls, except mine has a trapezoid shaped top instead of a semicircle. The skimmer also appears to be an old aquascape type skimmer with an Aquascape water fill valve. The pump is a tsurumi vancs 50pn2.75s pump. I turned the pond on in early May and there was no water pooling behind the skimmer even when the pump was running 24/7, so I don't think the problem is a wrong size pump. The previous owner also used the same pump.
The schematic below illustrates the pond except there is a small approx 50 gallon mini or retention pond at the top that is filled by the waterfall first and then flows down two streams into the main pond. The schematic below doesn't show the minipond that would collect the water from biofalls (2) and then overflows to form the two streams.
In June, a lot of algae was growing in the pond so I decided to put more filtering material in the biofalls filter. Originally there were three coarse white filters and a mesh bag of about 25 lbs of lava rock in the biofalls. I added Matala filter pads as follows: two layers of low density black at the bottom, then two layers of the medium density green and one layer of the high density blue, followed by three original white coarse filter pads, and finally a big mesh bag of bioballs. I took the 25 lbs of lava rock in the mesh bag and put it in the top mini-pond instead of the biofalls filter so that it wouldn't squeeze the filters pads all the way to the bottom and allow some open space where the water inlet pipe (4) is shown. I also put three screen pots with pea gravelin the top mini-pond. The idea was to turn the top minipond into a bog with the lava rock and pea gravel and the streams into the main pond.
After I put in the new filter media, I turned on the pond pump. Naturally, the water level in the skimmer and pond initially goes down as the water is pumped up to the waterfall, which activates the Aquascape water fill valve to add more water into the skimmer/pond. Normally, the valve should remain open until the skimmer fills up with water to a set level, which would shut off the Aquascape water fill valve. This no longer happens. The water continues to flow into the skimmer from the pond and the skimmer does not fill up to the point where the water fill valve would shut off. Instead, the water level in the skimmer only goes up about half way but not high enough to shut off the water-fill valve. Interestingly, water is pooling behind the skimmer and flooding the yard as shown in the attached pictures. This suggests there could be a leak. But I cannot find a leak behind the skimmer and the lining is well above the pooled area so it doesn't appear that the water is making its way around the skimmer and pooling behind it instead of filling the pond. Are there other possible causes besides a leak?
I am hoping one of you experienced pond
sleuths can figure out this mystery. Thanks in advance for your input.
The schematic below illustrates the pond except there is a small approx 50 gallon mini or retention pond at the top that is filled by the waterfall first and then flows down two streams into the main pond. The schematic below doesn't show the minipond that would collect the water from biofalls (2) and then overflows to form the two streams.
In June, a lot of algae was growing in the pond so I decided to put more filtering material in the biofalls filter. Originally there were three coarse white filters and a mesh bag of about 25 lbs of lava rock in the biofalls. I added Matala filter pads as follows: two layers of low density black at the bottom, then two layers of the medium density green and one layer of the high density blue, followed by three original white coarse filter pads, and finally a big mesh bag of bioballs. I took the 25 lbs of lava rock in the mesh bag and put it in the top mini-pond instead of the biofalls filter so that it wouldn't squeeze the filters pads all the way to the bottom and allow some open space where the water inlet pipe (4) is shown. I also put three screen pots with pea gravelin the top mini-pond. The idea was to turn the top minipond into a bog with the lava rock and pea gravel and the streams into the main pond.
After I put in the new filter media, I turned on the pond pump. Naturally, the water level in the skimmer and pond initially goes down as the water is pumped up to the waterfall, which activates the Aquascape water fill valve to add more water into the skimmer/pond. Normally, the valve should remain open until the skimmer fills up with water to a set level, which would shut off the Aquascape water fill valve. This no longer happens. The water continues to flow into the skimmer from the pond and the skimmer does not fill up to the point where the water fill valve would shut off. Instead, the water level in the skimmer only goes up about half way but not high enough to shut off the water-fill valve. Interestingly, water is pooling behind the skimmer and flooding the yard as shown in the attached pictures. This suggests there could be a leak. But I cannot find a leak behind the skimmer and the lining is well above the pooled area so it doesn't appear that the water is making its way around the skimmer and pooling behind it instead of filling the pond. Are there other possible causes besides a leak?
I am hoping one of you experienced pond