HOW TO INTEGRATE POND WITH WATERFALL

[Mmathis]

Yea! I'm finally getting close enough to ask this question!

Almost have the hole-in-the-ground ready for the liner. Still have a little more work to do on the perimeter: berm, rock shelves. Since I'm doing everything in stages, one step at a time, will finish the pond then work on the waterfall.

Is there anything in particular that I need to do NOW that will make the waterfall-stage go smoothly? Do I "berm" the entire pond, even where the w/f will be? How far back from the pond edge should I leave for construction, etc?

 

[addy1]

You can skip the berm where the waterfall will be. How far back for construction, not sure what you are saying. If you can make your liner and waterfall one piece of liner.

 

[sissy]

I did this as I did not have much room the other waterfall I just loosely stacked stones

 

[Waterbug]

I'm not fond of one piece waterfall/pond liner. Needless work and/or expense. Overlapping works well as long as a gap is placed between the liners. I like simple.

 

[sissy]

mine is overlapped like the first pic but i did not use anything to seal it since I was overlapping it by 4 ft each way up and down .I did not have quite enough to make it up to the tank .

 

[Waterbug]

Capillary effect can move water more than 100' vertically. But in overlapping liners normally the amount of water leaked is very small if it happens at all. Once in a while the leak is noticeable. The problem normally becomes an issue if the soil becomes saturated and there some settling of the waterfall structure or the pond wall slumps.

You certainly don't "need" to put a gap between the 2 liners. For me the tiny effort is worth the risk reduction.

 

[Mucky_Waters]

My waterfall is right in the inside corner of two walls and my pond water level comes within an inch of the wood frame portion of these walls. The walls are stuccoed, but water can saturate through stucco if it stays damp long enough and rot the wood framing inside the wall. In my case it was imperative that the walls stay dry, so I went one piece liner to protect the wall, and used another piece of liner for the waterfall itself, so even if the water overflows or seeps past the first liner it will still be contained within the main liner and end up back in the pond.

Here's some pictures of my waterfall build.

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/gallery/image/1877-1unevenground/



https://www.gardenpondforum.com/gallery/image/1878-2levelground/



https://www.gardenpondforum.com/gallery/image/1879-3underlay/


This picture below shows the excess liner in the corner. As I put the blocks in place for the waterfall that excess liner got laid up the wall above the maximum water height in the waterfall.

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/gallery/image/1880-liner/


I also used scrap pieces of liner under the blocks to protect the main liner from the sharp edges of the blocks.

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/gallery/image/1883-waterfallblocks2/



https://www.gardenpondforum.com/gallery/image/1882-waterfallblocks/



https://www.gardenpondforum.com/gallery/image/1884-waterfallsecondliner/



https://www.gardenpondforum.com/gallery/image/1881-secondlinerpond/



https://www.gardenpondforum.com/gallery/image/1885-xwaterfall/

 

[sissy]

Is that styrofoam on top of the block before you put the second liner in .I want to redo part of my waterfall and was thinking of what to use and the plants you have tucked in the sides are they just bare root or in pots

 

[sissy]

I have a bigger piece of liner and the liner to my water fall now is about a foot short and had to add a piece to get up to the tank

I have put in the led lights that shine down on the waterfall but something is missing

 

[Mucky_Waters]

Is that styrofoam on top of the block before you put the second liner in .I want to redo part of my waterfall and was thinking of what to use and the plants you have tucked in the sides are they just bare root or in pots

Yes Sissy I just used the styrofoam pieces to give myself some level "steps" as a base to help hold the rock in place.

 

[sissy]

I want to make my waterfall steeper so i get more aeration in the water

 

[j.w]

Good photo's of your nice build and love how you made your falls w/ those blocks and used the extra liner scraps to protect everything. That last photo is so pretty!

 

[27goldfish]

I left extra liner from my waterfall into the actual pond. An overlap. Then I got pond seam tape and taped it up and cut off the excess.

 

[Waterbug]

Making a falls steeper will not increase O2. It's a surface area thing, not a force thing.

 

[Mucky_Waters]

Is that styrofoam on top of the block before you put the second liner in .I want to redo part of my waterfall and was thinking of what to use and the plants you have tucked in the sides are they just bare root or in pots

They are bare root. It's watercress.