Im new and looking at building a small pond, stream and waterfall

[dandannewpondman]

Hi Im dan and im looking to build a stream and waterfall in my garden.
Not a huge thing, maybe 150 x 100 cms pond, a 4-5 metre stream.
starting the source a rock pile maybe 70cms tall with a reservoir tank concealed inside, allowing water to trickle or fall into the stream appx 40-50 cms wide, the water then flows done onto a small waterfall that drops appx 30cms into a pond. water then pumped back up to the reservoir tank for recirculation .
My issue is that id like to fit aa solenoid or float somewhere to ensure that water is always at the right level and it can be automatically filled from mins water supply.
Any tips for me, in particular where should i fit the float valve and how do i make sure the water is always at the right level?

forgive me if its not quite clear, but id welcome any tips.

Thanks

 

[Mmathis]

Hello and welcome. I can’t answer your question, but there are a number of smart people on here who are great at this sort of thing.

 

[sissy]

Welcome and number 1 question do you have city water .I did use a low water float but it failed because a rodent chewed through the hose and I sure can't afford to drill a new well . Lucky I noticed it and lawn did get well watered in that area . I even have to watch my electric wires here . They are really dumb rodents . I live in the country so there are plenty of them around

 

[dandannewpondman]

Hi - Im in the UK - not sure what city water is, do you mean hard water? if so, yes its hard water. its a walled garden no issues with pests at all. i was looking at a low water float that works like a toilet cistern, turning on the water when its low, but where would i put it?

 

[TheFishGuy]

Hi - Im in the UK - not sure what city water is, do you mean hard water? if so, yes its hard water. its a walled garden no issues with pests at all. i was looking at a low water float that works like a toilet cistern, turning on the water when its low, but where would i put it?

City water is usually water that is decontaminated and processed by a city/town before it is sent to your house. Well water simply comes from a pump that is dug into a deep hole in your yard.

As far as the float valve, I would say that if you could drill it into a rock that would be the most natural looking and unobtrusive, or you could simply drill it into the reservoir tank and attempt to conceal it with rocks. ( make sure to seal that tank around where you drill it to avoid water loss )

And make sure it is in an area of low water movement, these things are a bit finicky and if the water level is all over the place it wont know what to do.

Additionally, I would advise that you disconnect the water supply if you were to go away, as there are too many horror story's of these things failing whether it is from a snail, a critter, or anything else.

 

[dandannewpondman]

im in a small town in the UK, i can check its source, with my water supplier, its from a mains pipe, not any well. is it important to know?

Id thought a float in the reservior tank than feeds the stream, guess its really trial and error!
appreciate the feedback.

 

[TheFishGuy]

im in a small town in the UK, i can check its source, with my water supplier, its from a mains pipe, not any well. is it important to know?

Id thought a float in the reservior tank than feeds the stream, guess its really trial and error!
appreciate the feedback.

I am not sure why @sissy asked, some city water has chlorine and chloramines which can harm fish if not treated before entering the pond, so that might be the reason she asked.

I like the idea of that, less things to interfere with the float valve in that situation.

 

[dandannewpondman]

Ok - I see - ill get the water tested but initially its just a water feature,no fish planned.

Thanks

 

[brokensword]

Ok - I see - ill get the water tested but initially its just a water feature,no fish planned.

Thanks

if you're only putting in small amounts of water to top it off, no problem re chlorine/chloramines; too small a qty to worry about.

It's still a good idea to know what your source water has in it.

I used a similar float valve like you're referencing; I hooked it up via plumbing pieces to a hose, which is attached to the house water (I'm on a well). I then made a 'holder' for it and covered with rocks to camouflage it. The float part, I put a hollow/fake rock over it, set on two bricks on either side of the float, so the pond level is accessible to the float. Easy, fairly cheap; just need to do the plumbing from the source. And you can make this 'holder' by taking some plexi and heating it, bending into an L shape, using the flat part to put a rock on to keep the float upright. I can get pics, but not now; still covered with snow winter tent/snow at the moment!

 

[dandannewpondman]

Thats really helpful, pretty much along the lines that i thought, I expect it will be trial and error with the levels, but nice to have it confirmed, thank you, very much appreciated.

 

[j.w]

@dandannewpondman
If you aren't planning to have fish in there then I wouldn't worry so much on additives to the water to rid it of the Chlor chems. Not sure if birds etc. would be effected by the water tho. Maybe someone else knows the answer to that one.

 

[addy1]

Welcome to the forum!

Everybody will love helping you!