Ax01
magikarp is da best!
oh the trials and tribulations of a n00b pond builder... Ok as i'm finishing up my pond the other day, i got this big scare while hooking up the pump. i was able to kink some "kink-free" piping! 
as u will see in the 1st pix below, the "kink-free" pipe takes a sharp turn downward and kinks as it connects to the optional check-valve i installed on the pond pump. Omg how did i mess this up i thought?! this is gonna bogg down my waterflow! and the pipe is gonna burst! you see, moments before i had just cut off like 12inches of pipe to fit them. now i was worried if i had to remove the check-valve, my pipe would be too short to reach the pump. Or if i flipped the pump, the pipe would not reach the connect on the far side b/c i had just cut off the extra length.
so i thought i would have to improvise and DIY something. i first disconnected the pump and hacksawed off like an inch of the barb fitting that slips into the pipe. i hoped that the reduced height would give the "kink-free" pipe some relief and it curves more naturally and not kink as it connects to the check-valve and pump. Butt it still kinks! i thought about hacking off more barb fitting and i'm really nervous if i hack off too much, there would not be enough overlap to securely connect the pipe and it still might not work! so i gave up on it for the day.
today i thought hacking off more barb fitting and remembered that the pump came and check-valve w/ various attachments including a super long one i could use if i removed the check-valve. i went back through some boxes, found the long attachment BUTT i also found an elbow joint! ok this might work better! so instead of running the pipe downward, i can run it across horizontally to connect to the elbow joint!
i remove the barb fitting, fit the elbow joint onto the check-valve and put the barb fitting on it. i cut like another inch off the "kink-free" pipe, fingers cross and its like a perfect fit! Yayayah!! crisis averted! i was so scared that i messed up really bad and would have to dig up and replace the piping.
so i'm not filling up the pond w/ the garden hose. i'm letting the rain fill it up the next 2 days or so. maybe i will have to top it off w/ the hose for my first pond fill/rock wash and test run but i am so glad that this is like done!! i also got my Japanese Maple planted just as the rains started. phew!
as u will see in the 1st pix below, the "kink-free" pipe takes a sharp turn downward and kinks as it connects to the optional check-valve i installed on the pond pump. Omg how did i mess this up i thought?! this is gonna bogg down my waterflow! and the pipe is gonna burst! you see, moments before i had just cut off like 12inches of pipe to fit them. now i was worried if i had to remove the check-valve, my pipe would be too short to reach the pump. Or if i flipped the pump, the pipe would not reach the connect on the far side b/c i had just cut off the extra length.so i thought i would have to improvise and DIY something. i first disconnected the pump and hacksawed off like an inch of the barb fitting that slips into the pipe. i hoped that the reduced height would give the "kink-free" pipe some relief and it curves more naturally and not kink as it connects to the check-valve and pump. Butt it still kinks!
i thought about hacking off more barb fitting and i'm really nervous if i hack off too much, there would not be enough overlap to securely connect the pipe and it still might not work! so i gave up on it for the day.today i thought hacking off more barb fitting and remembered that the pump came and check-valve w/ various attachments including a super long one i could use if i removed the check-valve. i went back through some boxes, found the long attachment BUTT i also found an elbow joint! ok this might work better! so instead of running the pipe downward, i can run it across horizontally to connect to the elbow joint!
i remove the barb fitting, fit the elbow joint onto the check-valve and put the barb fitting on it. i cut like another inch off the "kink-free" pipe, fingers cross and its like a perfect fit! Yayayah!!
crisis averted! i was so scared that i messed up really bad and would have to dig up and replace the piping.so i'm not filling up the pond w/ the garden hose. i'm letting the rain fill it up the next 2 days or so. maybe i will have to top it off w/ the hose for my first pond fill/rock wash and test run but i am so glad that this is like done!! i also got my Japanese Maple planted just as the rains started. phew!
