New feature pond build, No fish

[Benbud]

Hi all, I am new to the forum and I am now drowning with all the information on here. I am building a 6m diameter round feature pond 400mm deep, flat bottomed with a large 3 tier fountain in the center and four small water spraying statues around the perimeter . Concrete block walls and compacted hardcore base. I am using a 0.75 mm EPDM liner and will have paving slabs around the perimeter and most likely pebbles at the bottom.No fish or plants, just want really clean looking water, and nice lighting. The pond sits just proud of the surrounding ground and there is a land drain that goes around the perimeter of the pond that is also deeper than the pond so no water can get in.
I am hoping to minimize the pond of piping and pump and have it externally for a clean look and so that it is simple to maintain and access and is reliable. Children may also play in the pond so it must be safe.
I could build a dry sunken chamber beside the pond (no risk of flooding) with the pump below water level and pressure filter beside it along with any control valves i might need, or i could build a pump room above groung level but it would be 7m away from the ponds edge and the pump would be 700 mm above water level.
Should i fit a pond skimmer or bottom/side drain or both. surface area is quite large but it is only 400 mm deep and holds about 11,000 liters. I was thinking to use a pressure filter as they are easy to maintain. I was hoping to have just one pump but will the pressure filter consume too much water pressure to run a fountain or could i split it between the two.
I am a general builder and ground worker and own my own plant and the pond is at my parents house so build cost is materials only but still it adds up. I am unsure what pump and filter to get or how big they need to be, i want it reliable for continues use but don't want to spend a fortune where i don't really need to.
What would you do? Thanks Ben.

 

[Lisak1]

Welcome @Benbud ! Sounds like an interesting project... more fountain than pond, if I understand the scope.

A skimmer and bottom drain are two totally different animals. I think for this application you want a skimmer as you don't want debris getting to the bottom. A bottom drain is more useful for clearing a pond of debris that falls to the bottom (like fish waste for example). A skimmer will pull debris off the surface before it gets to the bottom.

And honestly I don't really see a need for a filter. No fish and no plants means you could keep this feature clear with algaecide or even common household bleach. No concern about harm to any aquatic or plant life. So really you just need a pump to run your fountain in my opinion.

 

[Benbud]

Thanks for your reply Lisa, yes its more of a water feature rather than a pond. A skimmer to remove surface debris with a debris basket is what i was aiming for, but would it be enough to keep the water silt free. I like the idea of having no filter as it would remove a massive restriction to the flow, also the pump would be much easier to hide and i am happy to use chemicals to help as there is no danger to wildlife or fish.
I cant help but feel at this stage I should put in a bottom drain to help remove silt but really not sure it would make much difference. No fish or plants planned but who knows what might happen in a few years, should i fit one to future proof the pond and not use it or fit one and balance the two together, or simply not bother.

 

[Lisak1]

No fish or plants planned but who knows what might happen in a few years, should i fit one to future proof the pond and not use it or fit one and balance the two together, or simply not bother.

Totally your choice. I'm not a bottom drain expert, so maybe someone else can answer the question, but I'm not sure a bottom drain will even remove silt. It may just settle to the bottom.

 

[sissy]

welcome and pressure filters are far from easy to maintain and bottom drain no need for it and for a skimmer do you have stuff blowing around in the yard that might blow into the pond .A pool net will get most stuff out

 

[bagsmom]

And the nice thing about a water feature with no aquatic life -- you really don't have to worry about the same things we pond people do. Many things like bottom drains are intended to make cleaning and maintaining easy - while not harming fish. We worry about disturbing the biofilm and screwing up the water chemistry. In your case, you can drain and bleach and scrub - and completely replace water to your heart's content! A bottom drain would make it easy to empty - vs. having to pump water up and out. But I wonder if there is something that would serve the same purpose, without having to literally do plumbing down below your pool? Maybe a clean-out valve at the bottom side or something? Just throwing out ideas!

 

[Benbud]

Thanks for all the replies. I have decided to put in a skimmer with a basket and a bottom drain, i probably wont use the bottom drain in normal operation but as suggested it would make emptying the pond to clean easy with just a few valves to turn. I will not use a filter as suggested and use chemicals instead, this will also give me much more power for the fountain.
I have seen speed controllers sold for motors, will this be a viable way for me to control flow, i like the idea of the water features running on a low power setting with low running costs for a nice relaxing looking water feature most of the time but also having the option to run on a high power setting and have a impressive looking fountain on occasions. The pump will be a dry external pump positioned below water level so to reduce the risk of it running dry?

 

[Lisak1]

I don't know about adding a speed control to the pump, but you can buy variable speed pumps. Someone here will have a good answer though!