- Joined
- Feb 2, 2017
- Messages
- 4
- Reaction score
- 1
- Location
- Gates, OR. 25 miles east of Salem
- Hardiness Zone
- 8B
- Country
Hi all, nice to be here with you. My wife, Diana, and I recently moved away from our large perennial garden with KOI pond in Portland, Or (some of you may know us) to a new property in the country, between Salem and Bend, Or. The property has some interesting features and garden potential, and we want to make the most of it.
The primary feature is a 28' diameter concrete pond with a fountain in the center that shoots up perhaps 35 feet. It is piped down 2000 feet from a stream, 200 feet above the property. It runs nonstop. The water overflows down a waterfall and ends up back in the same stream. I don't know if you can zoom in on my avatar, but this is how it looks when the sun hits it with wind causing a spray.
The pond has a shallow bowl shaped bottom, and the depth varies and is 4 feet deep in the center. The "bowl" is thick concrete with aggregate, and has no visible cracks. The "side" appears to have been added after the bowl cured, with large rocks.
Several places around the outside are leaking water, and after draining some water, I can see that there is a crack all around where the wall meets the bowl. After chiseling into it, it looks like a few patch jobs have been attempted. The first attempt was to chisel the crack and fill with mortar, which breaks up easily. Then, a thin layer of hydraulic cement (?) was pasted over a wider area, and I don't think the surface was properly prepared for it, as it did not adhere well.
My plan is to chisel out the crack, deep and narrow without tapering sides, and fill with hydraulic cement per instructions, and chisel off any loose "paste" above and below it, then after cure, apply a good sealant (epoxy?) over everything, but not the good concrete below.
My alternate plan was to buy a 30x30 butyl liner and anchor it a bit above the high water mark, but that is going to run me $850 or so. I know it would be the best permanent solution, but I am willing to try the bandaid approach first.
The good thing it, I am not worried about (free) water loss. But where it is above ground level, it makes a large damp area which I don't want.
The pond (and the rights to the water) was originally meant for raising 300 or so trout, and we have met many people so far that came here to fish when they were kids. I may want to do this, or koi. We do have many tadpoles and large newts!
I am looking for any alternate methods to seal this thing that would be cheaper than a liner, and be permanent.
Thanks for your time!
The primary feature is a 28' diameter concrete pond with a fountain in the center that shoots up perhaps 35 feet. It is piped down 2000 feet from a stream, 200 feet above the property. It runs nonstop. The water overflows down a waterfall and ends up back in the same stream. I don't know if you can zoom in on my avatar, but this is how it looks when the sun hits it with wind causing a spray.
The pond has a shallow bowl shaped bottom, and the depth varies and is 4 feet deep in the center. The "bowl" is thick concrete with aggregate, and has no visible cracks. The "side" appears to have been added after the bowl cured, with large rocks.
Several places around the outside are leaking water, and after draining some water, I can see that there is a crack all around where the wall meets the bowl. After chiseling into it, it looks like a few patch jobs have been attempted. The first attempt was to chisel the crack and fill with mortar, which breaks up easily. Then, a thin layer of hydraulic cement (?) was pasted over a wider area, and I don't think the surface was properly prepared for it, as it did not adhere well.
My plan is to chisel out the crack, deep and narrow without tapering sides, and fill with hydraulic cement per instructions, and chisel off any loose "paste" above and below it, then after cure, apply a good sealant (epoxy?) over everything, but not the good concrete below.
My alternate plan was to buy a 30x30 butyl liner and anchor it a bit above the high water mark, but that is going to run me $850 or so. I know it would be the best permanent solution, but I am willing to try the bandaid approach first.
The good thing it, I am not worried about (free) water loss. But where it is above ground level, it makes a large damp area which I don't want.
The pond (and the rights to the water) was originally meant for raising 300 or so trout, and we have met many people so far that came here to fish when they were kids. I may want to do this, or koi. We do have many tadpoles and large newts!
I am looking for any alternate methods to seal this thing that would be cheaper than a liner, and be permanent.
Thanks for your time!
