Planning a small landscaping waterfall/pond

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[warning: first time poster]
Ok, so I’m ignorantly getting into a major project. And against every force that’s within me, I figured I would actually ask someone for advice before I just jump into it. I’ve got about a 30’x8’ space in front of my house and I want to put a rock pile at one end with the water flowing out/down from it, along a small (~12” wide) rock-lined ‘creek’, and into a preformed pond. Pond will be roughly about 6’x8’, probably 250-300 gal, and maybe 18-24” deep. (See my attached masterpiece of a hand-drawn plan)

The first question I’m vexed with is how I’m going to plumb this thing. Specifically, should I poke holes (x2) in my preformed pond liner for the outflow and electrical? Not seeing a lot of examples of this on the Google, but this seems like a common/likely setup. Any special advice on making this leak-proof?

I’m up for any advice you can throw at me. Just starting the planning phase but probably going to break ground within a few weeks.
Pump size? PVC Pipe or flexible hose? 1” line? 1-1/2” line? Bigger/smaller?

Thanks to anyone brave enough to share!
 

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addy1

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Welcome to our group! Do you already have the preform? They are a pita, esp if you live where it freezes. I got rid of mine and put in liners after they shifted and cracked.

Make the pond as big and deep as possible. The pump will draw water from the pond, either external or submersible. I use external pumps.

just bury your lines to the start of your stream and rock pile water fall. Have liner under your rocks and stream bed, with it going into your pond. A good drop into the pond will help with the flow into the pond from the stream without leakage.
 
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Welcome!
I also recommend a liner.
Plus, be sure to plan for what happens during a power outage when all the water from the rock pile/stream flows down into the pond. You don't want the pond to overflow unexpectedly.
A submerged pump rated for about 700 gph, flex hose running up through the rock work and a filter that you can trap detritus and clean would be good to have.
Don't poke any holes in the liner or preform. Hide the cord and hose with landscaping.
 

mrsclem

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You say this is going in your front yard. Is it fenced in? You may want to check regulations for your area regarding water features.
 
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Hop on youtube and watch The Pond Digger's videos! They are very helpful. I watched his How to Build a Fish Pond about 15 times during my pond planning and building process. Truly - I learned everything I know from this forum, books, and Eric Tripplett's tutorials!
 
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Welcome to the GPF - you'll find lots of helpful, friendly pond loving people here. And you're already moving in the right direction - ask before you build! So much easier to change your mind than it is to fix mistakes! I second @bagsmom in her suggestion to find and watch the Pond Digger's series on building a pond - you will avoid all the common mistakes if you just follow his instructions.

I'm also going to agree with @addy1 on her suggestions to ditch the preform idea and use a liner - so much easier and way more forgiving to work with! Preforms SEEM simpler, but a freeform hole with a liner dropped in can't be beat for easy construction.

And if I could add one more suggestion of my own - your waterfall will be the focal point of your water feature. You may have been joking when you referred to a "rock pile", but I've seen my share of rock pile waterfalls. Again - watch the Pond Digger's video series on building a pond and he explains the basics of a waterfall to get it to A. look natural and B. work properly. A "pile of rocks" will do neither!

Good luck and keep asking questions - we're all just sitting around waiting for spring to come. Lots of time to be nosy and give instructions. :ROFLMAO:
 
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Welcome I put my hose for mybog/waterfall from submersible pump under the stream liner "in the stream bed" as the pond and stream are 2 different liners. Where i put the hose was up above the water line so i did not have to seal around it nore worry about wicking.
 
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I can agree, digging a hole for a preform can be a pain, especially when you have rock and clay like I do. With that said, I have 2 of them, one is about 100 gal, the other is around 200. I got them free and with all the moles we have, they hold up better. I had them freeze about 6" thick on top with no cracking or lifting. I have my pump in the larger one, it pumps up a slight grade to my filter which then dumps into the smaller upper pond. I currently have a connecting pipe feeding upper pond to lower, but will be converting to a small water fall/creek type feature.
You can buy pre-made bulkheads to go through the side of the pond, I made my own out of the gray electrical PVC fittings. I used them cause they are not tapered like the standard plumbing fittings so you can tighten them much better. I also use roofing/flashing polyurethane based sealant on those fittings. i have a 600 gph submersible pump going through 1" PVC/Tubing to filters. Then my exit plumbing is 1 1/2 or 2", always make sure your outflow plumbing from a filter/container is 1 1/2 times larger than inflow. Going into your water fall then back into pond, you should be fine with same inflow/outflow piping. My pump electric just runs up behind some rock in the pond then over edge and out to outlet.
 
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Welcome to the GPF - you'll find lots of helpful, friendly pond loving people here. And you're already moving in the right direction - ask before you build! So much easier to change your mind than it is to fix mistakes! I second @bagsmom in her suggestion to find and watch the Pond Digger's series on building a pond - you will avoid all the common mistakes if you just follow his instructions.

I'm also going to agree with @addy1 on her suggestions to ditch the preform idea and use a liner - so much easier and way more forgiving to work with! Preforms SEEM simpler, but a freeform hole with a liner dropped in can't be beat for easy construction.

And if I could add one more suggestion of my own - your waterfall will be the focal point of your water feature. You may have been joking when you referred to a "rock pile", but I've seen my share of rock pile waterfalls. Again - watch the Pond Digger's video series on building a pond and he explains the basics of a waterfall to get it to A. look natural and B. work properly. A "pile of rocks" will do neither!

Good luck and keep asking questions - we're all just sitting around waiting for spring to come. Lots of time to be nosy and give instructions. :ROFLMAO:
tsk, tsk tsk, Lisa; you forgot to push his need for a bog!

;)
 

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