Pond liner options!

[Martin King]

Hey guys. Hoping someone can help me decide before I buy pond liner. I have just finished building a raised pond with sleepers. It’s around 3m long, 2m wide and 1m deep at lowest point. Iv calculated I need around 7.5m by 4.5m liner. I have seen on amazon that I can get this size at 0.35mm thickness for £40 with a free underlay although looking at the reviews it’s just a weed fabric! But it has 40 year guarantee?!! I am planning on bedding with sand anyway and laying some old blankets down the sides of the sleepers in case of any sharp bits. Now when I go into my local aquatic store the same size liner at 0.75mm thickness is over £250, without underlay! So my question is, is it worth to go for the cheap option or will I likely be replacing/ repairing in a few years, or should I go for the thicker stuff now, and does £250 sound like the right price for what I am after? Any assistance greatly appreciated!! Thanks

 

[poconojoe]

The material the liner is made of and thickness is important. I can tell you from (very bad) experience to stay far away from any PVC liners. The price is tempting, but it will turn into a total heartache. They puncture easy, tear easy and get brittle within a couple months. I had a 300 gallon per week leak in the middle of a Pennsylvania winter. I had to keep filling it until it warmed up enough to replace it in the spring.

Most people here use 45 mil. EPDM. I suggest you use the standard felt type underlayment which completely covers everything since it's the same size as the liner. Some people use carpet, carpet padding, thick layers of newspaper. But remember, the underlayment and liner are the very base of your project. You don't want to cheap out on those basic components.

The worse thing you want is trying to locate a leak especially in the dead of winter. All your hard work and now you have to remove all your plants, rocks, fish, etc. and redo everything.

 

[EricV]

Can you find it online? The liner @poconojoe is talking about would actually translate to 1.1mm thick in metric. I got about the same size liner and it came to about $250-300 US, so not out of line with what you're talking about. As @poconojoe said, don't skimp on the single hardest thing to replace just to save a few pounds. You'll likely regret it.

 

[GBBUDD]

The weed barrier they are offering will not rot away like your planned blankets will. a bed of sand on the bottom is a good idea but the sides i would definitely use the non woven "WEED BARRIER"

 

[poconojoe]

Yep, I can't stress enough...when it comes to the very base of your pond, the liner and underlayment, I wouldn't skimp. I used the pond underlayment I bought with my EPDM liner. That stuff is great and it's inexpensive. It's very durable and as I said, you won't miss any spots because it matches the liner size completely. I did spread sand first as an added soft barrier, but it probably wasn't necessary.

 

[Martin King]

Apologies for the very belated reply but thanks for the info all! I left the project until last month and moved the pond to another area of the garden where it is closer to the house and away from trees. I have purchased the greenseal EPDM liner with proper underlay so hopefully I will have a pond up and running soon! My next obstacle is the waterfall which i have just posted another thread about. thanks!

 

[poconojoe]

Looking forward to following your build. And here to help, if needed. Good luck.
Post some progress photos so we can follow, if you don't mind.

 

[poconojoe]

My next obstacle is the waterfall which i have just posted another thread about. thanks!

I don't see your waterfall thread.
Why do you consider it being an obstacle?

 

[Martin King]

Hey - looks like it just got published. Just lots to think about and hard work doing it on your own! And I have been planning to build one for 2 years now... sort of reached the stage where i never thought it would get finished!

 

[JamieB]

I know that feeling! I’m waiting on weather to let me work on mine so I can get going again.

 

[GBBUDD]

Best advice i can give is for you to put your plan to paper and share it here some creative folks here. Might save you some time and money

 

[Pharian]

Best advice i can give is for you to put your plan to paper and share it here some creative folks here. Might save you some time and money

Amen to that. Everyone here has helped me a lot with my plans. Without their help I would have undoubtedly built something that absolutely did not work.

That said, I don't know if my current build will actually work, but I feel it has a much better chance than my initial plans!

 

[PondGirl2021]

Hi

you read my mind. I just brought

LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene)

0.35mm Thick

200gsm Liner
It comes with free underlay
Uv and rot resistant with a 40 year money back Guarantee! I’m building a 10ft x 8ft x 3 ft pond. Is this a good liner???

 

[Pharian]

Don't skimp on the liner. Go EDPM. The last thing you want is to have to pull the whole thing up because you got a budget liner.

 

[GBBUDD]

HDPE is a close runner up for epdm but HDRPE is neck and neck with epdm