Rebar for concrete

[adavisus]

If you know the probability of a big freeze is low (like one winter in ten or less) you live near the coast (where winter temps are mild) and if you know you can easily put a cold frame over an ornamental pond if ever a big freeze does happen, you have eliminated the priority for reinforced, or thick concrete

Abandoning a garden pond can be as easy as filling it in with sand and calling it a kiddys sand pit...

 

[Usman]

hi , i wudnt discourage u if u like concrete pond , we have them here for water tanks it works for hundreds of years if no severe winters and roots , beside that needs to b built properly specially the ground should be pressed and base made properly , if needed stronger suitable soil is dumped under as .... if it settles later it can crack .

i would say liner ponds are more natural as it merges easily in surrounding as for concrete , its border is hard to merge as it will be raised above ground level

what many people do to hide linner or avoid creases is that they create gentle slope and shelves and cover all the liner with rocks , would look like natural river bed .

 

[Troutredds]

hi , i wudnt discourage u if u like concrete pond , we have them here for water tanks it works for hundreds of years if no severe winters and roots , beside that needs to b built properly specially the ground should be pressed and base made properly , if needed stronger suitable soil is dumped under as .... if it settles later it can crack .

i would say liner ponds are more natural as it merges easily in surrounding as for concrete , its border is hard to merge as it will be raised above ground level

what many people do to hide linner or avoid creases is that they create gentle slope and shelves and cover all the liner with rocks , would look like natural river bed .

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None of the edges of our concrete pond are "raised above ground level" and visible, @Usman. The border of the pond is hidden and blends with the landscape, even in winter with limited vegetation.

 

[Lisak1]

Your pond is beautiful @Troutredds ! But I would say the treatment you used on your concrete pond to make it blend with the surrounding area is the same thing one could do with a liner pond. Even if a pond isn't completely rocked, many will still add a shelf big enough to hold rocks to create a space for plants around the perimeter and to help make the pond look more "natural". The rest of the liner is quickly covered by algae and almost "disappears".

Concrete scares me. But maybe it's the temperate zone we live in - too much freezing, thawing, and heaving. I've told the story before of my mother in law and her concrete "ponds" - every year was patch patch patch, leak leak leak, patch patch patch and then finally she would give up and the whole thing would be a mosquito breeding swamp for the rest of the summer. I have a feeling there are far better products now than we had then to work with, but the whole thought still gives me hives. haha!

 

[Troutredds]

Your pond is beautiful @Troutredds ! But I would say the treatment you used on your concrete pond to make it blend with the surrounding area is the same thing one could do with a liner pond. Even if a pond isn't completely rocked, many will still add a shelf big enough to hold rocks to create a space for plants around the perimeter and to help make the pond look more "natural". The rest of the liner is quickly covered by algae and almost "disappears".

Concrete scares me. But maybe it's the temperate zone we live in - too much freezing, thawing, and heaving. I've told the story before of my mother in law and her concrete "ponds" - every year was patch patch patch, leak leak leak, patch patch patch and then finally she would give up and the whole thing would be a mosquito breeding swamp for the rest of the summer. I have a feeling there are far better products now than we had then to work with, but the whole thought still gives me hives. haha!

I completely agree with you @Lisak1, liner ponds are great and can be configured in any shape and size imaginable. Liners are always a more cost effective and a durable option in areas with cold winters. (My in-laws in the Chicago area have an ancient cracked/patched concrete pond, too!). My previous post was simply in response to Usman's claim that the perimeter edge of a concrete pond is quote "hard to merge (with surroundings) as it will be raised above ground level." My pics provide "alternative facts", if you will.

 

[Usman]

I completely agree with you @Lisak1, liner ponds are great and can be configured in any shape and size imaginable. Liners are always a more cost effective and a durable option in areas with cold winters. (My in-laws in the Chicago area have an ancient cracked/patched concrete pond, too!). My previous post was simply in response to Usman's claim that the perimeter edge of a concrete pond is quote "hard to merge (with surroundings) as it will be raised above ground level." My pics provide "alternative facts", if you will.

ok bro u did good job lol i agree on ur pond , i didnt say impossible to merge , i said harder
liner is soft it molds whatever shape type of rock u place on it , while in hard concrete border its straight , u need to plan how to mold ur rocks into it

 

[alex chappelear]

If concrete is sprayed with polyurea then you don't have to worry about cracks or compressive forces by ice? Is polyurea the only material recommended to put over concrete that is stretchable enough that small cracks behind it won't matter?

 

[Waterbug]

I do think rock/mortar over liner is the best method for DIY and cost...but I want to point out that lots of concrete ponds fail, but that's only because they're built poorly, including many "professional" pond builders. Thousands of concrete swimming pools are built in the coldest of climates and last decades. These same professionals can build ponds if you help with the design, skimmer, bottom drain, TPRs, etc... In large markets there should be at least a few pond builders who likely were trained in pools first, can show a lot of experience (100's of builds). If you want a professional search "shorcrete" in your area. And yes, out of the millions of concrete pools in the world some do fail, but it's a very low rate. If someone reading here wants a concrete pond you should not be put off by failed ponds...it's the installer, not the material. Just like everything else, you have to make sure you have the right builder. Check references. Go with the quote that's lowest by 20,30,40% from a dude with only a few Yelp reviews and you're unlikely to be happy.

And polyurea and other coatings sprayed on concrete that crack will leak. These coatings depend on a stable surface. Other Koi forums have lots of failure examples that go back to poor installs. Works fine if installed properly.

 

[TAHOE]

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What happened to the pond digger? He did his last series on Koi 8 or 9 months ago, then no videos since.

 

[Tombstone]

I would not shy away from doing concrete/ stucco. Having hard ground under the concrete helps.
I used no rebar but used stucco wire and wirecloth and tied it all together.
My pond is around 24,000 gallons and about seventy feet across.
Currently it has 15,000 gallons to test its strength.

 

[Lisak1]

You'll find the ponddigger (Eric Triplett) on Twitter and Periscope a lot - he's still out there, building ponds!

 

[TAHOE]

You'll find the ponddigger (Eric Triplett) on Twitter and Periscope a lot - he's still out there, building ponds!

I'm not on either of those, oh well. Used to like to watch

 

[Meyer Jordan]

I'm not on either of those, oh well. Used to like to watch

Eric has a lot on his plate, what with his design/build business and his manufacturing venture (Helix).

 

[CDC]

If you go with concrete I'm pretty sure it has to be done in one go for the concrete to bond together properly. If you do the bottom and sides separately they may not bond together properly.

Our concrete pond is shotcrete and has been in about 15 years if what the previous home owners told us is true. We are currently having a problem with patches of the seal they used coming off and slowly starting to lose water.