Small constant-water-level-valve-thingie

[WolfStock]

HI all,

I'm sure there's a name for this kind of thing, but not sure what it is. For my very small (50 gal) pond - below, I need to try and keep the water level constant. It drops by about an inch a day or so due to evaporation (mostly from the water fall / run; it will get worse after I finish it). It's a pain to keep manually adding water every couple of days, so I was thinking it would be nice to add a valve that automatically opens (via float presumably) to add water if the level gets too low. It would need to be something really small though, so it doesn't look ugly.

Anyone know of a small commercial valve like this?

If not then I may try to rig something (e.g. using the innards of a toilet valve or the like)

Thanks.

 

[j.w]

Yep they sell them. I don't have one but some here will let ya know what kinds they use. You can find them on ebay and prolly any feed store. They use them for horse troughs also. I just am using a timer right now w/ a hose attached to come on at a certain time of the day for 15 mins. I don't care if it flows slowly a little over the top of the pond each day and it adds a nice amount of fresh well water and the fish love the shower adapter I put on the end of the hose.

 

[HARO]

Laguna has a small float valve that mounts inside any solid-sided container, or if you are at all handy you can make a bracket to hold it. It sells for about 20 dollars here, so in the US should be around $15. Looks a lot better than the toilet tank sitting beside the pond!!! rofile: John

 

[WolfStock]

Thanks. I'll check out the Laguna one.

 

[taherrmann4]

Here was another thread with some options.

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/top...1415__hl__auto fill__fromsearch__1#entry81415

 

[addy1]

Yep they sell them. I don't have one but some here will let ya know what kinds they use. You can find them on ebay and prolly any feed store. They use them for horse troughs also. I just am using a timer right now w/ a hose attached to come on at a certain time of the day for 15 mins. I don't care if it flows slowly a little over the top of the pond each day and it adds a nice amount of fresh well water and the fish love the shower adapter I put on the end of the hose.

That is how I fill mine too, just a hose on a timer, it keeps it at a perfect level. We don't want to use a float in case of a failure because of our well. If we were out of town we could dry it up.

 

[sissy]

I use one for my deer troughs and it was from tractor supply

 

[j.w]

The fish love it when the water level rises everyday and they head for the rock crevices to poke at the bugs or whatever goldmine they think they have found. Sometimes I see a little water seeping out over the edge but it all rolls downhill and waters the little plants around the pond.

 

[fishin4cars]

I'm using the same thing as sissy and now have it on a timer so that it fills twice a day, still doing some tweaking but it's working pretty good and the total cost for the valve, $10 at tractor supply and $24 for the timer from walmart. Once set it should take care of any topping off until winter.

 

[addy1]

I'm using the same thing as sissy and now have it on a timer so that it fills twice a day, still doing some tweaking but it's working pretty good and the total cost for the valve, $10 at tractor supply and $24 for the timer from walmart. Once set it should take care of any topping off until winter.

Never thought of that fishin, auto fill but timer controlled so it can't become an issue if it gets stuck open. I just run the hose, let it do a small water change if the water has not dropped that much.

 

[sissy]

I use it even in the winter ,I just insulated the hose and the tap coming out of the house and add a salt block to the trough .So the water does not freeze .The deer need the salt anyway .The creek here sometimes freezes or dries up especially last winter .I have to go buy bales of straw for there bedding for winter .They actually sell the timer and fill valve all in one at tractor supply too .I think it was sold where the horse stuff was .I got mine awhile ago and the guy at tractor supply was the one who told me about it

 

[addy1]

Well two battery hose timers have now failed in the on position, they are all being trashed canned. Went out and got a electric sprinkler timer, with 4 in line valves, have the fittings to convert the in line valves to connect to hoses via hose bibs. This timer is fail safe i.e. turns off if power fails, has a battery back up. Will do like fishin add a float valve in the pond, so if timer on and pond needs water hose comes on ow OFF and our well is safe lol.

Total investment in timer and valves about 50 (4 valves)
So far battery fails have run the well 6 hours one time, 4 hours the second time (we were in town but not home)

 

[taherrmann4]

I have never done the timer thing for a couple of reasons but one being our water is getting more expensive, supposed to go up 25% next year; ouch! So I rely on mother nature unless my pond gets really low then I have to suck it up and filler up. The other being I would have to leave a hose running across my walkway all the time and I just don't want that.

Now if I was doing it all over again I would have hooked a line up to my sprinkler system that went on a certain time then on the other end put a float valve like fishin and addy have said. Oh well maybe the next house.

 

[addy1]

I have never done the timer thing for a couple of reasons but one being our water is getting more expensive, supposed to go up 25% next year; ouch! So I rely on mother nature unless my pond gets really low then I have to suck it up and filler up. The other being I would have to leave a hose running across my walkway all the time and I just don't want that.

Now if I was doing it all over again I would have hooked a line up to my sprinkler system that went on a certain time then on the other end put a float valve like fishin and addy have said. Oh well maybe the next house.

big time ouch tmann, at least ours is just the cost of electricity. I did that in arizona, took one of the sprinkler lines and ran it to the pond, with a auto fill.

 

[taherrmann4]

If I was building a new house I would consider putting in one of these.

http://www.loomistank.com/poly-below-ground-cisterns.shtml