Trampoline mat as pond liner?

[Banamamachine]

I have the mat from a dismantled trampoline and I'm wondering whether I can use that as a liner to save money. (I'm assuming the rubber on a trampoline would be uv resistant.) Anyone else done this?

 

[mrsclem]

All of the trampolines I have seen are not designed to be waterproof.

 

[Banamamachine]

All of the trampolines I have seen are not designed to be waterproof.

Thanks for that. I remember when it was in place rainwater would pool on it, so I thought it might be ok. However, I realise that's not the same thing as retaining a lot of water over time. Ah well. V glad to have found this forum - I'm planning to dig a pond and this pool (pun intended) of knowledge and experience will be invaluable, I'm sure

 

[JBtheExplorer]

I used to have a trampoline. Water can pool up on it after a rain, but it slowly soaks through. It's actually tightly woven mesh.

Liner and underlayment can be expensive, but it's worth it in the long run. It was the most expensive part of my pond, by far, but I didn't want to risk anything less given the time and money going into it. 45 mil EPDM liner is the way to go. When I first decided on upgrading my pond from 400 to 800 gallons, everyone said the one thing to not go cheap on was the liner, and they were right. I did everything as cheap as possible, except the liner.

 

[Lisak1]

Never cheap out on the liner - it's the first thing that goes in, which means everything that comes after it would have to come OUT if you have a problem. And while it can be the most costly element in a pond, it's really not that expensive in the long run - especially if your pond is small enough that you think a trampoline mat would be big enough.

There are a few places you can save money - scavenge for rocks for example - but in my mind it's always better (and cheaper and saves time and aggravation) to do it right the first time.

Good luck with your pond - keep reading and asking questions! Lots of smart pond people here!

 

[zeuspaul]

Perhaps you could use the trampoline as an underlayment.