Unable to find leaking pond source, any ideas?

[ralphjramirez]

I have a concrete, rebar enforced small pond (540 gallons) and it is leaking about 20 gallons a week. I cannot find the source. Anyone know what I could do that might pinpoint the source? I don't want to drain the pond and resurface/seal to reseal but I may not have a choice. Very frustrating as I it is a crystal clear pond with happy fish and I hate to disruupt everything for a repair.

Should resealing be necessary I would appreciate the best long term method/material to use that someone someone may have experience/knowledge that they recommend using.

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Regards............Ralph

My pond: http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3820/8858040350_dbf53675f1_z.jpg

 

[dieselplower]

I would chaulk up 20 gallons a week to evaporation assuming it has been hot near you as well. Also, pond looks real nice. Is there a pump or aerator in it?

 

[sissy]

where ever the water stops that is where your leak is but being concrete it could be on the bottom .You may have to hold off putting water in as you see it go down if it goes to low then the leak is in the bottom and could come from the ground under it settling or shifting .hope for your sake it is not the bottom

 

[ralphjramirez]

I would chaulk up 20 gallons a week to evaporation assuming it has been hot near you as well. Also, pond looks real nice. Is there a pump or aerator in it?

Hi dieselplower,

I didn't realize it could evaporate that much, thank you that is a relief. Yes I do have fairly heavy aeration both within the pond and via a fish rain gutter down spout. In my previous photo I was using a small fish but it has been replaced with a much larger one. I also have a 3-way ball valve to release more water within the pond as well as from the fish. Here is an updated photo so you can see what I mean..........Ralph

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3740/9102458220_ef18710437_b.jpg

 

[ralphjramirez]

where ever the water stops that is where your leak is but being concrete it could be on the bottom .You may have to hold off putting water in as you see it go down if it goes to low then the leak is in the bottom and could come from the ground under it settling or shifting .hope for your sake it is not the bottom

Hi Sissy,

I was thinking of doing that but wasn't sure how long the fish could withstand no aeration as it might take 2-3 or more days to reach the leak level. I did that years ago when I had leakage and found that I was filling the pond above the cement line of where the large rocks were arranged in the concrete and that was my leak source. I no longer fill to that level so that leaves that out as a possibility. How long can I leave aeration off without harming the fish?

Thanks..............Ralph

 

[dieselplower]

Oh wow that fish rain gutter is totally awesome!
One way you will be able to tell if it is from evaporation or not is to wait til it gets cooler and see if the rate of loss slows down.
I have noticed in my pond recently that I had a lot of evap when it was very hot but now that it has cooler, the rate of loss is much slower.

 

[ralphjramirez]

Oh wow that fish rain gutter is totally awesome!
One way you will be able to tell if it is from evaporation or not is to wait til it gets cooler and see if the rate of loss slows down.
I have noticed in my pond recently that I had a lot of evap when it was very hot but now that it has cooler, the rate of loss is much slower.

Thanks, that's the lazy man's waterfall. The weather here has been hot but our evenings are cool as we are near the Pacific Coast, gets foggy in the morning. My gut feeling is that it is not evaporation due to the cool weather. I may try what sissy suggests but am awaiting to hear how long I can leave the pond without aeration. Perhaps you may know the answer as well. Hope I am wrong.

Regards.........Ralph

 

[dieselplower]

Ralph not adding water isnt going to affect the aeration of your pond much. That fish gutter is creating a lot of turbulance which helps replace any air that the fish have breathed.

Hi Sissy,

I was thinking of doing that but wasn't sure how long the fish could withstand no aeration as it might take 2-3 or more days to reach the leak level. I did that years ago when I had leakage and found that I was filling the pond above the cement line of where the large rocks were arranged in the concrete and that was my leak source. I no longer fill to that level so that leaves that out as a possibility. How long can I leave aeration off without harming the fish?

Thanks..............Ralph

 

[dieselplower]

Thanks, that's the lazy man's waterfall. The weather here has been hot but our evenings are cool as we are near the Pacific Coast, gets foggy in the morning. My gut feeling is that it is not evaporation due to the cool weather. I may try what sissy suggests but am awaiting to hear how long I can leave the pond without aeration. Perhaps you may know the answer as well. Hope I am wrong.

Regards.........Ralph

I dont think she was suggesting turning off the pump or aerator. Just letting the water drain til it stops is what she was saying. Just dont refill it for a while and see if it stops draining.

 

[sissy]

yeh don't turn anything off just don't add water and see how far it goes down .I found my leak that way it was roots that grew up between the 2 liners and was pulling water with them .

 

[fishin4cars]

If there is a leak what Sissy is suggesting is the best way to determine aprox. where the leak is. Also if you fill a 5 gallon bucket with water and let it sit for the same amount of days as the pond the bucket should lose aprox. the same amount as the pond if it's evaporation, just place the bucket near the pond so it gets the same temp as the pond, if both lose a 1/2" or 1" etc. then it's not a leak. Also if your losing that much water you may want to consider using a drip feed irrigation system to keep you pond topped off. For a 520 gallon pond a single .5gph drip feed should be all you need.

 

[Mmathis]

Is twenty gallons a week really an OK amount? Sounds like a lot to me. I do water changes, and will drain off a little extra sometimes if we get a lot of rain, but so far haven't had an issue with evaporation. Maybe that's one of the perks of our southern humidity

 

[ralphjramirez]

I dont think she was suggesting turning off the pump or aerator. Just letting the water drain til it stops is what she was saying. Just dont refill it for a while and see if it stops draining.

Thanks for that clarification. I will not refill until it is obvious a bottom area leak.

Regards...............Ralph

 

[ralphjramirez]

If there is a leak what Sissy is suggesting is the best way to determine aprox. where the leak is. Also if you fill a 5 gallon bucket with water and let it sit for the same amount of days as the pond the bucket should lose aprox. the same amount as the pond if it's evaporation, just place the bucket near the pond so it gets the same temp as the pond, if both lose a 1/2" or 1" etc. then it's not a leak. Also if your losing that much water you may want to consider using a drip feed irrigation system to keep you pond topped off. For a 520 gallon pond a single .5gph drip feed should be all you need.

Thank you for your suggestion. I will give the 5 gallon bucket a try. Drip system sounds like an good idea once I determine there is no leak or I get it fixed.

Regards..........Ralph

 

[sissy]

I guess evaporation depends on how much water splash you have .By the mark on my liner and the size of my pond and all the rain we have been getting i have lost none this year .But last year I would loose about 5 to 10 gallons of water a week ,but it was hot and dry and I did have to put up shade sail and so far this summer I have yet to put it up and really I can't the soil has been to wet to put the guide pipes in the ground and I don't want to cement them in .I guess if it is really dry ,hot and windy you can loose a lot of water .