Water keeps getting behind pond liner

[Steves6354]

We just bought a pond liner and dug out a 6x4x2 foot hole. We added 2 steps at the shallow end. We stuck sand down in the bottom and then we laid the liner in and trimmed it. We stuck some pacer stones on too of the liner perimeter to hold it until we get some rocks. We had no time to fill on our own due to storms yesterday. The storm seemed to fill the deep end with no issues but up on the other end the liner is floating and the hole itself is full of water and along the walls. How do we stop this from happening?

 

[Tula]

@Meyer Jordan has some good information on this situation, so hoping he'll chime in . Welcome to the forum

 

[sissy]

Then you are getting run off that is causing that .The pond is to low on that side and you will have to raise it .I never trim a liner ,I just tuck it under or fold it over it's self

 

[Mmathis]

Not saying this is what's going on with your pond..... But we have a high water table and clay, clay, clay! I ended up redoing the pond about 2 summers ago and build it slightly above grade so that the weight of the water would always be more than the pressure from below. So far, so good, and we've had LOTS AND LOTS of rain since I made this improvement.

 

[sissy]

Could be since we are not sure where he lives .I had it happen one winter when aggie must have knocked the spitter over and it was putting the water over the side of the pond

 

[Mmathis]

@Steves6354 Where do you live?

 

[sissy]

Also remember my neighbor had a gutter she forgot to add an extension too and it was dumping to much water near the pond during heavy rains and new pond had water on one side and water under the liner where the water from the downspout pooled and cause water under it .With heavy rains water will collect in certain spots

 

[Steves6354]

We had some heavy rain yesterday. A couple inches in an hour or so.

 

[sissy]

could have been to much and washed out the one side and you may have to plan for future wash outs

 

[Meyer Jordan]

If the perimeter around your is not bermed and/or you have either poorly draining soil or a high water table, you will likely encounter occurrences 'liner float'

 

[Steves6354]

Mmathis we live in Georgetown Ohio

 

[Waterbug]

We just bought a pond liner and dug out a 6x4x2 foot hole. We added 2 steps at the shallow end. We stuck sand down in the bottom and then we laid the liner in and trimmed it. We stuck some pacer stones on too of the liner perimeter to hold it until we get some rocks. We had no time to fill on our own due to storms yesterday. The storm seemed to fill the deep end with no issues but up on the other end the liner is floating and the hole itself is full of water and along the walls. How do we stop this from happening?

Filling the pond will push the water out from behind the liner as long as the water level in the pond is even a little bit above the surrounding ground. It can take awhile as the water under the liner can be trapped, but it should get pushed into the ground over a day or so.

If the top of the pond's water level can't be raised above the surrounding ground the water pushed out can be muddy and can end up getting inside the pond.

Worst possible case is very high water table (doesn't sound like this is the case) AND pond set low in the ground. In this case mortar and rock can be placed over the liner. Mortar and rock can be floated too, so there is some math to know how much mortar and rock is needed, but in general a few inches of mortared rock is enough.

And then fix the grade issues. For aesthetic reasons you can be more creative than just a pile of soil around the edge. There are options.

 

[addy1]

On the uphill slope side of our pond, I dug a 6 inch deep trench, filled it with gravel, covered with landscape fabric. Also made the edge right near the pond raised by about 1 inch. This has directed the rain run off away from the pond.

During your next rain, go out and see where the run off is flowing under your liner. Once you know that you can raise the edge to redirect the run off.

I walked the slope during a lot of rains spotting the problem areas, then corrected, waited for the next rain checked again until all run off missed the ponds and stream.

 

[Waterbug]

In a rather flat yard like what most of us have it is very difficult (impossible) to see where water runs under a liner. It happens over a long period, slowly. Unlike a hillside which can focus runoff into small streams. Don't be frustrated if you are unable.

 

[EricV]

On the uphill slope side of our pond, I dug a 6 inch deep trench, filled it with gravel, covered with landscape fabric. Also made the edge right near the pond raised by about 1 inch. This has directed the rain run off away from the pond.

During your next rain, go out and see where the run off is flowing under your liner. Once you know that you can raise the edge to redirect the run off.

I walked the slope during a lot of rains spotting the problem areas, then corrected, waited for the next rain checked again until all run off missed the ponds and stream.

Sounds very much like a "French drain." You can also find info on how to build them using perforated corrugated pipe.