Water Loss

[Slippery95]

I just put in my first pond which consisted of two small ponds and a 15 foot stream connecting the two. I had a leak at one of the seams, found it and fixed it. I am still experiencing some water loss however. I am thinking this is something small that might not be worth digging for or it might be due to some evaporation.

I lost about 4-5 inches of water over the last week. Considering that my catch pond is only about 10 inches deep this could be considered a significant loss.

What kind of water should I expect to lose to evaporation and other such means of loss?

 

[addy1]

4-5 inches is a lot of water loss. You may want to turn off the pumps if you can and let the ponds sit, see which one drops water level. If neither do check your stream again.

 

[SE18]

if what addy1 says doesn't work, try to check the pump fittings and areas where the liner is glued or sewn together. Underwaterfalls, spray, etc. If the loss is acceptable then order a float valve. Someone suggested I do that for extended vacation and evaporation. I'm waiting delivery of mine, a $12.64 Trough-o-matic anti-siphon plastic float valve, QC supply part 270361:

http://www.qcsupply.com/270361-trough-o-matic-anti-siphon-plastic-float-valve.html

I can't comment on it yet since it is still in the mail.

 

[fishin4cars]

David, Mine has worked great, BUT, some things you will have to watch, During winter when your pond is frozen, DO NOT USE IT! turn the water off going to it or completely remove it, If not the water will freeze around it and crack it or even worse cause it to stick open and the water will cintinue to flow and won't regulate, Also if your using a garden water hose as a supply (Which I am) you'll want to just crack it open so it fills slowly. this will take a little tweeking until you find that spot that it works correctly. If it has to much pressure it will keep running even when the water has reached the top off level. I was told I had to use small line to feed it but I didn't, I just adjusted the pressure going through the hose.

BTW, on the water loss, In most ponds and this is not dead set but a good idea of how much water loss should be expected. 1/4"-1/2" per day during the warm weather when there is no rain is about average loss for most ponds. Again this is average and does not take into consideration, splash, humidity, and extreme heat.

 

[SE18]

Thanks for the tips, fishin4cars! Don't want a sky high water bill. I'll keep those points in mind! I'm actually only gonna run the system when I'm away from home extended days. I found a few things online, mostly about cattlemen, who mention pigs and cows and stuff bumping into things. I don't have that to worry about but if a rabbit jumps into the water you can bet 2 beagles will be there in an instant.

(I know this is sort of off-topic but it might be somewhat germane for sippery95 if he's worried about low water NOT due to leakage?)

 

[pinon ponder]

We have a lot of wind in spring and most of the summer, which contributes to our evaporation, along with our arid conditions. That said, we lose about one inch a week from our new pond. I doubt you experience these conditions for many months in PA so I'd check for leaks, especially where the ponds connect to the stream. Good luck! I know how frustrating that can be.

SE18, one of my cats chased a rabbit into our pond last week. I had no idea rabbits could tread water but that bunny did until I managed to get my cat a good distance from the pond. Then he hopped out and hasn't been seen since.

 

[j.w]

Lesson learned..............always keep your camera handy cuz.............we wanna see this stuff

 

[SE18]

Pinon,

I don't know if you recall this incident:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Carter_rabbit_incident

Always pays to have camera ready. I'm starting to carry mine a lot now. I've got a Canon Rebel but usually end up using my Sony point and shoot b/c it's smaller and lighter.

 

[koiguy1969]

if your losing water due to evaporation...the ponds water surface area will have a lot to do with it...a shallow, larger pond will inherantly lose more water to evaporation than a deeper smaller pond of the same water volume.