Waterfall leak

[nicksat77]

Hi All,

I seem to have a somewhat significant pond leak (coming from the waterfall portion of my setup). I just got the whole pond working and the base does not seem to be leaking but now that it is running daily I am seeing the water drop more than expected. Does anyone have any easy ideas on how to find the main points of leak in a waterfall? The pond and waterfall are both concrete. We were able to patch any spots in the pond that may have been leaking. It was nice the last couple of days (80 degrees +) but the water level dropped about 1-1.5". If I turn the pump off over night the water does not drop in the main pond so I know it is not coming from that spot.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions.

Thanks,
Nick

 

[mrsclem]

Can you post some info about your pond and waterfall and possibly some pics? 1-1.5" is not a big waterloss in 80* weather.

 

[nicksat77]

Thank you for the response! Here are a couple of photos. The waterfall is probably about 6-8' high with about 4 different falls in the stream down to the main pond.

The reason I am thinking it is leaking is when I turned off the pump, the water did not drop in the main pond for about a day and a half and it was low - mid 70s.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[mrsclem]

Guessing that with all the rocks and area the water covers, its just normal evaporation.

 

[poconojoe]

Waterfall leaks are common and it's the most likely location. The leak could also be in the plumbing feeding the waterfall too. Try to isolate just the waterfall. Can you inspect the plumbing? Perhaps disconnect the plumbing right at the top of the falls and redirect it into the pond.

 

[sissy]

May not be a leak and may just be evaporation or could be the cement leaching some of the water if it did not cure long enough .Have you turned off the waterfall to see if it is that .Can you block off the water at the bottom of the waterfall and fill just the waterfall with water and turn off the pump to see what happens .Sun and wind can evaporate water faster than ever .Do you know how much water you are loosing

 

[addy1]

We have been having horrendous winds, cool air, warmer pond water. I have loss up to 3 inches in a few days. I know I do not have a leak, after the winds calm down the water quits dropping. Evaporation can be a huge loss given the right conditions.

I auto fill water into the pond every day once it warms up. Between the surface area, the bog plants etc I can lose 2 inches in a day without any leak.

 

[sissy]

Oh by the way I love your stream you did a great job on it and as plants mature it will even look better