"BenignVanilla" wrote in
message ...
"Howard" (remove XYZ) wrote in message
...
Drain first skimmer 2nd.

Definately seems to be the path I am heading down. I am even considering
no
skimmer, and two nice bottom drains.

I would run the drain back into the filter. If you are building on
uneven
ground I would
include an outlet about a foot below ground level. Instead of an
expensive
valve I cap mine with a coupler and enough pipe to extend it above the
level
of the
pond. When I pull off the extender pipe the water starts slowly and
picks
up speed
untill it is gushing out. The bottom of the pond is bowl shaped around
the
drain.

Could you explain further? I don't get it...sorry...I guess my brain shut
down early for the weekend.

Sort of hard to explain but real easy if you could see it. The pipe runs
from the drain under the pond and comes up till it is somewhat above
the level of the water in the pond. Think of the pipe as a J with the
drain on the left and the pipe sticking up through the ground on the
right.

So with the pond full you can look
down into the pipe and see the water in it, same level as the pond
surface.

Think what would happen if you cut the pipe off 1 foot below the level
of the water in the pipe. You get a gusher. To stop the flow you put
the pipe back together using a pipe slip coupler.

This works best it the pond has one edge that is built up. That way the
pipe
can exit on the low side and be exposed below the level of the pond surface.

Howard