Ok, I'm nearing the first stages of pondhood... the digging. As soon as I
can get my sister-in-law's electrician husband to put in my outdor GFI
outlet digging will commence. Once that's done I'll get the liner, the pump
etc for the waterfall, the edging rocks. I have a few questions:

1) Does remnant carpet or carpet padding work ok for cushioning the liner?

2) Can I put old carpet for cushion on the bottom too or is that only for
the sides and I must use sand on the bottom?

3) I'm not planning on having any fish other than mosquito fish. I asked a
while ago and understand that I won't need a filter. So that means I don't
need a bottom drain, either, right? Or do I?

Thanks!!!

We used old carpet on the bottom of our pond and slathered wet newspaper on the
sides.

We don't have a bottom drain and we do have fish and we cleaned a TON of debris
out of the bottom this spring. It is handy to have several teenage boys at this
stage of ponding.


k30a
and the watergardening labradors
http://www.geocities.com/watergarden...dors/home.html

I think you could use carpet as a cushion on the sides or top - the purpose
of the cushion is to protect the liner from punctures from rocks, etc. A
bottom drain, I think, will be very useful in the future. Mosquito fish or
koi, they still poop, and you still get leaves and dead plant material
accumulating on the bottom. For overall pond health, you're either going to
vacuum these out or bottom-drain them out eventually. I wish I had the
former!

I think you could use carpet as a cushion on the sides or top - the purpose
of the cushion is to protect the liner from punctures from rocks, etc. A
bottom drain, I think, will be very useful in the future. Mosquito fish or
koi, they still poop, and you still get leaves and dead plant material
accumulating on the bottom. For overall pond health, you're either going to
vacuum these out or bottom-drain them out eventually. I wish I had the
former!

Lydia wrote:

1) Does remnant carpet or carpet padding work ok for cushioning the liner?
You can buy padding that is not too expensive and won't rot away.

2) Can I put old carpet for cushion on the bottom too or is that only for
the sides and I must use sand on the bottom?
I just used padding on the bottom and up the sides with no problems.

3) I'm not planning on having any fish other than mosquito fish. I asked a
while ago and understand that I won't need a filter. So that means I don't
need a bottom drain, either, right? Or do I?

Ahhhhh. You see, the question as you ask it is poorly conceived. "I'm not
PLANNING on having any fish..." You will have fish, might as well give into
the dark side and plan for it rather that be bitching and moaning next year
about a retro fit.

Joe



-----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
-----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =-----

Lydia wrote:

1) Does remnant carpet or carpet padding work ok for cushioning the liner?
You can buy padding that is not too expensive and won't rot away.

2) Can I put old carpet for cushion on the bottom too or is that only for
the sides and I must use sand on the bottom?
I just used padding on the bottom and up the sides with no problems.

3) I'm not planning on having any fish other than mosquito fish. I asked a
while ago and understand that I won't need a filter. So that means I don't
need a bottom drain, either, right? Or do I?

Ahhhhh. You see, the question as you ask it is poorly conceived. "I'm not
PLANNING on having any fish..." You will have fish, might as well give into
the dark side and plan for it rather that be bitching and moaning next year
about a retro fit.

Joe



-----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
-----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =-----

Hi Lydia,

Let me join the chorus about putting in the drain while your pond is an open
hole. We have bottom drains in each of our ponds and LOVE them. Think of a
one inch layer of small muck with leaves and other misc junk covering the
bottom of your pond (how big is it?). Then think of that stuff stirred up
or think of trying to siphon it. Unhappy thought! Now think of opening a
drain and watching it flow away! Welcome to the world of drains.

Additionally, you may find a pump and filter to be worthwhile. Circulating
the water is a good idea.

Enjoy. Post pics.

Jim

--
____________________________________________
Check out Jog-A-Thon fundraiser (clears $140+ per jogger) at:
www.jogathon.net
See our pond at: http://www.home.bellsouth.net/p/pwp-jameshurley
"Lydia" wrote in message
...
Ok, I'm nearing the first stages of pondhood... the digging. As soon as I
can get my sister-in-law's electrician husband to put in my outdor GFI
outlet digging will commence. Once that's done I'll get the liner, the
pump
etc for the waterfall, the edging rocks. I have a few questions:

1) Does remnant carpet or carpet padding work ok for cushioning the
liner?

2) Can I put old carpet for cushion on the bottom too or is that only for
the sides and I must use sand on the bottom?

3) I'm not planning on having any fish other than mosquito fish. I asked
a
while ago and understand that I won't need a filter. So that means I
don't
need a bottom drain, either, right? Or do I?

Thanks!!!

"Lydia" wrote in message
...
Ok, I'm nearing the first stages of pondhood... the digging. As soon as I
can get my sister-in-law's electrician husband to put in my outdor GFI
outlet digging will commence. Once that's done I'll get the liner, the
pump
etc for the waterfall, the edging rocks. I have a few questions:

1) Does remnant carpet or carpet padding work ok for cushioning the
liner?

2) Can I put old carpet for cushion on the bottom too or is that only for
the sides and I must use sand on the bottom?

I was going to use carpet under mine, but when I had to fight my utility
knife to cut through the EPDM, I said screw the underlayment. If I have to
work to cut it, there ain't no root that will be stopped by carpeting.
*laugh*

BV.

See my comments below.
Happy ponding,
Greg


"Lydia" wrote in message
...
Ok, I'm nearing the first stages of pondhood... the digging. As soon as I
can get my sister-in-law's electrician husband to put in my outdor GFI
outlet digging will commence. Once that's done I'll get the liner, the
pump
etc for the waterfall, the edging rocks. I have a few questions:

1) Does remnant carpet or carpet padding work ok for cushioning the
liner?
Works fine.. one tip, if a solid matt base, take razor knife and cut a 4
inch or so slash every few feet, to allow any trapped water to escape, to
avoid water between liner a carpet.

2) Can I put old carpet for cushion on the bottom too or is that only for
the sides and I must use sand on the bottom?
bottom is fine

3) I'm not planning on having any fish other than mosquito fish. I asked
a
while ago and understand that I won't need a filter. So that means I
don't
need a bottom drain, either, right? Or do I?
go with a bottom drain! It will help decrease the amount of annual cleanup,
regardless of the presence/absence of fish..

Thanks!!!

Ditto on agreement with doing a bottom drain. My lily pond has a bottom
drain installed and all the piping ready to go in the area that a future
filter will be. In the meantime, come spring I have to drain and shop vac
out all the muck that accumulated from the season before. This is a fairly
fishless pond and I'm amazed at the muck... and I dead head and remove pads
regularly so the muck is from accumulated algae and stuff blown in. It took
6 hours this spring to do the clean up. Whereas the fully stock koi ponds
with a bottom drain, require no draining and just a little vaccing of the
slow areas, takes less than 30 minutes to do the spring startup on them.
~ jan


See my ponds and filter design:
http://users.owt.com/jjspond/

~Keep 'em Wet!~
Tri-Cities WA Zone 7a
To e-mail see website

Ok, I guess bottom drain it is. I realize it'd be better to put it in now
rather than after the fact so I will to allow for more flexibility in the
future although
I will "uuuuuuse the force" and resist the dark side and the lure of fish
other than the mosquito fish... at least not for a long while (famous last
words?). I was *thinking* I'd just dig a hole, cover with liner, decorate,
and fill with water and plants and BAM - water garden - and whatever wants
to live in there does so at it's own risk with whatever gunk is on the
bottom. Basically resembling the wetlands directly behind us that just
accumulate gunk w/o a bottom drain in those pools of water. But maybe the
wetlands have some sort of natural drain or process that serves the same
purpose as a bottom drain.

Here's another drain-like question: I was thinking I'd put some overflow
pipes at the side of the pond because we get so much rain in the winter that
I can just see this water garden turning into a big mess and having a mighty
soggy back yard. To keep the mosquito fish from being sucked out through
the overflow pipes I thought I'd cover the openings with some kind of mesh
screen or fabric. SO... I'll bury the pipes, ever so nicely, at whatever
level I don't want the pond to get any higher than. I'll have to stick them
through the liner (right?) and then seal the liner around them as well as
seal the mesh stuff to the pipes. Will the clear silicone sealant I've seen
referred to here do that trick?

I will record this new adventure and post the pics when we start. I had
said previously that I was going to wait until the outdoor outlet is in
before we start digging, but maybe we'll just start before then. I've never
been so anxious to dig a hole!


Thanks again
Lydia

"Lydia" wrote in message
...
snip
Here's another drain-like question: I was thinking I'd put some overflow
pipes at the side of the pond because we get so much rain in the winter
that
I can just see this water garden turning into a big mess and having a
mighty
soggy back yard. To keep the mosquito fish from being sucked out through
the overflow pipes I thought I'd cover the openings with some kind of mesh
screen or fabric. SO... I'll bury the pipes, ever so nicely, at whatever
level I don't want the pond to get any higher than. I'll have to stick
them
through the liner (right?) and then seal the liner around them as well as
seal the mesh stuff to the pipes. Will the clear silicone sealant I've
seen
referred to here do that trick?
snip

Check out Greg Beckal's site, and use his boot. They are awesome, and
require no gooey chemicals.

BV.

BenignVanilla wrote:


Check out Greg Beckal's site, and use his boot. They are awesome, and
require no gooey chemicals.

BV.



Is th ere an address for Greg's site? Thanks,
Sully

Here's the link to Greg's:

http://www.geocities.com/bickal2000/pond.htm

Nedra
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pines/4836
http://community.webshots.com/user/nedra118

"Sully" wrote in message
...


BenignVanilla wrote:


Check out Greg Beckal's site, and use his boot. They are awesome, and
require no gooey chemicals.

BV.



Is th ere an address for Greg's site? Thanks,
Sully

Lydia wrote But maybe the
wetlands have some sort of natural drain or process that serves the same
purpose as a bottom drain.

A lined pond is not natural as Mother Nature sees natural. Mother Nature plans
for a pond to fill in over time. Pond to wetland to wet meadow to regular
meadow. If she keeps the water constant in it then it turns into a bog, full of
anaerobic bacteria and it stinks!
I have a bog garden and when one of the labradors goes for a mud bath she
spends the night in the garage! Sure way to turn a yellow lab into a chocolate
lab. ;-)

k30a
and the watergardening labradors
http://www.geocities.com/watergarden...dors/home.html