The Basics of Pond Repair

While ponds lose water naturally through evaporation, a pond that has lost more water than normal may have a leak. Ponds may spring a leak for a variety of reasons, from a puncture due to poor construction to invasive animals or tree roots. Pond repair can be a frustrating experience. This guide will help to simplify the process so you can enjoy your water creation once again.

Pond Repair

                                                         Pond Repair

Find the Leak One of the most difficult items on the list is first – finding the leak. While you may feel like you are searching for a needle in a haystack, there are some tips you can follow to locate a leak in your pond.

Some areas in an otherwise dry pond will display moisture and can be an indication of a leak. You can even use food dye to examine one of these areas. Particularly green vegetation can signal an area of high moisture as well.

Additionally, if the water is at a low level, but stable, it is likely the leak lies just above the water surface. If all fails, you can drain the pond completely to search. You may also consider calling in a pond repair professional.

Prepare the AreaYou should make sure you have enough room to work. Ideally, you should expose the leak at least six inches above the water level.For punctures near the bottom of the pond, you will likely need to drain it.

Thoroughly clean the area around the leak if you plan to patch it. This will make sure your patch will stick when properly applied. Simple dish soap and water will work for your pond repair cleaning solution. Scrub the area and dry completely before beginning.

Your type of pond will help determine the steps you need to follow prior to fixing the leak. If you have a fishpond, you will probably want to remove the fish and move them to a safe holding area. This will keep them out of the way and away from extraneous dangers.

Know Your OptionsIf your pond’s liner is at the root of the problem, you have options available to you. There are pond repair kits for liners available at many hardware stores and through online outfits.

If you have a vinyl liner, you may be able to purchase a replacement piece and apply it to the affected area. Again, for best results make sure to clean the area before applying any adhesive material. When patching a leak in a pond liner, you must keep the area dry so the glue or other adhesive can set. For rubber liners, such as EPDM pond liners, you may need two faced liner tape. Use the tools from your pond repair kit to apply the tape and roll it smooth.

Note that other things can cause leaks as well. For example, if your pond has a fountain or waterfall attached, you may need to check the pipes for your leak.Once the leak has been repaired, reinsert your fish and turn on an additional water features that were shut off during the pond repair. Then sit back and relax.

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4 Responses

  1. Yvonne says:

    We recently added on to our pond using the EDPM liner and double sided tape to adhere old EDPM to the new piece. All I can say is it was a huge undertaking! My hubs and I did ourself (he did most of hard labor

  2. Jennie Roberts says:

    Our pond is pretty large and we cannot figure out where I n the world the leak is and my husband refuses to get another liner. This method may help. If not, I wi ll try to get the pond pro “paint” and fix it.

  3. Leah says:

    We have a natural appearing free formed concrete pond with two waterfalls, which is surrounded by fairly sized rock and trees and shrubs. Since your product only comes in black or white, what would happen if we mixed equal parts of each color? Would I have the gray color I am used to?

  4. JIm says:

    We have a large fishpond in between the LR and DR made of concrete.
    We installed it 23 years ago and it has developed a very hard to find small leak that drains the water down to about 12″ from the 18″ desired depth.
    There is a faucet (which secures well water for no-chlorine for the fish) that is under the 8 ft. bridge that goes between the LR and DR. The fish swim under the walkway between the 2 parts.
    We need to refinish the surface as we are updating our home to sell for downsizing. We are desperate to find a solution and found your website. Please tell is if coating the pipes around the faucet would seal any leak that we cannot find. It is a very large pond so it will be expensive to paint, but we must get it done to update our home. Many thanks for any help.

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