My pond is slowly leaking- I need to add water every 2nd day.

I know the initial construction was very bad and the sides/bottom cracks relatively easily. And no, I do not have the money now to redo it!

Any advice to spot holes, without emptying the pond? I'm pretty busy at work now and going through the motions of getting a portapool now can wait a few months. I will let the water leak out and see if I can establish a level

Second question-If I do find a hole, is Pratley putty still ok to use?

Thanks
Albie

Pratley Putty works great.
Maybe add some koi clay to help stop the leak.

Hi -
It must be standard setting putty. This sets underwater. Works very well.
Are you sure its the pond? Could be splashing from a water fall or fountain.
If you have a water fall check under the stones. Hair-line cracks develop here and that would be enough to drop the level of your pond.
Coprox works very well. Mix in with cement and paint on the wall / crack.
Have you tried letting you pond go down and keeping an eye on it. If the crack is somewhere on the walls the level will stop and you can trace around the water level to find it.
Regards,
Chris

Hi Jaco and Chris

I found a spot yesterday afternoon and used the standard setting putty, but this morning, I saw that the level is lower -obviously not the correct spot!

I will mark a spot and see how much the water is falling per day and if it stops at some point/level.

I saw in the past that the "wall" is only 1 cm thick! Enough reason to develop holes. (We have been living here for 7 years, so I suppose the pond might might be 10 years old or older)

I suppose at some point I will need to redo the pond, but if one thinks of the cost, the bio filters, etc, I will need to wait a bit

Albie

I stopped the waterfall from running and had a good look at the pipes that I can see- but it still dropping, 4cm a day (see white chalk lines). Volume of the pond is 8500l.

Will let it drop and see if or when it stops. (Had to fill it up over the weekend, because we had guests!)

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Is there no 'boereraat'/quick solution to find a hole??? Probably not!

Someone suggested that I switch the pump off to check if all the pipes are ok.. The water temperature is 19 degrees Celsius. Will there be enough oxygen overnight to switch the pump off?

I use a Venturi, but cannot measure O2 levels. If the pump is off, I cannot run the waterfall.

(Pieter, you have seen my pond, do you think it will be ok?)

Hi Albie

I have lots of experience from my leaky pond (Not something i like to brag about) Seeing as you have quite a "big" leak i think you can run tests in 6 hour checks. 6 Hous sound long but these tests can shortcut the time it takes to find a leak. The alternative is to leave it and wait, wait....until it stops.

Please post a photo of your pond and describe its workings like number of suctions lines, return lines, filters ect...

First thing - use a log book because you will get confused and wont remember what the readings was when you did this or that. These test will propably have to happen over a couple of days unless you are awake for the next 6 hours from each test.

You have to determin if the leak is helped on by the pump or not.
1. Fill up the pond upto its normal level and mark it.

2. Switch off the pump off for 6 hours. After 6 hours check the level again. If it dropped measure with how much and write it down.

3. Refill the pond upto the full mark. Now switch the pump on for 6 hours. If it drops mark the level and measure.

4. Compare the two. If you had no leaks at (2) then its on your pump line somewhere. If you had more water loss on (3) than on (2) then you have a leak on both the pond and the pump lines.

To determin if your water feature is leaking

1. Fill pond to full mark and take level.

2. Let it run for 6 hours with only the waterfall on.

3. Take level.

4. If it dropped refill the pond to full mark. Bypass the water feature by extending the pipe that drops the water on the water feature and take it directly to the pond. I find that the swimming pool type kreapy crawly pipe works very well for this.

5. Now with the waterfall bypassed let it run for 6 hours and then check the level.

6. if it still leaked the same amount then its not the feature but might be the pipe feeding the waterfall that leaking.

Now to determin if your bottom drain line is leaking..

1 . Buy a 110ml plug from a hardware store its a device that looks like a trolley wheel but the wheel is made of rubber. On the back of the wheel is a screw as you tighten it the rubber wheel gets expenanded. You need to dive down put that in the 110ml pipe of the bottom drain - tighten it enough so no water can get pass it.

2. If you have a settement chamber empty it and check that no water comes in via the bottom drain line.

3. Wait 6 hours and check level - if it drops then its not your bottom drain . (Depending on how well you thightened the plug)

To determin if one of your underwater return lines are leaking

This test can also be used for testing most devices installed in the walls of a pond likes skimmers, lights, mid suction lines, under water return lines.

1. Fill the pond to about 2 cm above the water return and mark it.

2. Switch off the pump and wait 6 hours.

3. Mark and measure.

4. If the water level dropped then remove water out of the pond until the water no longer touches the return line. It must be just-just below it.

5. Leave for 6 hours.

6. If the level dropped then your leak is lower down. If it stopped leaking then you propably have a leak on that return.

To determin if your gravity fed settlement chamber or vortex is leaking.

1. Switch the pump off.

2. Using a stand pipe or some device block the incoming lines off.

3. Block the suction lines off.

4. Mark the level and Leave for 6 hours.

5. Check the level.

Remember you can have leaks on several of these places and they can all be addin to the your big leak.

Also remember that if the leak is lower down on your pond it will slow down (leak less) the closer you get to it as there wont be as much pressure on it. So this can cause you to think that there is a leak on a device even though there is not.

I hopes these tests help for now. Keep us posted.

Hell Wayne,

you covered everything, you should send it to KOISA for publication!

Albie,

Quote :

Pieter, you have seen my pond, do you think it will be ok?)

I suggest you use an air-blower while the pump is off.

Dankie Pieter! Dis klaar 'n artiekel op KoiAdventures.
Shortcuts to try and find leaks in a pond

Thanks Wayne

I have started this afternoon!

Hi Albie

I suggest you follow the article on koi adventures as the one in forum is very badly written and does not have all the test.

Hope you find the leak.

Wayne