The Pond Blogs - Week 3

Pondkeeper

The pond blogs – 09/06/2011

Stand alone Waterfall

Not everyone has expansive lawns and are able to accommodate a large waterfall and pond, but the calming and relaxing sound of flowing water should by no means be an exclusive feature.  The Stand alone waterfall is a great way of making use of limited space, while still providing everything you could want from a moving water feature, adding height, interest, noise and movement to a small area.  Again just like the fountain they can vary hugely; the basic principle is to have a small container or water reservoir, and a water pump and some sort of structure for the water to flow down or over.  The reservoir can be part of the feature or hidden completely.  It is very similar to the stand alone fountain in its initial build; however it is important to match the pump size to the height and width of the waterfall.  The one we are building today is designed to be built against a wall.

How to build a basic Stand Alone Waterfall:

Equipment:

·         Spade

·         Scissors/Craft Knife

·         Drill with 8mm masonry drill bit.

·         3x plastic plugs and 8mm screws

·         3x3m Flexiliner

·         3x3m Basic Underlay

·         Bag of large Pebbles

·         Bag of small/medium Pebbles

·         (Outdoor Power Set)

·         Niagara Waterfall 30cm - 3000 Pump - 60cm Grid - 25mm Hose & Clips Kit

o   PondXpert Pondpush 3,000

o   5m Length of 25mm Hose, and clips

o   60x60cm Metal Feature Grid

o   Niagara Waterfall 30cm

This should create a feature similar to the one outlined in the diagram below

Step 1: The Reservoir

Dig a hole approximately 50cm square, and 45cm deep, and within 8cm of the wall where you are wanting to mount the waterfall. Line this with the 3x3m Basic Underlay, and 3x3m Flexiliner. Carefully smoothing down the liner as it fills, once it’s full leave it to settle for a few hours to make sure the liner has been dragged completely into place by the weight of the water, and trim the liner leaving approximately 15cm overlap around the edge.

Step 2: The Pump

For this feature we are going to use the PondXpert Pondpush 3,000, as for waterfalls the assumed flow rate is 1,000 lph for every 10cm of width. This needs to be placed in the bottom of the reservoir. The 25mm hose then needs to be connected using the clip, onto the hose attachment on the pump

Step 3: The Grid

Take the 60x60cm Metal feature grid and place it squarely over the reservoir. Ensuring that the liner is caught under the grid along the whole length, and that the ready cut opening is on the wall side.  Using the ready cut opening in the grid allow the electric cable from the pump to come out of the reservoir and be taken towards an outdoor electrical connection (any outdoor power connections or set should be installed by a qualified electrician), also stick the hose through the back of the grate in the same place.

Step 4: The Niagara Waterfall 30cm

Carefully ensuring that the waterfall is squarely in the middle of the water reservoir and is level mark the wall where the 3 corresponding holes on the Niagara waterfall are.  Drill these holes with the 8mm drill bit.  Place the plastic plugs in the holes, place the Niagara back in place and screw it to the wall.  Using the hose tail provided and connect the 25mm hose to the bottom of the Niagara waterfall, trimming the hose to the right length.

Step 5: The Finish

Dress the top of the grid with large pebbles, and then use the smaller/medium pebbles on top to your own taste.  Ensure that all the edges of the Grid are covered, and ensure that the hose continues to come through the middle of the pebbles.  Connect the pump to the mains (using the outdoor power set), and switch on! You now have an attractive stand alone water feature which should have taken no longer than a day to complete.  The height of the waterfall is up to you, can produce quite different effects.

Pond Problems!

This again is the time of year when Blanket weed can become a real problem, Blanket weds simply starves the pond of oxygen, and so aquatic life like fish can die.  If the balance of pond plants such as lilies and other oxygenating plants is correct then this should not be a problem however if it is not, or while the pond is maturing it can be a yearly problem.  It is basically a special kind of algae that grows in long strands.  Algae is traditionally treated using UV units, which break down the algae and allow it to be filtered out.  This is not possible for blanket weed however as it will not be taken up by the pump.  There are a number of solutions available.  The most traditional method is to place a bale of barley straw in the water.  This lowers the nitrogen level which is one of the main factors in the growth of blanket weed.  Unfortunately if you already have a blanket weed problem there is no real way of avoiding getting in and pulling the blanket weed out yourself.  There are also a lot of water treatments that can be used, varying from barley straw extract to algae eating bacteria.  We have a large range of blanket weed treatments available on our website.

Next week, we will look at creating the traditional garden fish pond. This is a more time consuming project, however so long as you have all the equipment ready it should take no longer than a weekend, and can be a very fulfilling activity.  All the products you need can be found at www.pondkeeper.co.uk and so long as orders are placed before 1pm on a Thursday you can have all the equipment ready for the weekend.  Please also follow Pondkeeperuk on Twitter and Pondkeeper.co.uk - Armstrong Direct Ltd on Facebook to be kept up to date with all the latest news and offers from the world of PondKeeper.co.uk