OttawaPonder
03-10-2005, 09:09 AM
DO YOU THINK YOUR POND HAS A LEAK? HOW YOU CAN TELL AND WHAT YOU CAN TO DO!
Coming soon to a family room, office, or even a kitchen. Anywhere you have a computer.. !rofl
THIS THREAD IS OPEN
This is a work in progress (anyone who knows me. Knows I am some piece of work!! LOL And I need all the help I can get! LOL)
So bare with me PLEASE! I will finish this ASAP!!
HOW TO CEHCK FOR LEAKS or IS IT EVAPORATION??
(Please chime in with what you have done to find leaks in our pond)
Lots of people ask about how to find a leak. However all ponds, systems, zones, weather where one lives, and the like are different with every pond.
Try calling up your doctor and then asking: Doc whats wrong with me? lol Hard for them to do so over the phone and more so without them knowing all the details. One needs to do a good diagnosis, in some cases, to be sure. Hard to test stuff when you are not there. Yes one can give advice on what is common, what one knows, or what has even happened to them personally.
Now with that said and all ponds not being equal in how they were made, what materials, size of waterfall, with or without a stream, what zone the pond is in, kind of weather, how hot it gets, so forth and so on; let us try to break it down some so most anyone can go leak hunting - if you will.. LOL
THIS IS HOW I WOULD DO IT. (Now others may have their own way that works best for them and any one is welcome to add their, OTC, way of checking for leaks)
Now is it a leak? is it due to evaporation? or is it the combination of the two??
All ponds with or without waterfalls and or streams are faced with water loss due to evaporation! Now a waterfall is the leading cause of water loss is due to evaporation. Oh! and a stream as well. They both accelerate the evaporation process. So think of a stream as you would a waterfall. Hey don't some streams have mini falls within them? Even if they do not, it's the moving water, air, and weather conditions that lead to evaporation.
NOTE: The first season of my pond, I had to top it off at least once a week, if not every three to four days during some parts of the summer. My pond is South facing. It is in full sun starting about 9 or 10am until the sun goes down.
Now lets continue.
Do you notice the water loss more so, or only when it's hot summer day(s)? Also do you have a waterfall and/or stream operating 24/7?
Is your waterfall large in size? I mean is it pretty wide and more so, is it tall? These are the most common reason for water loss out side of leaks!! Again it is due to evaporation, but some times it can also be a leak caused by things shifting over winter and into early spring. All this just before starting up some ponds for a new season and yet other ponds are able to run all year around.
FIRST THING:
Take notice of how often you had to top off the pond and in what kind of weather too. Once you have this in mind and while everything is operating; top off the pond once more.
NEXT
Shut off your any waterfall and or stream and leave it off for the same amount of time it had taking you to notice the water level going down as before. Hopefully this time frame will have the same kind of weather conditions and NO RAIN.
Next
A) DID THE WATER LEVEL MAINTAIN IT SELF OR DID IT GO DOWN ONLY A LITTLE BIT?
B) IS THE WATER LEVEL STILL GOING DOWN AS IT DID BEFORE?
If (A) The water level remained the same or only went down a little bit. Then the problem could be found in:
1)The waterfall and or stream it self (due to leak(s) and/or evaporation)
2)One would then have to isolate which area, by doing more checking and/or testing, of just what caused the leak(s).
3)If you are 100% sure the waterfall or stream it self was not the cause of the water loss and you are still losing water when one or both are in operation, it could be the plumbing which leads to either the waterfalls or a stream that is the cause of your water loss. This could be due to a pipe which froze and cracked over winter, or the ground shifting and pulling a part a glue joint. This kind of leak would more then likely only show up while the system is in operation and the pipe is full of water and under some what of a pressure condition.
If (B) The Water is still going down as before and the filtration system a long with the falls and/or a stream is not operating at this time; Then your leak is most likely in the pond area it self. However, it still could be in some of the plumbing that one is not able to close off.
Next
You are going to need the following:
An eye dropper (if you have a small pond – lets say 10' by 15' or smaller)
A turkey baster (if you have a larger pond – unless you do not mind filling up a little eye dropper many times lol)
Cream (works best, but some do use milk)
Rubbermate Totes or anything you may already have to safely remove fish should you have any.
IF you have another way of removing your fish and a QT – that will work as well.
Next
Try to recall how low the water lever had gone before.
Is it close to that now? But still above it!!
YOU MAY WANT TO REMOVE YOUR FISH NOW
(and it is best not to preform the next steps on a very windy day)
IF the water is still going down but not yet below skimmer intake, should you have one, hold the eye dropper or turkey baster, filled with cream, close to the water and place a few drops of cream on both sides of the skimmer. Always making sure not to disturb the water as much as possible. If the water goes down pretty quickly and it has already past the skimmer intake, now or any time before, you can chose to skip the step above. If not and you chose to test the skimmer depending on just how fast your water does go down, you may have to stand or sit here for a little while. Just to make sure if you have a leak here or not. What you are looking for is the cream to start streaming towards a leak if there is one near by. It all depends on how big, fast, the leak you have may be.
If nothing, after waiting a good while, more then likely the leak is not in this area and more so if the water level in your pond goes down fairly quick.
Next Step (if skimmer area checks out ok or you do not have a skimmer)
IF you have not already removed your fish earlier, Now would be a good time. You will be using much more cream and one would think once you find the leak you would want to correct it as soon as possible any ways.
Unless you feel safe leaving them in during the next steps/test. Doing so or not is up to you! As for me, I causation on the side of being extra careful/safe.
Take your eye dropper or turkey baster filled with cream and place drops of cream on top of the water around all inlets and outlets that you are able to. Be patient and watch. Should a leak be in any of these areas or even close to them, the cream will start making a stream towards the leak as I had stated before. Again the faster the leak the quicker the cream will start to stream towards any leak(s) if there are any close by to any of the new drops of cream.
If after a good while you still do not see any signs of the cream making a stream towards a possible leak:
1)More then likely the leak is not in or close enough to the areas you just tested or
2)A leak still may be in one or more of these areas and it is just to small, slow, to detect.
ON TO THE NEXT STEP
Using the same eye dropper or turkey baster go around the entire pond, placing drops about 6” away from the edge and about a foot a part from each other. Then sit back, watch, and wait it out! Got a a comfy chair and a good book?! LOL
GOOD NEWS
Most of the time one does not have to go on to the next steps.
Because most the time the leak is found to be:
At the skimmer, its connections, or even the waterfall area.
Other times it can be something as simple as the most recent plumbing work for modifications, fixes or upgrades, one has done to their pond. You know something which was done at the beginning of the season or just before the leak cropped up and it slips ones mind that it could be the cause of the water loss.
So if by this time you are not 100% sure you have found the cause of your water loss and it is a good volume of water then on to what I refer to as the headache part of testing.
MORE TO COME AND SOON (I hope) lol
SRRY all I had forgot to open this and to even finish it LOL Old age = forgetfulness, I guess... LOL
April 11
So if you have not found the leak by now or your don't want to use the cream, the only other way I know of is to be patient and let the pond go down to the point that it stops leaking. Keep in mind it is best to wait this out under the same weather conditions and at the same rate of water loss as before you went checking for the leak in the first place.
Once the water level in the pond stops going down, or slows up, you can add in one to two inches of water and see if it starts leaking just as fast as before. Also if you had not used the cream before now would be a good time.
Best of Luck on leak hunting! Some can be a real pain in the :eek:
Coming soon to a family room, office, or even a kitchen. Anywhere you have a computer.. !rofl
THIS THREAD IS OPEN
This is a work in progress (anyone who knows me. Knows I am some piece of work!! LOL And I need all the help I can get! LOL)
So bare with me PLEASE! I will finish this ASAP!!
HOW TO CEHCK FOR LEAKS or IS IT EVAPORATION??
(Please chime in with what you have done to find leaks in our pond)
Lots of people ask about how to find a leak. However all ponds, systems, zones, weather where one lives, and the like are different with every pond.
Try calling up your doctor and then asking: Doc whats wrong with me? lol Hard for them to do so over the phone and more so without them knowing all the details. One needs to do a good diagnosis, in some cases, to be sure. Hard to test stuff when you are not there. Yes one can give advice on what is common, what one knows, or what has even happened to them personally.
Now with that said and all ponds not being equal in how they were made, what materials, size of waterfall, with or without a stream, what zone the pond is in, kind of weather, how hot it gets, so forth and so on; let us try to break it down some so most anyone can go leak hunting - if you will.. LOL
THIS IS HOW I WOULD DO IT. (Now others may have their own way that works best for them and any one is welcome to add their, OTC, way of checking for leaks)
Now is it a leak? is it due to evaporation? or is it the combination of the two??
All ponds with or without waterfalls and or streams are faced with water loss due to evaporation! Now a waterfall is the leading cause of water loss is due to evaporation. Oh! and a stream as well. They both accelerate the evaporation process. So think of a stream as you would a waterfall. Hey don't some streams have mini falls within them? Even if they do not, it's the moving water, air, and weather conditions that lead to evaporation.
NOTE: The first season of my pond, I had to top it off at least once a week, if not every three to four days during some parts of the summer. My pond is South facing. It is in full sun starting about 9 or 10am until the sun goes down.
Now lets continue.
Do you notice the water loss more so, or only when it's hot summer day(s)? Also do you have a waterfall and/or stream operating 24/7?
Is your waterfall large in size? I mean is it pretty wide and more so, is it tall? These are the most common reason for water loss out side of leaks!! Again it is due to evaporation, but some times it can also be a leak caused by things shifting over winter and into early spring. All this just before starting up some ponds for a new season and yet other ponds are able to run all year around.
FIRST THING:
Take notice of how often you had to top off the pond and in what kind of weather too. Once you have this in mind and while everything is operating; top off the pond once more.
NEXT
Shut off your any waterfall and or stream and leave it off for the same amount of time it had taking you to notice the water level going down as before. Hopefully this time frame will have the same kind of weather conditions and NO RAIN.
Next
A) DID THE WATER LEVEL MAINTAIN IT SELF OR DID IT GO DOWN ONLY A LITTLE BIT?
B) IS THE WATER LEVEL STILL GOING DOWN AS IT DID BEFORE?
If (A) The water level remained the same or only went down a little bit. Then the problem could be found in:
1)The waterfall and or stream it self (due to leak(s) and/or evaporation)
2)One would then have to isolate which area, by doing more checking and/or testing, of just what caused the leak(s).
3)If you are 100% sure the waterfall or stream it self was not the cause of the water loss and you are still losing water when one or both are in operation, it could be the plumbing which leads to either the waterfalls or a stream that is the cause of your water loss. This could be due to a pipe which froze and cracked over winter, or the ground shifting and pulling a part a glue joint. This kind of leak would more then likely only show up while the system is in operation and the pipe is full of water and under some what of a pressure condition.
If (B) The Water is still going down as before and the filtration system a long with the falls and/or a stream is not operating at this time; Then your leak is most likely in the pond area it self. However, it still could be in some of the plumbing that one is not able to close off.
Next
You are going to need the following:
An eye dropper (if you have a small pond – lets say 10' by 15' or smaller)
A turkey baster (if you have a larger pond – unless you do not mind filling up a little eye dropper many times lol)
Cream (works best, but some do use milk)
Rubbermate Totes or anything you may already have to safely remove fish should you have any.
IF you have another way of removing your fish and a QT – that will work as well.
Next
Try to recall how low the water lever had gone before.
Is it close to that now? But still above it!!
YOU MAY WANT TO REMOVE YOUR FISH NOW
(and it is best not to preform the next steps on a very windy day)
IF the water is still going down but not yet below skimmer intake, should you have one, hold the eye dropper or turkey baster, filled with cream, close to the water and place a few drops of cream on both sides of the skimmer. Always making sure not to disturb the water as much as possible. If the water goes down pretty quickly and it has already past the skimmer intake, now or any time before, you can chose to skip the step above. If not and you chose to test the skimmer depending on just how fast your water does go down, you may have to stand or sit here for a little while. Just to make sure if you have a leak here or not. What you are looking for is the cream to start streaming towards a leak if there is one near by. It all depends on how big, fast, the leak you have may be.
If nothing, after waiting a good while, more then likely the leak is not in this area and more so if the water level in your pond goes down fairly quick.
Next Step (if skimmer area checks out ok or you do not have a skimmer)
IF you have not already removed your fish earlier, Now would be a good time. You will be using much more cream and one would think once you find the leak you would want to correct it as soon as possible any ways.
Unless you feel safe leaving them in during the next steps/test. Doing so or not is up to you! As for me, I causation on the side of being extra careful/safe.
Take your eye dropper or turkey baster filled with cream and place drops of cream on top of the water around all inlets and outlets that you are able to. Be patient and watch. Should a leak be in any of these areas or even close to them, the cream will start making a stream towards the leak as I had stated before. Again the faster the leak the quicker the cream will start to stream towards any leak(s) if there are any close by to any of the new drops of cream.
If after a good while you still do not see any signs of the cream making a stream towards a possible leak:
1)More then likely the leak is not in or close enough to the areas you just tested or
2)A leak still may be in one or more of these areas and it is just to small, slow, to detect.
ON TO THE NEXT STEP
Using the same eye dropper or turkey baster go around the entire pond, placing drops about 6” away from the edge and about a foot a part from each other. Then sit back, watch, and wait it out! Got a a comfy chair and a good book?! LOL
GOOD NEWS
Most of the time one does not have to go on to the next steps.
Because most the time the leak is found to be:
At the skimmer, its connections, or even the waterfall area.
Other times it can be something as simple as the most recent plumbing work for modifications, fixes or upgrades, one has done to their pond. You know something which was done at the beginning of the season or just before the leak cropped up and it slips ones mind that it could be the cause of the water loss.
So if by this time you are not 100% sure you have found the cause of your water loss and it is a good volume of water then on to what I refer to as the headache part of testing.
MORE TO COME AND SOON (I hope) lol
SRRY all I had forgot to open this and to even finish it LOL Old age = forgetfulness, I guess... LOL
April 11
So if you have not found the leak by now or your don't want to use the cream, the only other way I know of is to be patient and let the pond go down to the point that it stops leaking. Keep in mind it is best to wait this out under the same weather conditions and at the same rate of water loss as before you went checking for the leak in the first place.
Once the water level in the pond stops going down, or slows up, you can add in one to two inches of water and see if it starts leaking just as fast as before. Also if you had not used the cream before now would be a good time.
Best of Luck on leak hunting! Some can be a real pain in the :eek: