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  • Results 1 to 8 of 8

    Thread: Help Track Down a Leak

    1. #1
      mpagri is offline Member
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      Help Track Down a Leak

      My liner pond has a bottom drain, skimmer, and two through-liner bulk head returns. This season I have noticed that the water level has been decreasing faster than normal evaporation. I can see the water making its way into my filter pit sump via a hole in the side of the buried barrel that makes up the sump. I believe this is the lowest point of the whole system, lower than the gravity bottom drain.

      The pond has 6 20" plus koi in it, I do not have a quarantine system or anywhere to move the koi to. I am suspecting the bottom drain or the bulk heads.

      Any thoughts on how to safely drop the water low enough to find the leak without hurting my koi

      Thanks

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    2. #2
      icu2's Avatar
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      Do you have a stream/waterfall? If so, first thing to do is turn off the flow to it and see if it changes the loss of water.

      If not the stream/waterfall, the best way I've found is to just let the water drop and see where the level goes to before
      the loss slows or stops.
      --Steve



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    3. #3
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      If there has been settlement, which will draw the liner downward, it will pull on the liner where it attaches to the bulkhead fittings. If it is in the pond and not the waterfall, I would suspect the bulkheads. Bottom drains do not have forces pulling on them that will pull the liner loose, like the bulkhead fittings. I had a situation and was able to find the problem putting my finger below the bulkhead and see that the liner was not even in the bulkhead.
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      Quote Originally Posted by icu2 View Post
      Do you have a stream/waterfall? If so, first thing to do is turn off the flow to it and see if it changes the loss of water.

      If not the stream/waterfall, the best way I've found is to just let the water drop and see where the level goes to before
      the loss slows or stops.
      I have shut flow off to the waterfall for a few days now and the water is still dropping a bit too rapidly. Once the water drops to a certain level it stops gravity flowing so the filtration system stops. I guess I could increase water changes for a bit, I was considering getting a kiddie pool as holding, but I think keeping them in the pond is safest.

      Quote Originally Posted by RichToyBox View Post
      If there has been settlement, which will draw the liner downward, it will pull on the liner where it attaches to the bulkhead fittings. If it is in the pond and not the waterfall, I would suspect the bulkheads. Bottom drains do not have forces pulling on them that will pull the liner loose, like the bulkhead fittings. I had a situation and was able to find the problem putting my finger below the bulkhead and see that the liner was not even in the bulkhead.
      Did you have to drain to below that level or you could feel it even while it was full? How do you repair this?

      Thanks guys

    5. #5
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      Finding a leak is difficult at best but can be done. Repairing the leak, if it is a bulkhead, will require draining the pond to be able to re-adjust the liner, if it's even possible. Yes, Intek makes several sizes/types of pools that would work well for housing your fish temporarily and usually can be found for big price reductions at this time of year. If possible, maybe you can also move your filtration temporarily onto the pool while you work on the pond. That way your fish would be well taken care of.
      Mike

      check out our website at: http://www.pond-life.net




      "Our goal is to assist with emergency and Koi health issues, as well as educate on best practices. Please help us gain a clear picture by giving the original poster time to answer our questions before offering opinions and suggested treatments."

    6. #6
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      If it is near the bulkheads, you can put about any dye, malachite green, methylene blue, food color, just a drop or two near the bulkhead with all pumps off to see if the dye is being drawn to the bulkhead and out. I found mine running my finger below the pipe coming through the liner and felt the displacement. Fixing it is not easy. To get the liner back up to the bulkhead means filling behind or under the liner to reduce the size of the pond, allowing the liner to be pulled back up, or redoing the plumbing to lower the bulkhead to the hole.
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    7. #7
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      I drained it down to just above the bulkheads and the trickle into the sump pump stopped. I was hoping it would drain to a point on the bulkheads and I could locate the leak within one of them, but it stopped draining before it reached them. Would it be ok to assume the leak is somewhere above that level or would taking some pressure off the system by draining the water affect a leak below that spot as well?

      Above would mean either a hole in the liner above the bulk heads or a leak in the skimmer line. I'll start filling the pond back to a level where the trickle starts up again. I'll post some photos tomorrow as well.

    8. #8
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      It could well have to do with the amount of pressure of water above the leak location. Then, as the level lowers, the pressure slows the leak down considerably. It is possible that the leak is above the bulkhead, but my guess is that is exactly where it is. I think Rich hit the nail on the head about the liner being pulled down/away from the bulkhead. This is NOT an easy fix, sorry.
      Mike

      check out our website at: http://www.pond-life.net




      "Our goal is to assist with emergency and Koi health issues, as well as educate on best practices. Please help us gain a clear picture by giving the original poster time to answer our questions before offering opinions and suggested treatments."

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