.
Or, should I say, here's another fine mess I've gotten myself into!
Based on a word from Noahsnana, I called Webb's Water Gardens, and ordered
this 20 x 25 liner. They were nice enough to make an exception and let me pick it up. Turned into a bit of an adventure, but all's well that ends well, and I'm grateful to them ... saved a couple hundred bucks in shipping!
Which matters, because I promised Darling Bride I'd keep the big pond budget to $1,000. As of right now, I'm $378 into that. I'm gonna need a spreadsheet.
So clearly, that will make a pond 12 x 17. I learned on the last one sloping the sides makes a real difference, but I don't want to push my luck too far, so I'm thinking 12 x 18. A decent slope on the sides is a good idea, based on local conditions and my soil.
Also, I want a 12" deep ledge, one foot wide, all the way around the inside of the pond. Then another, 24" deep and 12 inches wide, inside of that, for the water lilies. The rest of it will be 48" deep.
According to my precise calculations (
), that will put me at about 4,500 gallons. So I'm looking at this vivosun
pump. Maybe there's a better one out there, but is there a better one under $100? Not sure. Also, I'd like to keep the power use down. I'm already running two pumps in the garden. It's starting to add up.
The pond I just finished is at near ground level, and I wish I'd taken Steve's advice and raised it up 22 - 24 inches. It'd make for a nice place to sit, and make it easier to tend. So, 24" above existing grade. The deck stairs and the greenhouse are at the East end... there's about 15 feet between the greenhouse door and the planned east edge of the pond.
I like wood. I'm used to wood. Wood is forgiving. So when - not if, but when - I mess it up, I can fix it, and still make it look good. Luckily, the price of wood has come back down to earth.
Picture the site. The pond will run lengthwise, East to West, across the slope. The North side is higher by about a foot, and further North, it starts to rise more as it gets closer to the house. There, I can make an 8 x 8 foot box, about two feet above pond level.
On to the filter, and this is the real dilemma. I really, really, really do not want to cut a hole in the bottom of the liner. I worry about the stability of the ground, especially with some of the downpours we get here. I've done a lot to manage the way water flows through the site, but when we get 4-5 inches, like we did the other day, things get difficult. Sinking a pipe into concrete and hoping it will stay put doesn't seem like a good bet.
On the other hand, I'm less worried about cutting a hole near the top of the liner. So I'm thinking retro bottom drain, 2" pipe going out near the top of the West side to the filter.
This is where I need some guidance. DIY filter, of course. Three blue barrels? Maybe. Should the first be a vortex settling chamber? Or maybe a pea gravel upflow filter? Should I save the pea gravel for the second barrel? And then put the pump in the third, so I can pump the water up the hill to that 8 x 8' box? Will a pump like that even handle that kind of lift?
Darling Bride likes the idea of a stream, which is why I'm thinking about making that box upslope form the pond. I'm just worried that would take a much bigger pump, and add a lot of cost to the project.
Thanks for reading this far. Any advice would be welcome!
Best,
Bill