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  • Results 1 to 11 of 11

    Thread: Top part of a concrete/plaster walled pond => ThoroSeal?

    1. #1
      Jerome is offline Senior Member
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      Top part of a concrete/plaster walled pond => ThoroSeal?

      After all sorts of issues with finding a contractor, I am finally back to a point where the work might start in a few weeks.

      The pond is going to be quite large (T shaped, 24ft long, 18ft wide at the largest) and quite deep (sloped, 4 to 7 feet deep). I live in (lower) upstate NY, hence harsh winters, ice, snow, etc.

      The pond will be surrounded by an 18" high wall, with coping on top. The pond walls will be made of cinder blocks filled with concrete, the bottom will made of concrete too, and the concrete covered with waterproof plaster, like pre-fiberglass pools. No gunite nor fiberglass will be used (too expensive for my budget). The water level will be ~6" under the coping, hence roughly one foot above ground level.

      I was originally thinking that the top part of the walls would be covered with thin stones and hydraulic mortar. But this appears to be a rather expensive part of the equation. And we can't let the plaster as is in the dry space above water level, as far as I understand, it would crack. Also I've read all sorts of bad things about pond paint (e.g. Pond Armor), having to regularly redo it, etc.

      Now I am considering what a neighbor did for her own koi pond, to cover the top part of the plaster with 2 feet (vertically, starting from the coping) of ThoroSeal. 6" of it would therefore be out of the water in the summer and I might (not sure yet) lower the water level by a foot or so at times (e.g. to empty and plug the jets pipes to prepare for the winter). Hence the 2ft goal.

      As far as I understand, ThoroSeal can be mixed with some paint color (so that the aesthetics are ok with the coping) and provide excellent water/winter resistant properties. And it is also fairly cheap.

      Thoughts? Feedback?
      Last edited by Jerome; 08-26-2022 at 04:57 PM.

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    2. #2
      One Poet's Garden's Avatar
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      I'm going to watch this thread, since I'm curious as well. Where would you source the ThoroSeal? Do you have a link?

      Best,

      Bill

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      Jerome is offline Senior Member
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      Quote Originally Posted by One Poet's Garden View Post
      I'm going to watch this thread, since I'm curious as well. Where would you source the ThoroSeal? Do you have a link?
      I'll let the contractors deal with it, but I believe it can be easily be found at Home Depot or Lowes or equivalent.

    4. #4
      Jerome is offline Senior Member
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      Hm. Not a lot of feedback... Well, from what I read, this seems like a very valid approach, so I guess we will proceed with ThoroSeal applied over the plaster.

      If anybody has thoughts on the matter or experience to share, I would appreciate it though...

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      I was confused about no gunite, but that you are using concrete filled block walls covered by plaster and a concrete floor.

      Using rebar in the block walls and floor to control crack widths, and putting a waterstop additive in the concrete and "plaster" (i.e. Xypex) has been done by many folks successfully here.

      I am not aware of any large ponds using ThoroSeal, however I am sure there are many, but any surface applied "waterproofing" paint or seal will need to be replaced eventually, it is only a question of time.

      Please keep us posted on your project.

    6. #6
      Jerome is offline Senior Member
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      Quote Originally Posted by Grumpy View Post
      Using rebar in the block walls and floor to control crack widths, and putting a waterstop additive in the concrete and "plaster" (i.e. Xypex) has been done by many folks successfully here. [...]
      Yes, that is the main plan, but I read that such waterproof plaster behaves well under water, but not in the open air (cf. perimeter wall). Plus the top of the water will ice out in the winter. Hence my Thoroseal tentative approach for further protection. But I have zero experience in this respect, so I'd be happy to get some validation from more experienced folks!

      PS. construction should start tomorrow... if the contractors show up... Ys, I'll take a lot of pics.

    7. #7
      Jerome is offline Senior Member
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      The pond excavation has started and the contractors suggested we use a product named Basecrete instead of Thoroseal. They've been using it with success with various types of pools.

      I don't have a strong opinion. Thoughts?

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      Last edited by Jerome; 09-12-2022 at 10:44 AM.

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      Used within the concrete in the walls and in the "plaster" works for me and others.

    9. #9
      Jerome is offline Senior Member
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      Quote Originally Posted by Jerome View Post
      The pond excavation has started and the contractors suggested we use a product named Basecrete instead of Thoroseal. They've been using it with success with various types of pools.
      I contacted the Basecrete manufacturer and they assured me this would work well. I also saw on another Koiphen thread that many Disney ponds (e.g. in parks) were built using Basecrete.

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      How did the Basecrete work out? Did they give you any idea on how long it would last?

      I have used xypex for waterproofing on some below grade walls and wasn't impressed. My pool builder used thoroseal on some submerged "rocks" in my pool but I am having water penetration after about 10 years and am getting rust from the rebar bleeding through.

      I'm about 3 weeks away from having my shotcrete pond done and I'm looking for a good waterproofing for the concrete that doesn't have to be reapplied anytime in the near future. The pond with have a small pebble type finish and it will be very difficult to reapply without having to chip up the rocks first.

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    11. #11
      Jerome is offline Senior Member
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      Quote Originally Posted by TrojanFan View Post
      How did the Basecrete work out? Did they give you any idea on how long it would last?
      Hi there. Sorry, didn't see your message until now...

      The Basecrete is working fine. The contractors surprised me with an extra cost of bringing water trucks to fill it quickly once the work was done, I wanted to just use town water with the hose, but I was told you can't let fresh Basecrete out of the water for more than a few hours... Made me grumble, but ok, so be it.

      It's been ok for now (roughly a year). I have no clue how long it's going to last... Good question...

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