Inexpensive Pond Liner

sd455dan · Jan 2, 2014

We tried the thickest plastic we could find, after the attempts with 6 mil plastic in 3 layers failed. (multiple times)
Then tried a plastic pool liner a friend gave us- it failed by spring - freezes during winter.
Wife finally got fed up with completely tearing the pond apart and having to remove everything due to leaks.

Bit the bullet and bought some heavy duty (rubber) pond liner- and even though it wasn't cheap it has been trouble and leak free for years now.

cqaigy2 · Jan 2, 2014

I've heard duck or goose poo will seal a pond, but if you can't get some water in it, it do see why a duck or goose would bother to give you the time of day.

pilotman · Jan 2, 2014

I have 2 small ponds 200 yards apart, one has sandy bottom and will not fill. The other one has a clay bottom and holds water just from rain water.

RalphVa · Jan 2, 2014

A master gardener/master naturalist friend of mine used bentonite clay to line her ponds.

Ralph

troutsqueezer · Jan 2, 2014

Thanks for the replies, I certainly appreciate them.

ultrarunner, $65 sounds pretty good, was it the 42 mil stuff? I know there's 20 mil out there for about half the price. Appreciate your looking into it.

The Bentonite and clay seem like they might involve some sort of skill level that I might not have.

I've thought about having to tear the pond apart if I used some thin plastic and I have to agree with your wife, Dan. Maybe when the wife gets tired of looking at the big, ugly hole I dug, she'll come around. :thumbsup:

ultrarunner · Jan 2, 2014

troutsqueezer said:
Thanks for the replies, I certainly appreciate them.

ultrarunner, $65 sounds pretty good, was it the 42 mil stuff? I know there's 20 mil out there for about half the price. Appreciate your looking into it.

The Bentonite and clay seem like they might involve some sort of skill level that I might not have.

I've thought about having to tear the pond apart if I used some thin plastic and I have to agree with your wife, Dan. Maybe when the wife gets tired of looking at the big, ugly hole I dug, she'll come around. :thumbsup:

I spent the day taking mom to Doctor's appointments... 3.5 hours at her eye doctor... mostly waiting so arrived late at all the others... thought I would be done by noon and didn't get her home until 5 pm.

I'm really sorry I have not come through... not like me at all.

Creamer · Jan 2, 2014

Living here in Northern Indiana we have lots of ponds - this area is known for them. Probably because we have heavy clay in our soils and so you just dig a pond wherever you want and they naturally seal as long as you do not hit a vein of sand. Bentonite will do it with a lot less thickness and do not get worried about the skill level - all you need to do is spread it over the surface and the water will take care of the rest. When I was a kid we used it in cattle water tanks to plug small holes.

deerseeker001 · Jan 2, 2014

we had our pond for about 5 years 15x12 with 6 foot waterfall .we bought a pond kit with heavy duty liner.i dug it 3 ft deep with a 4 inch sand base and never had a problem with leaks.the electric bill doubled over the years and decided to get rid of it.

sd455dan · Jan 2, 2014

troutsqueezer said:
Thanks for the replies, I certainly appreciate them.
I've thought about having to tear the pond apart if I used some thin plastic and I have to agree with your wife, Dan. Maybe when the wife gets tired of looking at the big, ugly hole I dug, she'll come around. :thumbsup:

I mentioned the thread to my wife and she reminded me of one of the main reasons that we had such poor luck with everything- but the heavy duty rubber liner.

The game that would come in at night to get drinks -mainly deer and sometimes elk
(would invariably step on the liner).
After the first hoof- with the animals full weight pushing down and we had a leaking- ruined pool. I dug the pool for her with the excavator and helped with the spring and August cleaning- we had Koi for the first few years and the tear down got to be more expensive- time wise than just buying the good stuff... this is a picture from 2011 when we were experimenting with making a small waterfall -

It is nice to sit by the little pool and listen to the water on a summer afternoon.. Good Luck with what ever way you choose to go, these small pools are a great addition for a stress reducer.