Getting water to pond

[catvet]

I'm having problem keeping water in a small pond I have. I'm rather sure I have a leak and quite frankly don't have the bucks to address a liner at this point. I've been trying to add water from a small uphill "feeder" pond which is basically a hole in the ground where water from a seep runs into.

Fills fairly quickly but isn't high volume. We currently have a 1" hose running down the hill to the pond which we can generally get started by priming with water and letting it gravity feed. This works until the water level gets below my hose and then, of course we lose siphon.

I'm thinking of digging a trench and putting in say a 3" PVC pipe with the thought that as water gets to the bottom of the pipe it will start flowing. I hear about "air bound" hoses and pipes which won't flow because of an air "dam". Any ideas as to weather a larger pipe would work? My thought is that air would be sort of floating above the water in a larger line. allowing a stream of water below.

Any other suggestions? We are talking about about 400' between the feeder bond and the main pond.

 

[marimus]

Buy some bentonite and sprinkle it into the water of your dam. It will move towards the leak and seal it. I pay $10/ton + delivery.
Its also available bagged if your pond is small, and is sometimes called drillers clay.

Its a natural material (a type of clay), 1gram of bentonite has the surface area of a football field

 

[JW1554]

Water will flow in the proposed pipe as long as the water level in the hole is higher than the pipe, assuming the pipe runs downhill from the inlet point.

If a 1" hose works now, the proposed pipe does not need to be any bigger. However you will need some sort of strainer on the inlet end to keep the pipe from getting plugged.

Bentonite is a good idea.

 

[catvet]

Thanks guys,

Where do you find Bentonite?

Actually don't have a dam with this pond. it's dug out with a spillway if it gets too full.

I take it I was misinformed as to the "air dam". Someone explained it as the water has to have enough pressure to push the column of air out of the hose even if it is heading downhill.

 

[EddieWalker]

Not sure how much water you can get from your spring, but the cheapest pipe that I know of is the 4 inch corrugates stuff that comes in 100 foot rolls for around $35 a rool. That's .35 cents a foot!!!!! To seal the connections, just wrape with some duct tape real good and forget about it. You don't have any preasure on the line, so the duct tape will work just fine.

Of course, the trick is to get the trench dug so the water flows freely. I wouldn't rely on a syphon and it will always fail on you and you'll have to mess with it forever. Do whatever it takes to get the trench dug right, and you'll always be happy with it. Cut a corner, and you'll always hate it.

Eddie

 

[Defective]

Something I learned early on...

Start digging your trench at the low end. I know it should be common sense, but I've seen more than one poor sob fighting the mud from going the other way.

 

[catvet]

Hope I would have thought about starting at the lower end, not sure though.

 

[EddieWalker]

I'm not good enough at ditch digging to keep a slope rising if I dig at the low end. I always start at the high end and work on my slope from that direction. If there is water in the trench, I either keep it moving by digging a little deeper, or dam it up and let some go when I want to check the flow.

Eddie

 

[tommu56]

I follow Eddies plan too when the water just runs to next trench section you got the pitch right.

tom

 

[catvet]

Eddie,

Hadn't thought of the water and pitch. Good point. It would make it more obvious that you are doing it right.