Solve your leaking pond mystery

There are few things in pond keeping that's as frustrating as dealing with a leaking pond liner. Days of hard work during installation are frustrated by a pond that loses water in spite of your best efforts. Fortunately, there are a few easy things to check that should narrow down exactly what is happening in your pond and get you back to enjoying your pond.

Listed below are a few things for you to check that should solve the leaking mystery. They are ranked in order of the most common occurrence to the least likely.

The pond is not leaking but losing water due to evaporation from wind or sun.

Wind is the most frequent culprit and up to a 1/2 inch per day you mention is about normal if you have wind blown evaporation. If you have a waterfall or fountain this is even more likely to happen. Note the days the pond seems to be losing water and the weather for that day. If you can determine evaporation is the culprit you can simply add water once a week to compensate or invest in an autofill devise to keep it at a set height

The pond is not leaking but a waterfall or fountain is splashing outside the pond itself.

If splashing is the concern then the fountain or waterfall can be adjusted to lessen the splash or you can install an autofill device to keep the level constant.

The pond is not leaking but the tubing or connections are leaking

The pond is not leaking but the tubing or connections running to a waterfall or fountain or filter, or UV are leaking. Check the tubing and connections to make sure they are intact and firmly connected.

The pond is leaking and the pond liner was accidentally drug across rocks

The pond is leaking and the pond liner was accidentally drug across rocks, concrete, or was cut with stones stuck on shoes during installation. If this is the case we can assist you with a very inexpensive patch kit Firestone QuickSeam EPDM Repair Kit

The pond is leaking and the pond liner is defective

- I was told by by others when we started the business many years ago that this would/could eventually happen. Fortunately 15 years and nearly 4 million square foot of Firestone liner later we have not yet come across a defect. If there is one we can surely get that fixed or replaced for you. If all other options have been eliminated and you believe your liner may be defective then please contact us for further assistance.

To determine if the pond liner is actually leaking or if you have water loss externally try the following:

With the pump, filter, fountain and waterfall all turned off observe the water level. If it continues to fall more than a quarter inch a day (on non windy days with average sun exposure) you may have a leak. Here is how to locate it if you do.

The water level will continue to fall to the level of the leak. Once the water level has stopped falling you now know the leak is right at the water line and can examine just above it for a tear or cut. The lower a tear or cut is in the pond the more likely it is that the liner may have been compromised during installation with a stray rock stuck in someones shoes.

If you locate a leak please examine the area around it. If the area is scuffed up it is a good indicator of having been drug over a rock or something sharp during installation. It is possible that the damage was done on the other side of the liner so you may not see it every time.

If you believe that you have identified a leak that is a defect in the Firestone material then the manufacturer wants to get a section of that liner cut out to examine in their lab. Just a few inches on all sides of the suspected area and they will go to work on it.

Firestone is very serious about defects and they have a department where scientists will test the material in the lab to determine exactly what caused the leak. If they find it to be defective the entire liner will be replaced and they will put out a recall for the entire batch of liner. If they find it to be physical damage from installation, animal damage or other than they will not be able to help you with a replacement but Graystone Industries can still help with a repair kit to seal the affected area. Patches, when installed correctly, will be stronger than the liner itself.

Hope this article will be a great help to you and your pond. If we may answer additional questions or assist you in any way please let us know.

John Olson- Graystone Industries

Image: Pintrest

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