How to Find a Pond Leak
How to find a Pond Leak
If you have ever experienced a leak in your pond you will
know how time consuming and frustrating pinpointing the
source of the leak can be! While all ponds will lose some
water due to normal environmental issues such as evaporation
through sun or wind and splash, major water loss is a
significant problem.
The following steps should help make the task a little
easier:
1.Turn off the pump and observe water levels
(a) Does the water level continue to drop? If yes go to Step
3
(b) Does the water level remain the same? If yes go to step
2
2.The leak is not in your base pond.
(a)Inspect your plumbing, making sure that all joins and
fastenings are tight and waterproof.
(b)Ensure no plant matter is intruding into the
creek/waterfall causing water to run along plant stems and
out of the pond.
(c)Check the positioning of your rocks / pebbles. They may
have moved into the water, raising the water level thus
causing water to spill out.
(d)When surrounding garden area is dry check for wet
patches, indicating leaks. Inspect closer around the source
of any wet patches.
(e)Check your creek / waterfall for a build-up of organic
matter such as leaves, branches and twigs. Debris can cause
dams thus raising the water level causing the water to spill
out.
(f)Check liner is still in its original position and has
not dropped in height.
3.The leak is in your base pond.
(a)Watch the water level closely until the water level is
stable. Remove any fish and plants from the pond and store
temporarily in a container original pond water if water
level drops dangerously low.
(b)When the water level is no longer dropping check very
carefully around the water level. Some leaks will be obvious
while others will be tiny little holes that may be difficult
to see.
(c)If you have a larger leak, try putting some milk into
the water. The milk will cloud the water and move toward the
direction of the leak. This is not always successful but is
worth trying.
4.Repair the leak.
(a)Once you have located the leak you need to repair it.
Use either:
(i)Poly Pond Repair Kit or
(ii)PVC Liner Repair Kit
About the Author
Danielle Dickinson is an avid water feature enthusiast. She is a regular contributor to Gardening Magazines. Visit her website http://www.waterfeaturesonline.com.au for more information on building and maintaining any type of Water Feature as well as a huge range of water gardening products.