Pond leakage

M

Mickymoody

My fish pond keeps losing water. It's OK for several days, then the water disappears, to about 6 inches. It has a pond liner, and the pond is lined in clay, but there is no outlet as to where the water is going.

I can't see a tear in the liner, and the area around the pond isn't damp, so where is the water going? the pond is about 4 feet across, by 2 feet, kidney shaped?

Why would it hold water for several days, then lose it suddenly? And where is the water going?

The impellor broke on the pump, so that is out of action, so it's standing water, where is the leak, and where is the water going? Filled up several times, level is good for a week, then water goes. I'm sure the fish aren't drinking it!
 
Sponsored Links
You have a leak, you will just have to find it.
As Sherlock said When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?

Surely if you just let it be for a while, at some point the water level will drop beneath the level of the leak and no more water will be lost. At least you will know at what level and above the leak is.
 
Easiest solution is to let gravity work its magic and hopefully the leak will be in the top of the pond liner. Check the folds and creases. Give it a good blast to rid of the algae etc which mite be covering it. It might even be a hole in the concrete somewhere. Have you got a waterfall by any chance? Take a look at that, could be the reason too. :)
 
just clarify the pond construction - is it butyl or pvc sheet laid over clay?

As others have said, le it keep falling until the level stabilises. Your leak (if its in the liner) will be at the water line somewhere.

Or, does it drop only when running the pump? If so, its leaking somewhere on the water course (if there is one).

Some pics might help
 
Sponsored Links
Had a similar conundrum with a water butt. Would fill it up with water with an hose, went back next day, thing was only a quarter full, but no leak to be found. Only happened sometimes, no water around butt, and it's a big old tank. Scratched my head over this for weeks.

Eventually light bulb went off, sometimes I was leaving the hose in the tank and when i turned the tap off and unplugged hose that end, it was was syphoning and water was ending up back where it started near the tap.

So although your impeller is bust, that implies there is a hose with an end in the water, so is something similar happening?
 
Obviously the leak is at the water level eventually reached, but no leak can be found. I don't know the construction of the pond liner, it's heavy grade tarp type material.

I'm curious regarding Chapeau's comment, even though the pump is underwater, and has a fault, could it syphon water uphill, even though switched off, and leak where the hidden pipework is, before it enters the UV chamber? Because no water comes out of the UV chamber, where it pours back into the pond (no waterfall anymore, as it kept leaking), and then when the pressure of the water reduces, the non functioning pump then ceases it's gravity defying trick?

I'm not being funny when I say this, I can see some bizarre scientific principle that would explain that; well I wish I could!

Simple test - remove pump, remove this possibility!

WOW What a theory Chapeau! Any scientists on here able to explain the principle?
 
It will only siphon back if the other end is lower than that in the pond.

Logic, commonsense, and the laws of physics would suggest that wouldn't they?

But I had a go a repairing the pump today, must remember to websearch the make, as to how to try to fix it, the pump feeds thru a pipe to the UV filter box, partially embedded into the rockery, took some digging up, and an area around the UV box is MUDDY! Where the ground around it is bone dry, with a loose hose clip into the box (previously underground)..

Now for the pond to empty overnight, IF the pump was running, the area would be complete slush mud, but to empty when the pump isn't working?

Just a stab in the dark here; are car airboxes designed to create a vacuum, by their shape, to suck more air in? So if the pump in the pond is attached to a box above the pump, could a vacuum be created?

Anyway, pipework removed, no splits in the pipe, pump removed, need to cut the wire, and take apart to fix, but no access found onsite, how to reinsulate the wire once found (as it's buried, can't find the wire!), could cut it at pump end, but then live electricity would be in the water and fry my fishes.

Filled the pond up, and the fishes were overjoyed at their expanded universe, chasing, dodging, and coming to the surface to be stroked.

I can't see how water goes uphill, keep ya posted! Cheers for the help!
 
water WILL siphon uphill as long as the point it exits the pipe is below the level of the water.
 
Anyway, pipework removed, no splits in the pipe, pump removed, need to cut the wire, and take apart to fix, but no access found onsite, how to reinsulate the wire once found (as it's buried, can't find the wire!), could cut it at pump end, but then live electricity would be in the water and fry my fishes.
What on earth are you on about?

You shouldnt need to cut any wires to do any work here.

Disconnect the UV filter by opening it and loosening the terminals.

NEVER EVER CUT A 230V CABLE THAT CARRIES ELECTRICITY TO A SUBMERGED PUMP, except where the cut will be above, and well clear of, the water surface.

Whoever buried the UV filter wants shooting. All connections should be accessible. Stand it on a paving slab.
 
Anyway, pipework removed, no splits in the pipe, pump removed, need to cut the wire, and take apart to fix, but no access found onsite, how to reinsulate the wire once found (as it's buried, can't find the wire!), could cut it at pump end, but then live electricity would be in the water and fry my fishes.
What on earth are you on about?

You shouldnt need to cut any wires to do any work here.

Disconnect the UV filter by opening it and loosening the terminals.

NEVER EVER CUT A 230V CABLE THAT CARRIES ELECTRICITY TO A SUBMERGED PUMP, except where the cut will be above, and well clear of, the water surface.

Whoever buried the UV filter wants shooting. All connections should be accessible. Stand it on a paving slab.

Col - the level that the water reenteres the pond is higher than the pump? Don't understand.

Steve - the pump is normally submerged in the pond, it then pumps the water to the UV filter box, that was partially embedded in my rockery, as it's a big old ugly box, with the top left clear for maintainence, as the instructions that came with it suggested. This meant that the input to it was underground, or under the rockery.

The pump isn't working, the UV box works fine, but as there is no water being pumped into the UV box, both have been switched off, and unplugged, I'm not about to be cutting live wires! I'm an engineer!

The cables are buried, along with my garden lights, that you bury the cable, then the lights 'spikes' the cable to pick up the 12V, but the garden is so well grown now, that I can't source the pump or UV box cables, with out digging up the garden, or dismantling the pond brickwork surround. So the only cable available to remove the pump is by cutting the cable where it enters the pond (not a good idea), to take it indoors, to enable me to take it apart and fix it properly, as working at the end of the garden isn't so good, especially as some bees have decided to take up residence in the area.

I just think I didn't explain properly. Next thing is - how to fix the pump? I've emailed the manufacturer, Blagdon, it's an 18w Minipond 900 pump if anyone knows it?

And if anyone is to blame for hiding the wiring - unfortunately, it's me, I have a gun, do I really need to shoot myself? bit harsh!

To re-iterate - the pump has a 20 foot lead, buried, and can only access the last 2 feet, but to fault find the pump requires the pump to be removed to a workshop, but the wire is buried, I'm never in a month of Sundays gonna be cutting live wires, or cutting which would electrocute my fishes! They were tiddlers when bought, now over 8" long. (hope thats the sign for inches, not feet!)!

We bought about 10 at the time, and named them after friends and family, 3 remain. Darren (me), Michelle (my better half), and we ran out of names for the last one, lol so he was called "the fish with no name, no really thats his name"...It was a sad day telling the kids, sorry Carl, you've been eaten by a heron, or Keith, sorry, you swam into the pump and got mashed...
 

DIYnot Local

Staff member

If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.

Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.


Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local

 
Sponsored Links
Back
Top