The Kerdi pond

[pb]

so the deal is that i have a pond in my back yard that my wife did out of a kiddie pool, but the pool has a hole and she wants a bigger one. so i thought that a plywood kerdi covered area would serve as a great pond. one of those things to help take care of scraps and such. so anyone have any ideas on this? i know about the 15 ft water holder shluter made and had very little seepage so i am curious about a year round pond. maybe get crazy and thinset a heat mat to the bottom of the plywood to keep the fish warm and cozy in the winter...oh well, somthing to noodle. any responses would be great...


Don

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[JTG]

Don
It will work for awhile. What is going to protect the wood on the other side? If it is buried in dirt is will degrade in time.
IMO
JTG

[poolmaninct]

epdm rubber or gunite..... both tried & true

[Shaughnn]

Don,
Have a gunite shell shot, if you want spillways and a variable depth, otherwise go with a rubber pre-cast shell. In addition to the plywood backing deteriorating over time, I do believe that the Kerdi is not UV stable and will also degrade.
Best of luck, and I like the heating mat idea. :)
Shaughnn

[Scooter]

Having built a number of ponds and fountains, you need to thing about 2 areas:

The liner. There are two basic types, a rubber EPDM type liner (in several grades, some with cushioning) and a hard plastic. Concrete liners went out in the 60's. The high end EPDM's have an extra layer under them so they can be placed directly onto rocks and hard ground. Otherwise, you need to buy a cushion for the liner, a quarter inch fabric like a carpet pad. The hard plastics need no cushioning.

The pump and electrics. GPH is the key statistic here. You usually are shooting for a complete change out of the volume twice an hour. Size your pumps accordingly. Most better pumps have built in filters, some have nozzles, too.

[John Bridge]

Before Gunite, swimming pools were hand packed with deck mud over a rebar armature. Then they were plastered just like the Gunite pools of today. You can use the old method for your pond. There may be a little seepage, but who cares? :)

[Scooter]

I don't remember back that far. Was that before electricity? :)

[Bugman]

In 2000 I made a watergarden with two pools and a connecting cascade between them. I lined everything with Firestone EPDM 43 mil pond liner with non-woven fabric underlayment. I have heavy clay soil with with very few rocks in it. I bought a 20x50 sheet of the liner so there are no seams in the whole thing. I have a Sequence centrifugal pump that circulates close to two changes of water an hour. I made a biological filter from a 100 gallon Rubbermaid stock tank. It has 4 cubic feet of PVC ribbon in it for the good bacteria to attach to. I also have lots of plant material in the ponds as well as gold fish. The water is crystal clear year round. I did have to add some beneficial bacteria the first spring, but since then it has been self sufficient. I do not feed the fish. They do fine and spawn every spring. I also have a good population of bull frogs in the ponds. They are a little noisy part of the year, but sure are fun to watch.

The EPDM line conforms to the various levels of the ponds and has worked out fine. I would use it again.

If you have any specific questions, let me know. I can share pichers of the whole process.

[Scooter]

Whats the overall size of the bond, in terms of gallons?

[Bugman]

If you are asking about mine, the total volume for the two ponds is roughly 2100 gallons. The depth varies in both of them. The maximum depth is 2 feet.

[Davy]

I know a guy that made a spa himself. He started with a hay ring and added rebar to it, set forms and poured it himself. He claimed it worked great. :)

[poolmaninct]

Before Gunite, swimming pools were hand packed with deck mud over a rebar armature. Then they were plastered just like the Gunite pools of today. You can use the old method for your pond. There may be a little seepage, but who cares?


i can think of a few that would :lol1:

[poolmaninct]

& dont forget depth codes, most parts around here, deeper than 24", a fence is mandatory

[silvercitytile]

so kerdi woudn't work for a pond

[cx]

Not a good eye-dee, Jeff, unless you plan to tile it. Or otherwise cover the Kerdi. You could plaster over it, I suppose. But Schluter says it's gotta be covered.

My opinion; worth price charged.

[MHI]

Kerdi doesn't work well with convex/concave shapes, unless you want to make a square box for a pond.:)

That, and there are proven liners already being used for ponds.