Pondless Water Features; Basic Steps To Design Your Own
The latest thing in garden ponds isn’t even a pond! Pondless waterfalls and streams can be made without a pond. The ideal features of going ‘pondless’ are:
No standing water– ideal for families with young children
No skimmers and filters needed–little to no maintenance
Often are turned on and off with the flip of the switch–set on a timer to make it easier yet
The water coming from a Pondless water feature is directed into an underground reservoir. This reservoir covered with rocks or gravel makes the water seem like it truly is flowing straight into the earth. You can make it look like a rippling waterfall within the Colorado Rockies or maybe a meandering stream.
The first step to create a pondless water feature is to use your imagination. Give thought to where it will look best in your yard. Do you wish to view it through your kitchen window or tucked away inside a secluded corner for a cozy backyard retreat. When that decision has been made you have to decide if you would like to create a pondless waterfall, a disappearing stream or maybe a mixture of the two.
The difference between waterfall and the stream is the height. Should you decide to do a waterfall you would build more than one tier so that your water would cascade down the falls. For your stream you only need the water running off of one tier. You could possibly include a stream bed with your waterfall. This would require more rubber liner and underlay depending on length and width of the stream you want to create.
When you have imagined and sited your pondless water feature you need to contemplate the sound you desire the water to make. Do you like a trickling sound or maybe a roaring falls. Knowing this can help you figure the water flow rate which you need to size the correct waterfall pump. Right after this you need to figure the water volume in gallons to learn the size reservoir that will be needed. Don’t get frazzled, easy formulas to calculate all of this are available online. After you know your water volume, desired water flow rate and waterfall pump size it’s time to begin the build.
Step 1. Simply dig a hole large enough to retain the gallons of water (which you previously figured). This is your reservoir. Utilizing the dirt coming from the hole mound up from the reservoir towards the height of the waterfall desired. If constructing a streambed berm the dirt on either side of stream.
Step 2. Position underlayment and pond liner into reservoir hole, up waterfall slope (or stream) and into top hole where waterfall weir will sit. Working with liner follow contours of the ground. Liner should overlap perimeter of water feature by 1 1/2 feet.
Step 3. Position the waterfall weir in to the top tier of your waterfall onto the liner. The waterfall weir is simply a box that fills with water to evenly cascade the water over the spillway. Keep the weir level.
Step 4. Place the pump vault (holds pump) into reservoir onto liner. Put pump into pump vault, connect pump to tubing and run tubing up to the waterfall. Lay tubing up the side so it can be easily concealed upon finishing.
Step 5. Using gravel, cement blocks or EcoBlox, fill remainder of reservoir to the lip of the pump vault. This displaces the water and makes a base on which to put the finishing rocks.
Step 6. Place small 3″ to 4″ rocks into waterfall weir. Finish locating the decorative rocks you have chosen into the waterfall slope, stream bed, onto reservoir and around perimeter if you choose.
Step 7. Fill with water, switch on pump.
Step 8. Sit, Unwind and Enjoy!
For everything else you will need visit http://www.gardenpondplace.com to create your pondless water features.