#Thegreatpoolpondconversion - 200308
We spent this last week pulling back the liner every morning, bailing about a bucket every 2 hours.
On Friday we saw the hard bottom of the pool floor. We used a shop vac to suck up a bunch of water on Saturday and today (which is Day 44!)
We think we got most of it. There’s maybe 10 gallons left under the sand and it won’t matter.
We filled in the well bit by bit, pounded (hopefully) for the last time, then pulled the boards. More sand, fixed a few very small erosion / structural problems, and after two months, the bailing is done and the bottom is back to where it was.
We spent an hour tucking and tailoring the liner and got to here:
For various reasons, we’ll be adjusting it for a while.
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There will now be a pause (oh no) in the main pond progress while we build the waterfall (oh yes).
Think back to week one (or go back and read it from the index link at the bottom)
Our original concept, and how we made it uniquely ‘ours’ was to combine a number of ideas:
- converting a built in swimming pool to a pond
- naturally balanced / no filter system or maintenance
- with a waterfall (likely using a horse trough / stock tank)
- fed by a boat bilge pump (simple and inexpensive)
- powered by a battery-less solar panel
And now the next step is building that waterfall.
There are ‘pondless’ waterfalls. You can google the idea. We didn’t like it.
We want a small, still upper pool that spills into the larger pond. Because we can. And because we planned it that way.
Since we have a concrete deck, whatever we do has to sit on top of it.
What can hold 50-150 gallons without structural support? A stock tank (sans horse):
Parts are starting to show up and we quick tested the solar panel and the pump.
Before we ordered the tank we had to settle on the height.
We rigged up a flow test to see what it might look and sound like.
The next two phases of construction sort of go in parallel - finishing up the liner tailoring and the waterfall.
And when they’re both done, we’ll be dangerously close to selecting plants and filling.
Meanwhile we still have to work out the details of the rock order.
3-4 tons of slate rock, river rock and river pebbles we’ll need for the border, channel, bottom-scaping, etc.
It should all become crystal clear as we move forward.
Oh, and the Passion flowers think it’s nearly springtime.
Here’s an index of all the postings in #thegreatpoolpondconversion