How to retain water in the waterfall tank

14 years ago

Hi,

I am a newbie in water gardening. When the pump is switched off in our pond, the water completely drains out od the waterfall tank. Since it is a biofalls, shouldnt it retin water, even with the pump switched off? It was recommended that I put some plants in the waterfall tank, but since it doesnt retain water unless the pump is running, I am not sure how to go about it.

Any advice would be appreciated :)...

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Comments (12)

timbersmith
14 years ago
Ya need to add a check valve somewhere in the plumbing to the biofalls. I've got something similar to the linked version for this reason - right after the pump in my skimmer box so that it's easy to access.

Here is a link that might be useful: Flowtec Check Valve
annaca
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks for the info.... the only problem is I have no idea how to go about doing this.... since the landscaper did the pond construction for me.... :(
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sleeplessinftwayne
14 years ago
Uhhh..., I think you would need to have some sort of "off" anywhere there is an inlet or outlet for the water or anywhere a vacuum is formed since that would cause a backwash. I am assuming she means the bio-falls has a gravity based outlet and a submerged or gravity based inlet

Ann, we need a bit more info...and you need to know more about the system or you will be attached to the landscaper for the life of the pond. If he is a good landscaper he should have given you the info in the first place. Please don't be alarmed about the number of questions. No two ponds are alike and no two ponders are alike either.

How much water is in the pond system? How big is the pump? Where is it located? (in or out of the water?) How big is the filtration/bio tank? What material is the liner? Do you have fish? What kind, what size and how many? How deep is the pond? How and where does the water enter the upper bio-falls? Why do you turn off the water? Do you have rocks on the bottom of the pond? What zone are you in?

We (all of the ponders who will come in to talk about the system) may give you advice that seems to conflict. Say so and we will try to reconcile the answers. If you have no idea in the world what we are talking about, say so. Some of us can get wordy at times. This is a bit off season for many of us so the process may be slow but you can be sure to get responses. Sandy
bubbalove
14 years ago
The water may be coming back through the tubing and pump.
turnerwaterscaping
14 years ago
Timbersmith was correct in saying you need a check valve installed. If the landscaper was a professional he probably used a pond kit to install it for you. If it was a pond kit then you have a skimmer on your pond as well. Most kits have one. A skimmer is where your pump would be in. All you need to do is cut your line and install the check valve and then connect the ends back to the valve its very easy to do make sure the valve is vertical when installed. What this does is when you turn your pond off water it will not drain from your biofalls. The landscaper should have installed it when he put the pond in! In the winter time if it gets freezing weather and you shut down your waterfall then you need to remove the check valve so your line in your pond doesnt freeze and break.

Sleepless is correct when she said you need to know the basics of your pond. Your landscaper should go over everything that is mechanical with and you should have questions for him.
If your landscaper doesnt help you with it.. feel free to email me and I can go over it with you. I have built hundreds of ponds so ive answered a few questions in my time.. lol. Good luck!

greg
timbersmith
14 years ago
Vertical eh? That might be part of my problem - the previous owners installed my check valve horizontal, and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Always thought that the flapper had gotten worn out, but I think I'll look into doing some minor re-configuring come springtime . . .
mike_il
14 years ago
Timbersmith,

All flapper type check valves work better in the better in the vertical position. Some can be installed in the horizontal position and work just fine. One thing is for sure and that is all check valves will fail. The only question is how long before this happens. This is dependent on a lot of factors. How the valve was made, the design of the valve, the volume of water moving thru the valve, the pressure the water is under, the debri in the water, and the temperature of the water. Cheaper built valves will normally last a couple of years and the better ones will last about twice as long. Try to stay away from valves that are glued in place and can not be replaced easily. Try to stay away from a pond manufacturer that has a check valve made that has to be replaced with their unit only without having to replace most of the pump plumbing as this means the replacement part can have a very high price because you can only get it one place.
Yes there are going to be exceptions to the failure times one way or the other. I prefer to stay away from check valves that use a plastic backing plate on the rubber flap as that has a tendency to come off and block the flow of water.
Mike
annaca
Original Author
14 years ago
Wow, I feel so overwhelmed :(.... Let me see what all I can answer... I live in San Ramon, CA, but not sure about the zone... I have a 2 month old pond, with no plants or fish in as yet. The pond is 10' x 6' and at most 2 feet deep. The pump is located in the water and it does have a skimmer too. I am not sure how big the pump is (I feel so ignorant!).The liner is EPDM and covered with rounded river rocks. The water flows out through the bio falls down a stream and into the pond. Right now the pump runs for a couple of hours a day. As for putting plants in, I am waiting for the water to warm up a bit and even then I don't even know where to start... I contacted my landscaper and she said she will come and take a look... You are right I should have asked for more info... But I am so mechanically challenged I didn't even know where to start...

P.S. How do I find out my zone, and how do I post a picture?
turnerwaterscaping
14 years ago
Theres no need to feel overwelm its just all new! Once you get some basics down you will be just fine and simply enjoy your your new pond. If your interested i have literature for new pond owners just send me an email. Happy ponding... lol!

Your landscaper should know what zone you are in.

greg
annaca
Original Author
14 years ago
Finally figured out the Zone thanks to the 'Tools & Directories' tab, but still cant figure out the A or B part...
sleeplessinftwayne
14 years ago
LOL! If you found the Zone, you did good. The a & b part is just a recognition that micro zones exist inside of zones.

For example, Zone 5 contains some differences internally that might appear to be zone 4 or zone 6. These differences are not sufficient to designate them as a different zone. They are simply leaning toward those characteristics.

Normally you can find a new zone map about every 10 years or so but they have been published by the American Horticultural Society more often, recently.
annaca
Original Author
14 years ago
And I finally managed to upload a picture too... YAY!

{{gwi:188718}}

How to retain water in the waterfall tank

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