It was not long before the word got out on how profitable pond construction was and even professionals were becoming “pond experts”. Why not, if in one day you can dig a hole, pile dirt at one end, cover it with a rubber sheet, cover the sheet with rocks, fill it with water, drop in a sump pump, hook up a tube, and presto change-o, $6000 profit in 6 to 8 hours?

Well, the pioneers had a great thing going, but they made a fatal mistake, they started shouting “gold” and “jackpot”! Soon the rush was on. It is called competition and it came from every angle, manufacturer, supplier, retailer, wholesaler and especially installers.

As would be expected, this get-rich-quick fever turned into an epidemic, forcing up the price of pond liner kits to equal the cost of professional concrete construction. Since this craze started, proponents of liners maligned concrete construction, professing liner superiority over concrete construction. Making false statements about the integrity of reinforced concrete, they have attempted to elevate the benefits of rubber liners.

In searching for the facts about concrete ponds and waterfalls from reading the literature of the greed-driven liner pond industry, it cannot be found. You ask why? Because if the facts were known, who in their right mind would invest in a pond liner unless they were going to use it for a limited period of time.

The track record for pond liners speaks for itself:

More than 40% of all waterfalls will have serious structural damage within the first 3 years of construction.

An incredible 60% of homeowners say they are dissatisfied with the way their waterfall turned out upon completion of the project.

35% of liner ponds and waterfalls are leaking water within nine months of completion for one of several reasons.

65% of “do-it-yourselfers” say they wished they were informed of the pros and cons of liners from the beginning or that they had hired a professional.

These statistics are from the pond liner industry itself. I can confirm and attest to these numbers myself. I have built over 1,900 reinforced concrete waterfalls and ponds over the past 26 years and have ripped out and replaced scores of defective liner ponds and replaced them with concrete ones with lifetime warranties. Just prior to retiring, in August in 2007 I replaced a $276,000 liner pond and waterfall in Rancho Santa Fe, CA with reinforced 3500 psi concrete due to gopher damage! Pond liner installers provide no warranty against damage from rats, mice, ground squirrels, gophers, tree roots and sharp objects and this one refused to do anything to correct the problem.

Reinforced concrete pondless waterfalls have a lifetime warranty. Liner pondless waterfalls have only a one year warranty on labor, and a 20-30 year warranty against factory defects. But it has no warranty against damage caused by, mice, rats, gophers, tree roots, ground squirrels, sharp objects, etc.

Reinforced concrete pondless waterfalls use high-efficiency, above-ground pumps that are easy to service (3-year warranties). The 1/3 HP pump is low profile, extremely quiet, and easily hidden with plants next to the falls, or the pumps can be placed in another part of the yard by extending the flexible PVC suction and return lines. The liner pondless waterfall uses a sump pump that is placed in the basin, and then buried with hundreds of pounds of gravel. In order to service this pump (only a 2 year warranty), all the stinky, slimy, rocks need to be first removed from the basin.

The pump in the reinforced concrete pondless waterfall produces 5,900 gallons per hour with a draw of only 350 watts (retail $430). A sump pump is supplied with the liner pondless waterfall kit (they advertise as the “premier” pump on the market ). However it produces 5,600 gal/hour (102 gal. less) at a whopping 912 watts power draw (50% more than an above-ground pump). It costs a whopping $530 more per year to operate (at $.13/kwh). The sump pump costing $600 retail, $175 more than a centrifugal pump. Many liner installers refer to it as “the best warranty in the industry” and it is only for 2 years, as compared to a centrifugal’s 3 year warranty!

The rocks of a reinforced concrete pondless waterfall are all securely mortared in place (covering the concrete shell). Consequently anyone, especially kids, may climb on the rocks without them shifting, possibly causing serious injury. Rocks will move and shift in the liner pondless waterfalls and in just a few months, the unsightly liner is exposed in the falls and the perimeter of the pond.

During construction of the concrete pondless waterfall, many design liberties can be taken, such as altering the length, width or shape of the water feature as the project progresses. Unlike a liner pondless waterfall, the parameters have already been established by the manufacturer of the pond kit.

The concrete pondless waterfall can utilize the large, open basin to install an Aquafill automatic water leveling device. In addition, the basin can be made smaller because the space for water is not taken up by rocks as it is in the liner pondless waterfall basin. The only rock that exists is on top of the galvanized or plastic plank cover.

Wow! Check this out… reinforced concrete waterfalls are

1. secure & stationary;
2. permanent;
3. they will last for decades;
4. Cost less to build;
5. Simple to operate;
6. Simple to clean;
7. Virtually maintenance-free;
8. Three-year pump warranty; and
9. More natural in appearance and less liability.

Lemons or apples? You decide!

The liner revolution is fading fast, the truth of their limitations are coming to light and their track record is badly tarnished. Leaky liner customers are fighting back with litigation nationwide and are winning because they were not told the whole truth in the beginning.

Before wasting your hard earned money, do your research and use your own God-given common sense. Begin with the internet by searching “pond liners vs. concrete.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1469786

Concrete sealers are of two types including penetrates and the film formers. They are straight sealers. ‘Cure and seal’ is a hybrid variant of sealer available in the market. They are water or solvent based, applied to a new concrete work to avoid any problems by forming a preventive layer and act as a sealer when the concrete is old. Penetrating sealers like silicates, silanes and siloxanes etc, chemically react with the elements of the concrete preventing moisture. They are commonly used in exterior concrete surfaces.

Film forming sealers are mostly used in decorative concrete work due to the glace and shine that it gives, adds to the beauty of the concrete work. It forms a protective cover on the surface. There are different types in this. Acrylic sealers are easy to apply and are UV resistant. It acts as a barrier against water and chlorides. It is economical as well. Epoxies are also film forming sealers that give hard, long, abrasion resistant finish. They bond well with concrete. But exposure to UV radiation can make it yellowish, so is better if used for interior purpose. Another film forming sealer is polyurethanes, twice as thick as the acrylics, acts as a very good barrier to chemicals and abrasions. They are effective only when the surface is dry, otherwise they cause chemical reaction resulting in foams and bubbles.

To use a concrete sealer is a very easy job. First clean and dry the surface where the sealer needs to be applied. Read the instructions as given by the manufacturer of the sealer. Mix the concrete sealer properly and ensue no bubbles are formed on shaking. Apply the concrete sealer to the surface. A brush or a roller or a low pressure sprayer, could be used for this purpose. Make even and thin layer covering the surface completely and allow it to dry. After it is dry apply another coat over it and dry. If there is any additional instructions by the manufacturer follow them.

Why use these concrete sealers? A newly completed concrete work needs protection from water seepage that can cause cracks on the surface. So a protection in the form of sealer on its surface can do the trick of preventing it from happening and what if it gives an additional aesthetic lift to the concrete work.

Shotcrete is an all-inclusive term used for describing the process of spraying concrete or mortar through either a wet or dry application technique.

Gunite, on the other hand refers only to the dry-mix process in which the dry cementitious mixture is blown through a hose to the nozzle, where the water is injected immediately prior to application. So in essence, what you end up with is still concrete. ”The only real difference is how it was just applied.” When people think of concrete, they think of concrete that is poured into forms that have steel rebar and mesh reinforcement, which is then allowed to set up and cure.

The Shotcrete or Gunite process allows the concrete to be sprayed in place instead. Shotcrete is a wet spray application, meaning that the concrete mixture is blended with water and pushed through the application hose pneumatically where it is applied to the job site. Gunite consists of a dry mixture that is pushed through the hose pneumatically until it gets to the gun nozzle, at which point water is injected into the mixture where it is mixed as it hits the job site. In the end, one could say that besides a few minor differences, Shotcrete and Gunite work the same. Small differences such as how each material might be applied to a vertical or overhang area are about all you’ll find. Now you may have also been thinking that Shotcrete or Gunite were actually waterproof after they have been sprayed and cured. This is a misconception. Remember when I said that you’re still spraying concrete? Concrete is not waterproof either. This is why, when building a pond, you need to seal the inside of the concrete shell.

The positive side of this is that because it is concrete, using the right waterproofing coating means you’ll not have to use a primer in order to get it to stick. Just prepare the surface as you would any concrete and you’ll be in business. Keep in mind though, that because it is normal concrete, it will have to cure for a minimum of 28 days just like any other concrete. During the hydration process, the typical precautions of keeping the concrete moist are very important in order to minimize shrinkage. One of the things you’ll find that is a plus for Shotcrete or Gunite is that because it is sprayed, a lot more of the air is removed from the over-all product. This means that the concrete is stronger than a typical poured type of concrete. Poured concrete might have a compressive strength of 2500 psi where Shotcrete or Gunite average out at near 4000+ psi. The draw back with that is minor, only being air entrainment within the concrete. Air entrainment in the concrete is good for freeze/thaw cycles.

During a freeze for instance, water is pushed into the concrete and can literally expand within the air pockets meaning the concrete will have a better chance at withstanding cracking. A good spray contractor will know this and attempt to entrain at the proper percentage so as to accommodate for freeze/thaw when the scenario calls for it. This is referred to as the spacing factor. One other thing you might ask your contractor about is whether or not your application could benefit from the Shotcrete or Gunite being partly composed of silica fume. Silica fume makes the Shotcrete or Gunite stickier and aids in the application process where a quicker build up is needed.

Finally, you should take care when deciding upon a contractor to apply your Shotcrete or Gunite.

Here are some questions to ask both yourself and the contractor. Does the contractor have a good track record of shooting ponds with the wet method? Dry method? How many ponds have they completed with the wet method? Dry method? Can you provide a list of past completed jobs? How do they plan to incorporate the trimmed concrete into the shell? (The rebound and the trimmed concrete play a key role in the final quality of the pond shell.) What concrete mix design do they plan to use? You need to do some homework before you begin. You can’t change your mind after they start. You need to answer the question, ~ By Butch Kuhl

The International Professional Pond Companies Association’s Ponditat For Humanity program constructed a pondless feature in early November for the PossAbilities physical rehabilitation unit of Loma Linda University Medical Center East Campus in Loma Linda, Calif.

Close to 20 contractors donated their time and labor for this worthwhile construction project through Ponditat For Humanity,  valued at well over $10,000 by IPPCA.   As a way of benefiting charitable causes Ponditat For Humanity solicits the aid of contractors who want to donate their time for a good cause and at the same time learn the trade of pond and water feature construction. This Loma Linda University Medical Center water feature was the sixth project completed since the association launched Ponditat For Humanity.

“Building this water feature for PossAbilities with the IPPCA is huge for us here at The Pond Digger,” Triplett said. “We love the goals and mission statements from both these organizations and it helps us with our mission of ‘touching people’s lives with water.’”

“The Ponditat For Humanity project also showcased advanced plumbing techniques using manifolds, as demonstrated by Mike White of Batavia, Ill.-based White Water Filters, and the use of Eco-Blox, said Dave Jones, IPPCA chairman.

The pondless water feature includes four 5-foot-tall drilled rock columns, a 3-foot-wide spillway and a large piece of driftwood. The pondless water feature uses a two-pump (one external, one submerged) recirculation system that moves a combined 11,000 gallons per hour.”

Pedro R. Payne, PhD the manager of PossAbilities at Loma Linda University Medical Center East Campus said, “he is grateful and honored to have been chosen to receive a professionally installed water feature through the Ponditat for Humanity organization. This water feature, valued at over $10,000, will help to enhance the healing environment for our members. As you know, the soothing sound of running water helps to create a natural environment conducive to healing and wellbeing. For PossAbilities incorporating a healing environment into our program is a high priority. We plan for the pond to be revealed at a ribbon cutting ceremony on November 4, 2011. We plan to include the International Pond Companies Association as invitees for this event.”

Sponsors of the project included Firestone, Atlantic Water Gardens, Easy Pro Pond Products, Ewing Irrigation, Sequence Pumps, Fielding Pumps, The Pond Digger, Graystone Industries, White Water Filters, The Pond Professional and Aquamedia Manufacturing donating an AquaFill electronic automatic water

level controller to maintain the water level.

Fountain Water Leveler- AquaFill AFF-001

There are millions of fountains of every conceivable design and shape around the world. They all have one thing in common, besides water, they all need to be manually filled. Until the developement of the Fountain AquaFill, most all fountains needed to be filled by hand using a garden hose or supply line.

This could explain why most fountains are sitting idle, full of  leaves and debris or a burned out pump from running dry as a result of  someone neglecting to keep the fountain full of water and the pump ran dry and over heated. The best example is the three or four tiered fountains that are commonly found in courtyards and circular driveways. Most of these fountains can easily be fitted with a Fountain AquaFill™ which eliminaes the need to ever have to manually fill the fountain again.

The Fountain AquaFill™

can easily be hidden in many of the larger fountains, however if it is not possible to do so, then the remote AquaFill Leveling Chamber™  can be facillitated, as shown in the illustation. The chamber can be mounted 50 to 100 feet from the fountain if necessary and still control and maintain the “fountain’s water level”.

NOTICE:  

Fountain AquaFill requires a 24 volt plugin transformer and a sprinkler solenoid valve (see diagram below) which can be purchased at Home Depot, Lowes  or Ace Hardware for $12.00 each.

CLICK PHOTOS TO ENLARGE

click to enlarge

Retail for the AquaFill electronic water leveler (AFP-001 float only) is $69.95 Your cost each is $27.50 x 10 $275.00 to become a dealer. After the original order, you may purchase any quantity at $31.95 each.

Trade MAGAZINE  

sponsored “Pond Product of The Year Award”

for the Water Garden Industry involving 40 pond product entries nationwide!

Aquamedia is proud to announce that the AquaFill Electronic Water Leveler Controller won…

Pond Product of The Year- “People’s Choice”  

Mr. Douglas Hoover CEO of Aquamedia Manufacturing was presented the award for his New Product the “Mini”

AquaFill by Mr. Tom Graham, Editor and Chief of The Water Garden Industries popular PondTrade Magazine. The Awards banquet was sponsored by the the IPPCA a Not-for-profit Pond and Waterscape Industry’s Official Trade Association. They expressed appreciation for Mr. Hoover’s donation of 15 AquaFill electronic water level controllers for their “fund raiser raffle” in addition to the AquaFill donated to their Ponditat For Humanity Project for PossAbilities at Loma Linda University Medical Center East Campus. Mr. Hoover stated that he was pleased to play a small part in helping out such a worthwhile cause and is looking forward to more involvement next year.

There are many auto fill devices on the market today, however, most of them are mechanical floats similar to the toilet tank floats. Because they are a mechanical devices, they are susceptible to malfunctions such as sticking, jamming, rusting, warping or corroding. as a result of this, most floats stick or malfunction in the closed position, resulting in an unchecked, continuous flow of water causing an overflow. If this happens in a koi pond, the result could be the chlorine or chloramine poisoning of the fish.

The AquaFill electronic water level controller is designed to fail in the open position, meaning that the 24 volt circuit to the solenoid is interrupted causing the solenoid that supplies the water to become nonoperational. It is truly a “Fail-Safe” system so consequently, the AquaFill is used by koi farms and breeders worldwide. The AquaFills only compitition is theLevolor auto fill, which uses probes to sense the water level through conductivity. It requires an elaborate, electronic circuit board to accomplish this. Because of the many electrical component parts there are many things that can go wrong with it and does. The AquaFill retails for $136 and thelevolorstarts well over $300 and as a result, pool contractors are switching to AquaFill, not just for the economics, but for its reliability and dependability in doing what it is designed to do. The AquaFill only has one moving part and that is a small styrene float bobber that rides up and down on a hemetically sealed shaft containing a micro leaf switch. This switch was designed to open and close thousands of times per day and carries a five (5) year warrenty against factory defects.

The float acts as a switch between the 24 volt transformer and the inline solenoid switch. When the float bobber drops due to a loss ofwater through splashing and evaporation, two magnets embeded into the float, causes the micro switch to close and completes the circuit, sending voltage to the solenoid causing it to open putting water into the pond. The float is housed inside an enclosure, preventing water turbulance that would cause the bobber to bounce up and down causing the switch to occillate on and off, causing the solenoid to also click on and off. This would cause undue wear and tear on both the switch and the solenoid.

Tom Barthel’s article, “Pulling the Envelope,” in the May 2007 issue of Water Garden News, really  got me going. In it he said, “Technological innovations for skimmers and filter-fall products have leveled off recently. On the rise, instead, are units that use creative features and meet the customer’s need for low maintenance, durable products sold at competitive prices.”

He is confirming the truth about what I have been preaching for over ten years. The true reason that sales of liner skimmers and fall-filters have leveled off is because their poor performance is coming back to “bite” the skimmer scammers in the bottom line! These skimmers are designed for making profits, not filtering ponds.

Since that article was written in 2007- the dumb-down-cheap-extruded plastic approach for skimmers has lost popularity… 2011 is showing and increased interest in quality as apposed to only profitability.

Many of the so-called pond experts operate like the pharmaceutical industry. They advise consumers on the so-called benefits of the very products they produce and sell, in this case skimmers. Drug companies sell products which generally mask the actual symptoms of a disease and in the process mess up the body’s balance even more. This creates yet a new need for another drug to mask yet another symptom.

If the skimmer’s engineering and design is not effective in providing the proper filtration of water, it will not only require regular cleaning, but will demand another “drug” or band-aid. Hence, yet another innovation sweeps the planet, and this engineering marvel is designed to solve yet another water garden ailment. Some of the “drugs” used to treat ineffective filters are what I call the “flim-flam filter falls,” the “bio-balls filter falls,” the “ooh-la-la cha-ching cha-ching filter falls”.

These are some of the sales pitches you might hear from the purveyors of miracle potions for your ailing water garden: “Oh you poor thing, your pond is turning green, your water has body odor. ( the fish are exhibiting an evolutional behavior, by trying to leave the water and live on land.) Here, we just happen to have something for those two symptom. It’s called ‘Green Be Gone’, only $32 a pint and we recommend you buy a gallon. Then, add three bottles of our ‘fish safe’ (we’re not sure about the turtles) and plant-safe, ‘Stink Be Gone.’ So that your fish will go back in the water where they belong, we recommend our very own private label, ‘Home Sweet Home pH Up.’ And if that does not work, for another $39 per pint, try our ‘Home Sweet Home pH Down.’

Oh, and I have some bad news for you. My technician just got back from your house call and discovered that your leaky pond is from a big fat rat that chewed a hole in it. Sorry, our warranty does not cover that, only factory defects.”

This is why the liner pond experts recommend covering the bottom of your pond and the catch basin of your pondless waterfall with rocks. It is to give you added surface area for the nitrifying bacteria to grow which is not provided by the cheaply produced, expensive to buy, state-of-the-art, Berkeley-designed, MIT-engineered, Rubber Maid approved, maintenance-laden, grotesque profit-making, scum-sucking skimmers and fall-flushing plastic wonder devices!

I don’t claim to be political, but I do claim to be correct. Why? Because “a man with experience is not at the mercy of a man with an argument.” After building more than 1,900 concrete ponds and waterfalls over 26 years with no cracks or leaks, my experience speaks for itself. I have always wondered why I have no competition in the area of professional concrete ponds and waterfalls. The answer is simple: everyone is using liners. Why? Because they are cheaper? No! It’s because the liner industry has spent millions in advertising that they are cheaper.

They never mention all the negative aspects of liner construction, such as rodents, tree roots, sharp objects, the weight of the rocks, etc., that can puncture holes and cause leaks. Let’s compare the cost differences in construction and long-term maintenance of both concrete and liner ponds.

Let’s look at the facts, rather than water garden hype, liner industry tent revival terminology, and biased opinions from the liner messiah’s disciples, the tinker-toy skimmer and filter salesmen. To be fair with my comparison, I’m not going to use the pond liner “messiah’ Aquasacape as my example, even though everyone knows they are truly the “Microsoft” of the liner industry.

I’m going to use someone who claims to be the best in the industry. Proof of this fact is that he suggests you google “Pondless” and you will find him at the top of the first page. He also states’ “My skimmers, filters and pumps are the best in the entire water garden industry.” His statements are now in the public domain since they can be found on his website.

So let’s use Russell Water Gardens for our comparisons between two ponds: one built with a rubber liner and the other constructed professionally with concrete, rebar and highly efficient, quality equipment.

I. Pond 12′ x 14′ x 4.5′ deep (no rocks)

Russell Water Garden’s equipment and materials pricing:

1. 25′ x 27′ liner (required for a pond 12′ x 14′ x 4.5′) $675

2. 25′ x 27′ underlayment material $675

3. Hydro Centrimax HC-050 4,500 gph, 6.5 amp, 2 yr. warranty (Russell’s own pump) $650

4. Hydroclean “Piper” skimmer (Russell’s own) $560

5. Dolphin Hydro Vortex filter (Russell’s own) $830

6. 100 ft. 2″ flex PVC pipe $260

7. 80-watt UV light $764

8. 10 20-watt underwater lights $600

TOTAL (with everything still in the box) $ 5,014

II. Professional Concrete Pond

Pricing of materials available to contractors and/or homeowners, including labor:

1. 5 yards concrete (3500-7000 psi) with stealth fiber $525

2. 426 sq. ft. rebar (8-10″ on center @ $2 per sq. ft. including materials & labor $852

3. Concrete pumper – 5 yards (ranges from $175-200) $200

4. Concrete labor (3 men @ $35/hr. x 3 hrs) $225

5. 3 bags Thoroseal plus labor $150

6. Sequence pump (#5800SEQ23 w/leaf basket; 5800 gph, 3.1 amps, 3 yr. warranty) $423

7. Aqua Ultraviolet Ultima II 4000 filter $855

8. 100 ft. of 2″ flex PVC piping $143

9. Emperor Aquatics 80-watt UV light with wiper $629

10. Skimmer (professional concrete/gunite pond, with low water valve waterway Renegade) $ 87

11. 10 20-watt underwater lights – Alpine $240

TOTAL cost of Material and Labor (project completed) $ 4,329

So far, I have shown a difference between the costs of two types of ponds, except for the important fact that labor is not included in the first example and it is included in the second. Now for some information on construction methods and pumps.

1. Construction Method

Liner: These manufacturers only provide warranty against factory defect, not from heavy sharp rocks, gnawing mice, rats, ground squirrels, gophers, chipmunks, groundhogs, tree roots, sharp objects, animal claws such as raccoons, dogs, etc. Concrete (3500 – 7000 psi rebar with stealth fiber): When constructed professionally, concrete ponds and waterfalls can carry a lifetime warranty, something that no liner can do.

2. Pumps:

Most liner ponds use sump pumps, which use 50 to 60% more energy than a high-efficiency centrifugal pump, and which carry an inferior warranty. In the previous comparison, the Sequence pump costs 35% less than Russell’s, and it pumps 25% more water per hour for 1/3 less the energy and with 1/3 longer warranty than Russell’s pump. In six years, if you had to replace Russell’s pump every two years (the length of the warranty), the cost of the pumps plus electricity would be: $1,950 (3 pumps) + $4,853 (energy cost using it 24 hrs. a day, 7 days a week for 6 years) = $6,803. On the other hand, with the Sequence 5800SEQ23 pump, there is a 3-year warranty; over 6 years the pump cost would be $846 (2 pumps) + $2,314 (energy cost @ 24 hrs./day, 7 days a week, 6 yrs.) = $3,160.

So the total cost of energy for the Hydro Centrimax pump plus the warranty replacement cost over six years is a whopping $3,643 more than that of the Sequence pump!

NOTE: Russell’s website publishes the following statement: “You will find that Hydro CentrimaxTM pumps are the best value of any centrifugal pump on the market today.”

Russell also boasts about his skimmer being the best. Twenty dollars worth of plastic that he sells for $560 – let’s see if they really are the best.

Here are his instructions for cleaning his “HydroClean Pond Skimmer:

1. “Lift the lid off the skimmer and take out the skimmer net at the front.”

2. “Shake the skimmer net to get rid of any debris.” [Try not to get any on you.]

3. “If there is any algae on the skimmer net, hose it off as needed.”

4. “Replace the skimmer net in front of the skimmer unit.”

5. “Behind the net there is a brush rack, a bar with large brushes hanging from it. Pick up the brush rack and shake it to get the debris off.” [Be sure not to splatter any of the pond scum, fish waste, worms and parasites on yourself.]

6. “Replace the brush rack in the skimmer behind the skimmer net.” [Be sure to wash your hands very thoroughly when you are finished.]

7. “Failure to clean the skimmer can lead to slow water flow and place stress on the pump. It can even cause the pump to overheat and burn out. Check the skimmer often to see if it needs maintenance.”

Now, let’s compare Russell’s $560 maintenance-intensive, messy skimmer with the Waterways Renegade professional concrete pond skimmer at only $87.

Here are the maintenance instructions:

“Lift the lid, remove the basket, dump debris, replace basket, close lid. No need to check skimmer often. If the basket gets full, the pump will not be affected, even if the water level in the pond drops below the skimmer opening. This skimmer has a special float valve system that by-passes the skimmer in the event of neglect or low water level.”

Russell’s biofilter is very similar to his skimmer in design. While it is basically a molded tub, Russell claims his “Hydro Vortex” filter supports a higher number of fish than other brands of biological filters. Even though, there are several manufacturers of biological filters that can easily out-perform this simple elementary and cheap design. It is the same as comparing an economy car to a high performance luxury model.

Only in this case, you are comparing an economy filter with a state-of-the-art, high performance, engineered, no maintenance (a simple turn of a handle to clean it) filter for only $25 more.

Bottom line I repeat: “A man with experience is not at the mercy of a man with an argument.” The pond I described is my pond.

I have the Sequence pump, Aqua Ultraviolet filter and UV light, anti-vortex drains, professional skimmer, and four times more fish than the so-called experts say I should have. My pond is crystal clear, my fish are healthy, and I have not lost one of them to disease in the four years I’ve had them. The only chemical that I have ever recommended to any of my 2,000+ clients in their professionally constructed concrete pond is rock salt, which controls the algae and aids in the slime coat of the fish.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/577029

Why Pondless?

In 1984 I built what I called a “childproof” waterfall using reinforced concrete, because building codes state that because of the liability factor, ponds can only be 18″ deep or you are required to conform to all of the same building codes and requirements of a swimming pool (6 foot fence perimeter, special gates, door alarms, etc.).” Since this waterfall was located in the front yard, it could not be more than 18″ and if it was, there was not enough space for a large enough pond to prevent it from being sucked dry by the time the water returned back to the pond by way of the waterfall. So I installed an electronic water leveler system to insure the collection basin would automatically be replenished with water as needed. My term for this type of water feature is “child-proof” because it makes it safe for children and eliminates the liability factor and passes the building codes. Since the advent of utilizing rubber liners to construct waterfalls and ponds in the early nineties, this type of waterfall has been called a “pondless waterfall.”

Rubber liner ponds and waterfalls are okay for short term use. However, they are susceptible to attacks from rats, mice, ground squirrels, gophers, chipmunks, tree roots, sharp objects, stretching from heavy boulders etc. I go into great detail on the critical flaws of pond liner construction in an article entitled Pondless Waterfalls: Concrete vs. Liners. This article contains documentation that leaves no doubt that pondless waterfalls are cheaper to build using concrete and steel rather than using a pondless waterfall liner kit. Not to mention that it is cheaper to operate and maintain.

The key to making your waterfall look natural, is to be sure to remove plenty of dirt and recessing the waterfall into the ground. Many people make the mistake of constructing it above the natural grade level of the original grade. Rocks do not look natural sticking above the surface of the ground. This is especially true if the waterfall rocks are the only ones visible on the bank, hill or grade where the waterfall is located. The rocks of the waterfall should give the appearance that, over the years, water has washed down the hill or bank, eroding away the original surface soil and exposing the rocks hidden beneath.

Rebar

The next step is to apply the 3/8″ rebar 8 to 10 inches on center, criss-crossing each other, and fastening them together in a grid using a tie wire to fasten them together. Small 2″ x 2″ blocks called dobies are then placed under the grid to hold above the dirt. When concrete is applied, it must completely surround all the rebar. No rebar can be touching the soil or it will rust. And rust, like cancer, will spread and follow the rebar into the concrete structure. As the rebar rusts it swells, much like would when it gets moisture in it. The swollen rebar hydrologically causes the concrete to crack.

Plumbing

Use flexible PVC pipe, not rigid pipe, because it is easy to manipulate around the corners and over uneven ground. But most of all, by using flex you will eliminate the need for fittings such as elbows and couplings under ground, thus eliminating possible future sources of leaks.

You can install the flex under the rebar or alongside it, down the waterfall’s course. One of the major flaws with liner constructed pondless waterfalls is that they use sump pumps which suck energy (60% more than centrifugal pumps). They then fill the cistern containing the pump with gravel, reducing the available water space. Consequently, when the waterfall is started up, most of the catch basin or cistern is drained of water before the previously pumped water can return to the basin. This makes it necessary to regularly add water to the basin or the pump will run dry and burn up. It is very important to add a reliable water leveler to a pondless waterfall since you are not able to see the level of water in the catch basin.

Concrete Construction

In concrete construction, anti-vortex suction drains (just like what is used in swimming pools) can be installed in the bottom of the basin. Galvanized grating can then be spanned across the basin and rock placed on top of the grating to hide it.

Now the basin is empty and free of gravel to allow plenty of room for water storage. An out-of-pond, high-efficiency centrifugal pump can be used to circulate the water. Unlike sump pumps that are used in liner construction, a centrifugal pump uses 60% less energy, is easy to maintain, carries three times the warranty, has four to five times the life expectancy, and there is no need ever to access the basin or remove stinky, filthy gravel to get to the pump.

Concrete Application

Most concrete pumpers know how to apply concrete to waterfall rebar, and they only charge a couple of hundred dollars. Troweling is easy; anyone can do it because it does not need to be smooth. Just knock down the rough edges and smooth with a sponge.

The concrete itself only costs $100-$125 a yard with most pondless waterfalls requiring only 2 to 3 yards. Check out the cost of a liner kit alone (without any labor)! and search the internet under “Pond liners vs. concrete.”

Don’t waste your money on a temporary solution. Reinforced concrete actually cost less and will last decades longer.

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