How You Can Fix Pond Liner Leaks Using 5 Different Methods
Patch Your Water Feature So Your Home In Des Moines Doesn’t Have A Swampy Back Yard
Worried your water feature might be leaking? Well, you’ve come to the right place! In this post, you can find out the signs your water feature is leaking. You can also find out what we recommend you do to determine where the leak is and how to fix it. It’s the same steps we take during our leak detection and repair service.
Watch the video below to see our process for finding and fixing pond liner leaks
Any ‘Gators Out There?
“I hope not, otherwise we might need airboats,” jokes Angela.
Adam chuckles. “Nice comeback. But, I think we might need to be a little more serious about this possible pond leak. If it’s there, we need to know how to fix pond liner leaks.”
Angela looks at him curiously. “What makes you think it’s a liner leak? Could it be evaporation vs a leak?” Adam shrugs. “From what I hear, most of the time it is. We should look up how to find and fix pond leaks. Maybe we can do it ourselves instead of hiring somebody.”
Angela nods. “I agree. Let’s see what Google has to say.” She picks her phone up off of the table and starts searching. “Here we go, this pond contractor’s blog post might have answers for us.”
Here’s what the couple discovers:
Finding Out If It’s A Pond Leak
If you’re losing 2 to 3 inches per week, it’s probably a leak. Now we have to see where the leak is.
Turn off any auto-fill devices and let the pond continue leaking. If you keep losing water after 12 hours, let it continue draining. The point of this is to watch and see where the water level settles. Once it does, we know the leak is somewhere above the water level.
90% of the time the leak is a low liner edge in the stream. Low liners let the water run over it and into your yard. If it isn’t this then it’s likely a leak in the plumbing.
A lot of the time, finding a pond leak takes a lot of work. Our techs are constantly on their hands and knees checking liner, looking around rocks, and checking the plumbing.
The Milk Method To Find A Pond Leak
If you suspect a leak, take some milk or dye and add it to your pond. Watch the path it takes. If there’s a leak, some or all of the milk should go towards it and then out into your yard. It’s efficient but it doesn’t always work.
5 Methods For How To Fix Pond Liner Leaks
Fixing pond liner leaks depends on damage size. Sometimes all you need to do is reposition the liner. Pond leak sealant is great for small repairs. Repair kits are for medium-sized repairs. Joining tape is for adding more liner. If the damage is bad enough you may need a whole new liner.
1. Repositioning Your Liner
Sometimes the liner just needs to be put back into place. The ground around it may be settling, the weather may have pushed something out of place, or anything else could’ve happened.
Whatever the reason, the liner isn’t where it should be and it’s swamping your yard. You can just put it back where it’s supposed to be and shore it up with dirt or mulch or gravel.
2. Using Pond Liner Sealant For Small Damages
- Drain the water down to the hole
- Dry the area around it
- Apply the primer
- Cut the patch into a circle
- Use the roller to apply the patch
- Wait a few minutes for it to set
- Refill your pond
3. Pond Liner Repair Kit
It’s kind of like sewing a patch onto clothes but without the sewing part. Most repair kits come with a primer, a self-sticking patch, and a roller. They come in 2-by-2 inch squares and go up to 30×30 inch squares.
- Drain the water down to the hole
- Dry the area around it
- Apply the primer
- Cut the patch into a circle
- Use the roller to apply the patch
- Wait a few minutes for it to set
- Refill your pond
It’s easy to use, blends in well, only takes a few minutes to set, and it comes with everything you need. The downsides are you have to drain the pond and dry the damaged area.
4. Pond Liner Joining Tape
It may just be your pond contractor didn’t leave enough liner around the sides. No need to get a whole new liner if there’s no damage or just a small one. You can use pond liner joining tape (it’s sticky on both sides) and some extra liner.
- Clean and dry the liner
- Apply primer
- Stick the old and new liner together using the double-sided joining tape
- Wait while it sets
- Tuck it into place
Pond liner joining tape is great for small damages and resealing skimmer boxes. But the liner needs to be dry to work and it can be hard to prepare.
5. Replacing Your Pond Liner
When repairing your pond liner costs more than getting a new one, it’s time for the biggest repair method: installing a whole new liner.
- Drain and clear the pond
- Remove the old liner
- Lay down the new liner
- Put everything back together
You May Also Like To Know
“Guess we better go ahead and get started,” sighs Adam. Angela looks worried. “Don’t do too much, you might hurt your back or something. I’m going to look up some more stuff on this contractor’s blog. Might find something else we need to know or their leak finding service.”