Water Garden Installation Secrets

How To Save Time,

Money and Agony

Volume 1 of 5 in the

Water Garden Masters Series

By William G. Coleman

Copyright © 2004-2012

Breakthrough Connection.

All rights reserved.

Contents

Introduction                4

Introducing Richard Koogle, Water Garden Installation Expert                5

The 3 Types of Pond Liners: Pros and Cons                6

Above-ground Vs. In-ground Designs: What You Must Know                 9

Pond Kits (Potential Rip-Offs and How To Avoid Them)                11

The Best (and Worst) Pre-Formed Ponds                13

Secrets to an Easy Pond Installation that Lasts 50+ Years                13

The #1 Mistake and How To Avoid it                14

Mistake #2: Filling the Pond Too Late in the Installation Process                17

The 24-Hour Waiting Myth Exposed                20

Mistake #3: Choosing the Wrong Location                20

How To Avoid Complications by Choosing the Right Shape for Your Pond                23

Pond Location Secrets                26

The Koi Pond / Water Garden Dichotomy                28

Choosing a Flexible Liner                29

To Seam or Not To Seam?                31

How Deep Your Pond Should Be and Why                33

How To Minimize Creases in Your Pond Liner                34

Before You Buy Pond Equipment, Consider This                  36

How To Prevent Tears and Rips in Your Liner                37

Electricity: Safety Tips You Must Know                39

6 Easy Ways To Camouflage Your Pond Equipment for Natural Beauty                  40

Hose and Tubing Secrets for Hassle-Free Ponding                42

Child Safety and Legal Considerations Before You Dig Your Pond                44

The Rock/Gravel Controversy: The Truth in Gruesome Detail                45

Do It Yourself or Hire a Pro?                50

Sniffing Out the Red Flags                52

Other Books in The Water Garden Masters Series                55

Introduction

Books, videos, and resources that teach you how to install water gardens and koi ponds are a dime a dozen.

That's what I discovered when I began researching the subject years ago. I also discovered how incomplete these other books and resources were. While they cover the process fairly well, they leave out a lot of important details ... details that help you make the right decisions about your pond before you dive into the project ... and details that will ensure you save time, money, and needless hassle down the road.

The interview you're about to read reveals dozens of insider secrets by Richard Koogle, one of America's foremost experts on pond installation. You're about to discover critical insights you won't find in any other single resource. They will solve many potential problems, so they never have a chance to frustrate you.

If you're considering installing a water garden or koi pond, you'll find this information to be a God-send.

Happy Ponding,

William Coleman

Introducing Richard Koogle, Water Garden Installation Expert

William:  Hi, this is William Coleman, water garden enthusiast.  Today, our water garden topic is liners, installation and how to find a qualified landscaper.  So, whether you’re a do-it-yourselfer or you’d rather hire a professional to do the work for you, you want to be sure to catch all the tips and techniques revealed in today’s interview.  Our featured expert has been a water garden professional since 1979.

He has personally installed more than 200 water gardens.  Also, he has had national TV appearances on shows, such as Good Morning America, FX Morning Show, From A Country Garden, Back Yard America, and Texas Gardener.

He has been featured in national magazine articles for This Old House, Martha Stewart Living, and Garden Railways.  He is also an adviser for Ortho’s book, “Garden Ponds and Fountains,” “Taylor’s Weekend Garden Guide,” and two water gardening books written by Charles B. Thomas.  He is the author of Ortho’s book, “All About Building Waterfalls, Pools and Streams,” released in 2002.

Plus, he has lectured extensively to groups, such as American Nursery Association, several State nurserymen associations, and other regional and local garden clubs and societies.  Also, he is the author of, “Water Garden,” the latest edition to, “The Bird Watcher’s Digest Booklet” series.

Folks, this is a rare combination of experience and credibility here, and we’re very fortunate to have access to this gentleman’s knowledge today.  So, allow me to introduce professional water garden installer and expert, Richard Koogle. Richard, thanks for joining us today.

Richard:  Hi, William, it’s great to be here.  I look forward to talking to you about water gardening.

The 3 Types of Pond Liners: Pros and Cons

William:  Let’s dive in.  Why don’t you explain what the differences are between a pond that’s lined with a flexible liner, a pre-formed pond, and a concrete pond?

Richard:  Basically, these are going to be the options that any water gardener is going to have, as far as materials, to create their water garden.

Flexible liners, I’ll start with them.  They are the most popular form of water garden for several reasons.  They’re the least expensive material per square foot.  And nowadays, modern liners are very durable.  Most of the liners that are installed today are made of a 45 mil EPDM rubber, which has been the standard for many years now.  It’s also the easiest for a do-it-yourselfer to use.  All it requires is a good, firm excavation, and pre-lining.  Then it can simply be filled with water and finished off.  So, it’s very homeowner-friendly and easy to use.

Pre-formed ponds, on the other hand, are usually made of fiberglass or a heavy-duty plastic material.  They’re also very easy to install, but they are limited.  They’re more expensive per square foot for the material.  Obviously, they’re very durable, but you’re limited in size, shape and depth.

Once you purchase a pre-formed pool, there is no flexibility there that you have with a flexible liner, in terms of creating a different shape, creating different depth levels, etc. that may be desirable.  So, all of that is pretty much set in stone, if you will, once you purchase that.

The other option, concrete, is obviously the one that’s been around the longest.  However, it’s the least desirable, from my perspective, simply because it’s the most expensive material, and it would definitely require professional installation; there’s no doubt about it.

If someone does not have experience with concrete, they would certainly not want to invest the time and money that would be involved in installing it, and have it installed incorrectly.  So, the key there will be having it installed correctly.

The other negatives to concrete, other than cost and labor, is potential damage.  This would typically come from ice damage or freeze damage in the winter.  Once they are damaged, they are nearly impossible to repair permanently, and the repairs can become quite frequent.  So concrete, again, avoid it if you can.  If this is what’s truly desired, I definitely recommend a professional installation of concrete pools.  So those are the basic differences between the three materials.

William:  Yeah, that sounds like the concrete’s kind of the old-fashioned way then, huh?

Richard:  Yeah, concrete would be considered the old-fashioned way, although it is still used and still used by professionals in certain applications.  It should be considered more for very large ponds, and should be considered more like a swimming pool installation, really, than a fish pond or a backyard pond installation.

William:  Right, so basically, the flexible liners are your most…

Richard:  That would be what I would recommend, in 99% of the cases, William. The only time I would not recommend a flexible liner is a situation where the ground simply will not keep a firm excavation, you know, loose soil, un-compacted soil, that’s still in the process of settling.  The integrity, the backbone of a flexible liner pond, is going to be the excavation.

So if there is any question of that, at the very least you would need to build some kind of a permanent frame or support for a flexible liner pond where that would not be the case with a good, rigid pre-form pool.  You could use it in that kind of a situation, fairly safely, but other than that, yeah, I’m going with the flexible liner.

William:  That’s a good point, because you really want to avoid what that might be easily overlooked by an amateur or beginner, but could really cause a problem.

Richard:  Yeah, and that’s a situation where the problems may come several months, even a few years afterwards if the soil has a tendency to move.

William:  And I want to make a point here.  It's that you reveal a lot of tips and secrets that I haven’t found in a basic how to build a water garden type of book.

Richard:  Sure.

William:  Because of the experience that you have, you’ve come across a lot of problems and situations, which are what we’re going to cover today.

Above-ground Vs. In-ground Designs: What You Must Know

William: Now, what about an above ground and in-ground designs?

Richard:  Again, simply from a design perspective and the way that ponds or backyard ponds look, or will look best in most landscapes ... in-ground ponds are going to be ideal.  Now, with that said, certainly, there may be situations that call for a raised, above ground pond, or even more often, a partially above ground pond, if you will.

And, what I’m envisioning here is a pond that if you have a slope or a hillside that requires terracing, that pond may have a front edge on it that would be several inches to a foot or two above the actual ground level.  Creating a bench or a sitting area right on the edge of the pond is one of the nice things about a raised pond.

Also, a raised pond might be applicable in situations where there’s a lot of water in the ground.  You live in a low area or near the shore, or what have you, where maybe you dig down in the ground 6 or 8 inches, and all of a sudden there’s water there.  This would not be conducive, in particular, to a flexible liner pond.  So to get above that, we simply raise the water garden.

The negative to having a raised pond is that it will freeze much deeper if we are in a climate that is exposed to freezing weather.  The freeze will be much deeper, and obviously, in cases of small container ponds on a deck or a patio, they could freeze completely, and obviously kill  hardy plants and fish in the water garden.  So precautions would have to be taken against that which would be the use of de-icers or other means of keeping the pond from freezing completely.

Also, the fact that these above ground, especially completely above ground ponds tend to be a more unstable environment in terms of temperature.  In other words, they are more greatly affected by outdoor temperatures, hence, they’re going to freeze deeper in the summer, and heat up quicker.

Temperature fluctuations are more frequent, and it creates instability in the water that, in most instances, is not going to be catastrophic, by any means.  However, it can make things difficult, like controlling algae and things like that.

William:  Right, it’s just a matter of adding maintenance.

Richard:  Yeah, it would add some considerations in that regard.  From the homeowner perspective, the beauty of an above ground pond (in particular, if you’re using a pre-formed rigid pool where you can just set it on the ground and back fill or decorate around it) eliminates a lot of labor. This would mean that an excavation now is no longer required, so that would be a big bonus.

William:  That’s true.  There are a lot of ways that you can make this a full-fledged hobby or very, very low maintenance.

Richard:  Yes, absolutely.  Some thought should be put into that before the first shovel-full is taken out.  You know, how do we want to set this pond up, and how do we want to define it, in terms of size and scope of maintenance, and things like that.

Pond Kits (Potential Rip-Offs and How To Avoid Them)

William:  That brings up another point.  For somebody who wants to keep things simple, what about these pond kits?  I’ve heard that you can buy a kit that includes everything you need for pond installation.  I’ve also heard that some unethical retailers might swap out lower quality parts for the parts that typically come with that kit.  How can you avoid this type of a problem?

Richard:  Well, that’s certainly a good question.  I guess, you know, the first thing I might address, William, is that I have been in the business for 25 years or so.  In general, you rarely see unethical practices by people in this business, but certainly, it is a possibility.  I don’t know if it’s a matter of being unethical or just trying to create situations where it’s a cheaper product, or less expensive product.

But in general, I would agree.  As a retailer or somebody in the retail business, that quality should come first with these components, and definitely, I would do some research when you’re buying a kit.  Kits are fine for the most part.

There are some names out there of manufacturers that are going to shine above others.  So do some research, and certainly, make sure that all the components within that kit are made by that specified manufacturer.  That would be the first start.

But, in general, anything I buy from a retailer, I’m going to ask them questions, like: Have you tested this product?  How long have you been selling this product?  What is the feedback from your customers on this product?  What is the replacement rate on these products?  Things like that will certainly tell you a lot.

William:  Yeah, I guess if you sound like you know what you’re talking about, you’re less likely to be taken advantage of.

Richard:  Well, that’s exactly right.  A little research and a little knowledge, certainly, will go a long way.  That’s a good point, William.

The Best (and Worst) Pre-Formed Ponds

William:  If we’re going to go for a pre-formed pond, there are a couple of different materials they make these from.  Could you explain those and why you might select one over another?

Richard:  Yeah, in general, the best pre-formed pools I have seen are made of fiberglass.  The fiberglass pools are very rigid.

William, I think that I would look for in a rigid pool.  One that you can set on a flat surface, let’s say a flat concrete pad or a patio or whatever, and fill that thing completely with water, and it will hold its shape.  Some pools are thin, flimsy, and will not support themselves in this way.  Those are the pools that I would definitely avoid.

William:  So you said the fiberglass ... and what’s the other material?

Richard:  The other materials tend to be UV resistant plastics. Which are just rigid plastics, polyethylenes, and things like that.  Again, I’ve seen good plastic pools that will do just what I’m describing that the fiberglass will do.

Secrets to an Easy Pond Installation that Lasts 50+ Years

Richard:  The ones without shelves are much easier to install, because in that case, you’re just roughing out the hole, setting the container into the hole, and backfilling around it.

The ones with shelves that require exact excavations can be very tricky to install, and very tricky to level.  The same goes for, again, the ones that are flimsy and don’t tend to be so rigid.  So, again, the best ones I’ve seen are definitely the fiberglass.  You will pay a little bit more for those, but they are extremely UV resistant and are rated to last 50 years or more, and I’m certain that they last most peoples’ lifetime.

William:  Yeah, I’m always out there looking for a good bargain.  But at the same time, especially with water gardens, you have to realize that where you’re saving money, you have to figure out, why am I saving money here?  Is it going to cost me more, in terms of maintenance, or is it going to cost me more, in terms of money down the road?  You have to look towards the future.

Richard:  Absolutely.

The #1 Mistake and How To Avoid it

William:  In your career, you’ve acquired quite a few good secrets.  You’ve seen a lot go wrong, as well.  What are the three most common mistakes you see happening, and the problems they can cause?

Richard:  Sure, I'd be happy to, William.  We’re speaking in terms now of pond building and pond design.  I would say the most common mistake that I see amateur pond builders make is leveling the upper edge... the perimeter around the upper edge of the pond.

Let’s talk about flexible liners first.  We’re going to create an excavation, and then place the liner into it.  Now, the reason that this is the most common mistake I see people make, is that they will have a fairly level site.

They’ll create this excavation, and they’ll look at it, and they know in the back of their mind that the top edge has to be fairly level.

When an amateur looks at it, it might look very level.  The problem is they won’t realize how un-level it is until they get the underlay in, they get the liner in the hole, and they fill it with water.

Then, of course, the water is only going to fill to the lowest point on that upper edge before it begins to flow out.  Once it levels off, even though it looked level before they put the liner in it, there may be two, maybe even three inches of difference from one edge to the other.

William:  Yeah, that’s like if you fill a glass with water and you hold it an angle, you’re going to notice.

Richard:  Yeah, exactly.  The upper edge of that glass has to be level. If it’s sitting on a level table, then you’ve got an upper level edge on that glass.  If it’s sitting un-level, then that’s correct.  You will visibly see one edge of glass exposed above the water line.  What you’re going to have with a flexible liner, it becomes a two-fold problem.

Not only will it become an aesthetic issue, the only way to correct it at this point, other than pulling the liner out and redoing it, is hiding that upper edge esthetically somehow.  Which can be difficult to do.   Especially with two or three inches of exposed liner.

Even worse than that is that now you’ve left that liner exposed to what deteriorates it, and that is the UV light from the sun.  So it leads to deterioration of the liner much quicker than it should.  The vulnerable point, if you will, of damage is exposed.

The same issue can happen with a rigid pool if the time is not taken to level it.  Just like a glass, if it’s not sitting level, then there will be exposed material above the water line.

So, the biggest point here is to take that level and when you’re excavating for a flexible liner pond, before the liner is put in, make sure that you’re within half to a quarter inch. Being that off is easy to mask or hide, but you want to make sure you’re within those boundaries as you’re physically putting the liner, or the pre-form pool in.

William:  Now, Richard, how would you go about leveling that?  Would you take a long 2 by 4 with a level on top of it?

Richard:  Yeah, that’s going to be the easiest way.  Most homeowners can get their hands on a simple bubble level type contractors’ level that would sit on just a straight 2 x 4.  That way you can get into the excavation as you’re digging, and go from point to point, creating a level upper edge that way.

With a pre-formed pool, you’re actually going to be putting that 2 x 4 directly on to the upper edge of the pool to level it.  The level process of the pre-form pool is to place the pool in the hole, check it incrementally, pull the pool out, and then use sand in the bottom to level.  So you’re raking, you’re resetting the pond, rechecking the level, and it will be in and out five, maybe even six times before you’re happy with where it’s level.  It certainly will be well worth the time.

With the excavation for a flexible liner pond, it’s just a matter of creating a 10” or 12” wide perimeter of a level edge around the upper edge to at least identify that and mark that.  That’s what will be required there.

William:  Okay, great.

Richard:  I’ll just add that any form of leveling will work.  You know, people ask me all the time, can I use a string level, can I do this?  You can put stakes around the excavation and measure the stakes and all of that, but the easiest method that I’ve found and quickest method is the 2 x 4 with a level.

Mistake #2: Filling the Pond Too Late in the Installation Process

William:  And, what would you say the second most common problem is?

Richard:  The second most common problem is, the fact that when, and this is a flexible liner pond, more so than a pre-form, although it affects both, is that before anything permanent is finished on the upper edge, before anything is cut or finished on the upper edge of the pond, the pool should be filled 80% to 90% full of water before you do anything permanent.

So the most common mistake here, William, is let’s say we’ve decided to create a mortared brick or a mortared rock edge around the upper edge of the pool.  Our concern is going to be that we are going to get mortar into the water and the water will have to be changed because of that.  The pollutants in the water from the mortar will have to be changed before we add livestock.

So, what the homeowner would typically do then is they wouldn’t put any water into the liner.  They’d place the liner into the pool and then they’d create this nice mortared edge around the upper edge.  Then what happens is after they put the water in, now the fact that that permanent edge is holding that liner at the top, the weight of the water is pushing that liner, and trying to make it conform into that excavation.

|There’s not enough slack, and so it ends up being basically holding the water like a bag taut and stretched.  This can create damage very easily to a liner pond.  So, what’s happened is the liner has not been allowed to conform into the excavation.  So it is important to, again, fill it 80% or 90% full, then you can create a permanent upper edge.  It is likely that mortar will get into the water and it will have to be drained and refilled, but that water is serving an important purpose.

William:  Right.

Richard:  This advice is particularly for the homeowner.  Professional builders are aware of this and they know how much slack typically to put into their liner. So that’s not a problem sometimes with professional builders, but homeowners should definitely go ahead and do this because on the other hand, you don’t want too much slack, either.  And then, the final step should be cutting the liner.

With a pre-form pool, the pond should be filled, not so much again to make it conform to the excavation.  Then you’re putting a pre-formed pool, again, into the ground, you’re going to have a certain amount of back filling around the outer edge of the pool, itself, and that will create inward pressure on the wall of that fiberglass or plastic pool.

By pre-filling at the same rate that you’re back filling, you can keep pressure constant on both sides of the wall of that fiberglass, so that you don’t end up with a situation where there’s stress one way or the other during the back filling process.  So, again, pre-filling, that’s another common mistake that I see folks make.  They don’t take the time to pre-fill and make sure the liner’s down into the excavation properly.

William:  Great, thanks, Richard.

The 24-Hour Waiting Myth Exposed

Richard:  And, just something else I’ll add about that, too.  I’ve also seen and read where builders recommend filling the pond and allowing it to sit 24 hours before you do anything permanent at the top edge to allow it to settle in. Well, that’s simply not the case.

Water weighs nine, almost ten pounds a gallon, and several hundred gallons of water, the weight of that is certainly going to put that liner into place pretty much right away, and there’s not going to be any need to wait for any long term before you do that, that final edging.

William:  Well, good, that’s helpful.  That saves some people an entire day.

Richard:  Yeah, there’s no need for that.

Mistake #3: Choosing the Wrong Location

William:  Okay, and what would you say the third most common installation mistake?

Richard:  The third most common is the fact that most people put their ponds in places of poor drainage and low areas on their property.  It’s easy to see how people get caught in that trap.

If someone has a low spot on their property or in their yard where water tends to be directed to and maybe even during the winter and the spring, during wet periods, there’s water that settles there, and maybe even is visible for a lot of times during the year.

So when we’re considering a water garden, we look right at that spot, and just naturally think, well, that’s where the pond should be.  It will have water constantly and it seems like an obvious place.

Well, the fact of the matter is, it’s the worst possible place you can put a backyard pond.  If you’ve got excessive runoff being directed towards the pond, there are several things that can happen here.  Number one is water that’s being washed, pushed or drained into the pond.  This is going to bring in nutrients and possible contaminants, depending on how far the water is coming.  Maybe it’s running off of your neighbor’s yard.

During a heavy rainstorm, water runs off very quickly and comes across.  Let’s say your neighbor has put something on his lawn.  A herbicide or a fertilizer, something like this.  Obviously that can contaminate the water and cause harm to the living things in the pond.

Also, it’s going to pull nutrients, possibly mulch, grass clippings, debris, constantly into the pond.  We’re trying to keep organic waste to a minimum, in order to balance the pond.  This is just simply going to really keep that balance off kilter and make it difficult to control excessive algae and to control water clarity.

But, even more so, and even structurally what will cause more damage is if water gets trapped under the liner.

In other words, water is being washed; maybe you’ve got a little bit of a berm or an edge right there at the upper edge of the pond.  It’s not letting that surface water go into the pond, but instead, being directed under the pond.  In cases where poorly drained soil maybe under the excavation, it is not allowing that water to escape quickly enough from under the liner.  It can actually build up under the liner and cause the liner to float.

I’ve seen extreme conditions where plant containers are knocked over, everything is totally disrupted and thrown apart in the pond.  The real tragic thing to all of this is there’s no easy fix to a situation like that.  If the pond’s already there, the water’s there.  We’ve just got to figure out a way to get that water from building up under there.  That’s going to either involve an elaborate drain system, a sump pump system, or total reconstruction of the pond.

So this really needs to be considered, and you should never, ever, put a pond in the lowest possible point on the property where everything will just be directed to it.  You have to consider surface run off.  There will be rainstorms that will be heavy enough to wash things into the pond, possibly.

You know, a little bit of washing into the pond from right around the edge of the pool is never a problem, and overflow pipes never have to be put into a water garden.

Again, as long as when the pond fills during a heavy rain, it can come, roll out of the pond, and roll away from the pond at a downhill point somewhere around the pond, and not be surrounded completely by higher ground that forces the overflow back under the liner.  It's a big mistake people make in putting a pond in a spot like that, and it should not be done.

William:  To sum up, we want to make sure we level the upper edge during the installation.

We want to be sure that we’re filling the pond a little bit to allow it to settle, so that we don’t create a situation where the liner’s being stretched or pulled.

And, we don’t want to install a pond in the lowest spot in our yard.

Richard:  Yep, those would be the three most common mistakes, and certainly some of the most critical.

How To Avoid Complications by Choosing the Right Shape for Your Pond

William:  All right, Richard, can you talk about selecting the shape of a pond and how it affects the end result?

Richard:  Sure, William.  Just as a reminder, flexible liners and well, concrete, to some degree, also are the only way you can actually choose a shape.  Otherwise, you purchase a shape with a rigid pool.  But, in general, when we have the choice of creating a shape, the general rule here, William, is going to be to keep that shape open and simple.

It will be very tempting to choose a fancy shape, in particular.  Something I recommend is when you have a drawing that you’re going to draw the shape of this pool into your landscape, or into your landscape design.  It’s very tempting to get fancy with the shape, but in practical terms, you have to think about a couple things.

Number one, you’re not going to really see the shape of the pool the way you see it on that paper.  You’re not going to be looking straight down on it like that.  You’re going to be looking at it from a lower angle perspective.  So for that reason, the shape, esthetically, becomes not that important.

What’s going to be important to you from your viewing angle is being able to see the water’s surface, and be able to see reflections on the water and the water at least floating on the surface.  These are the things that we’re going to want out of our water garden.  So for that reason, we want an open, simple shape.  We want to see water.

If you have little narrow arms or canals coming off the shape, and you walk a few feet away from the pond, the water disappears out of something like that.  We want a nice, simple, open shape.  We want to get a shape as close to a square or rectangle as we can.  Now, certainly, squares and rectangles will work fine for formal situations, but most of us are going to want an informal, natural looking pond.

The recommended shapes here are shapes like a kidney bean shape, an oval shape, or an offset, circular shape.  Choose a shape that will fill that square or rectangle well because the flexible liners are cut into squares and rectangles, so that if we choose a shape that fills a square or a rectangle best, we will have less waste of our liner.

You know, if you choose one of these fancy shapes where there’s a lot of excess or a lot of space left in that square or rectangle, that just adds up to more wasted liner.

And, again, it’s the surface of the water that we want to see.  There are some shapes that are extremely difficult to install with a liner: L-shapes, T-shapes, hourglass shapes with sharp angles, any shape that has a sharp angle that goes in towards the center of the pond, which creates a large flap, or a large crease or fold with the flexible liner that can be unsightly and collect debris under it.  It’s not a good situation for a liner pool, and it’s difficult. Those shapes are extremely difficult for amateurs to install liners into.

Now, certainly, the fiberglass or the rigid liners come in a variety of shapes, but even with those, I would tend to steer away from the real fancy amoeba type shapes, if you will.

William:  Just to get a more appealing look, right?

Richard:  Yeah, it creates a floor space within the pond.  You want plenty of floor space.  You’ll find that it’s valuable for plant containers, pumps and things like that.

Pond Location Secrets

William:  Now, other than the low part of a yard that you discussed earlier for installation, what other problem areas should people avoid when they’re selecting a location for their pond?

Richard:  Well this goes back to what I said in the beginning; you really want to define what you want out of your pond. Some people want just a koi pond where they just want to be able to view fish.  The reason I bring this up is one of the first considerations is going to be sunlight, and how much sun should be on the pond.

In general, put it in full sun, or as much sun as possible, because 90% of the ornamental aquatic plants that we put in our ponds, particularly water lilies and lotus, are sun-loving plants.  The more sun they get, the more flowers, and the more color you’re going to have.

Some folks may be putting in a backyard pond primarily for fish, and they just want a koi pond that would be designed to have minimal amounts of plants, and minimal amounts of blooming plants.  In a situation like that, for the sake of the fish, they want to have partial sun during the day.  So, you want to think about those things.

For the most part, what my experience has taught me, William, being in business this long, is if you ask somebody those kinds of questions, a new person or client getting into this, are you primarily into this for plants or fish or both?  I would say 95% of the answers are going to be both.  Most people want, or at least initially envision blooming pond plants in their pond, and that’s going to require as much sun as possible.

And then the plants, themselves, will create shade for the fish and keep the water relatively cooler under them.  That’s part of the function of the floating leaf aquatic plants, so sunlight would be a consideration.

Trees, at or around the pond site, would cause maintenance issues, and tree roots will be in the way when excavating.  You need to think about accessibility to the pond.

Most people want to have the pond fairly close to the house, and rightfully so.  You want to put it where it’s easy to enjoy it.

On the other hand, you might not want a pond right in front of the big window in the front because it might look very cold and uninviting for six months out of the year, depending on where you live.  But it is nice to be able to see the pond from the house.

For accessibility, you don’t want to place it too far away, either, where it’s hidden and will be forgotten.

You need to think about maintenance of the pond.  It has to be close to a water source.  You want it close to electricity or have electricity installed near it.

Those are the main considerations that you want to think about when choosing your pond's location.

William:  I guess if you want shade in your pond, you mentioned that water lilies can provide the shade for the fish, which is probably preferable over having it un-shaded.

The Koi Pond / Water Garden Dichotomy

Richard:  Well, it is, unless you’re talking about koi.  Koi are pretty specific, in terms of what’s going to be best for them in their environment and what’s going to make everybody happy.  Koi tend to damage plants, aquatic plants.  They’re big, wonderful, beautiful fish.  However, they may not mix well with aquatic plants.  So if people get into the koi, that almost becomes a whole ‘nother hobby.

Koi keeping and water gardening, from my perspective, are really two different things.

As beautiful and magnificent as the koi are, they really don’t do well in most “water gardens.”  They’re better suited in their own pond design and set up.  Which means that no, we’re not relying on plants for the shade, and trees are not the best option for shade for a koi pond, either, because of the issues of things that they drop.

So think of things like buildings, arbors, or trellises.  Things like that can help create shade for a koi pond, but again, that’s a specialty thing, and like I say, 90% to 95% of most folks are going to want pretty a water garden with some goldfish.

Choosing a Flexible Liner

William:  Okay, and now as far as flexible liners, I know there are different materials available for flexible liners, and you touched it briefly earlier.  How do I know which material is the best for my needs, and also, isn’t there a newer material available?

Richard:  Yeah, there is, actually, William.  We talk about the old material, or the material that’s been around the longest, is the 45 mil EPDM rubber liner.  The EPDM is just an abbreviation for a chemical name.  These liners have been around for a long, long time.  I say long, long time, I think they’ve pretty much been the standard now for over 20 years.

The nice thing about this material is it’s readily available on the market.  You can readily get anything from a 5 foot by 5 foot piece, up to pieces a half acre or larger in size.  Pretty much in any increment of 5 foot, or 10 foot, you can get a liner.  Most water garden companies are going to carry the 45 mil and a 10 by 10, 10 by 15, a 15 by 20, etc., and it is somewhat heavy, but not outrageously heavy.  A 15 by 15 liner probably weighs a little bit over 100 pounds, and that will create an 11 by 11 pond that’s over 100 square feet.

That’s probably the average nowadays. They’re 45 mil thick, which means it’s roughly about 45 one-thousandths of an inch in thickness, which is pretty thick, if we think, in terms of a typical trash bag is 6 mil.

Okay, so this is 45 mil, so it’s thick.  Most water garden retailers will guarantee them for 20 years, and basically what the guarantee covers is defects in workmanship, which means they won’t leak through the factory seams.  There’s typically going to be a factory seam about every 5 to 10 feet.  That’s what the guarantee covers.

They’re very flexible, and very UV resistant.  I’ve been using them now for a long time, and having them exposed in situations where they’re exposed to sunlight, and they hold up extremely well.

Also, flexible PVC has been sold, too, for many years now, as a pond liner material.

PVC has kind of gotten left behind, if you will.  It’s still a good reliable material, it’s just very susceptible to UV damage, and becomes brittle after a time.  I will say, though, that if installed correctly, it will last.  If you can find it, it is a viable option, but just if you feel that you’re going to want this water garden to last 15, 20 years, that time length, then I would definitely steer away from PVC.

But, the newer type of liner that’s out is a DuPont material called Xavan.  It’s a registered trade name of this product, and it’s a polymer similar to a rubber or plastic.  It’s two layers of this polymer, and in between is this woven material, called Xavan.

And, what they’ve done is they’ve created a liner that has all the properties of the 45 mil, in terms of UV resistance, in terms of puncture resistance, in terms of flexibility and ease to install.  It’s about half the weight, maybe even less than half the weight. And the measurement on them averages around 18 mil.

So they’re much, much lighter in weight.  And, for that reason alone, they’re just easier to install for a typical homeowner.

I’ve been saying for many years that the only way they’d improve on the 45 ml liners is to make them lighter in weight, and that’s certainly what they’ve done here.

The negative to the Xavan liners is because they are manufactured in Europe, the sizes are limited.  There’s about six or eight sizes now available in the U.S. market that range from about a 9 by 13 feet, up to about a 19 by 26 foot.  They cost slightly more than the 45 mil, but they are comparable in price.

So that’s basically what we have that’s available, in terms of flexible liners on the market today.

William:  It’s good to see that new things are always coming out or being improved.

Richard:  Yeah, it’s become more of a mainstream industry, and because of that, a lot of research is being put into it.  So it’s a good thing.

To Seam or Not To Seam?

William:  Now, you talked about how the manufacturer has seams every 5 or 10 feet or so.  Would it be wise if you had a really large pond to seam two pieces together yourself, or to have that done, other than what the manufacturer already has?

Richard:  Well, in general, for an amateur, homeowner, pond builder, I would avoid having to do seams yourself whenever possible.  I can’t think of too many situations where a homeowner is going to want a seam liner or attempt a seam liner.  The only place I can see where it may be practical is if you’re looking to expand your water garden, your existing water garden, and you’re looking to save money.

I mean, you can purchase a new liner and attach it to the old liner.  Seaming in the field can be difficult.  It’s not impossible, and if it’s done correctly, the seams work very well, I will say that.  But of course, any time you create a seam, you’re creating a potential for a leak.  So for that reason, I would avoid it.  In general, you should be able to fairly easily avoid seaming.

The only other place I can see where seaming would be practical or reasonable for a homeowner might be if you want to build a waterfall, and you’re building a fairly large pond.  Ideally, it would be best if you bought one piece of liner that would cover the entire waterfall, pond, and everything, but you could buy two separate liners, put one for the pond liner in, and overlap an underlay for a waterfall over the pond liner and then seam it together.

In that situation, the only reason that you’re seaming those liners together is to keep water from leaking up in between the liners and escaping.  So I guess my general answer is yeah, avoid the seaming whenever possible, but it can be done, if needed.

How Deep Your Pond Should Be and Why

William:  Okay, and what things should I consider when I’m deciding on the depth of my pond?

Richard:  Well, the main things when you’re considering something like that would be the living things in the pond, I would have to say. For the most part, water lilies and submerged plants prefer 18 to 24 inches of water.  So, for that reason, most water gardens are going to be maximum depth 18 to 24 inches.

The only reasons that I would go deeper, or slightly deeper would be that if I live in a fairly cold climate, you know, zone 5 or so, you may want to have an area that goes down to 30 or 36 inches to help get below the freeze line and protect my hardy plants.  Same with a koi pond, ponds that are designed specifically for the bigger fish, the big koi, a deeper area’s a good idea.

Water insulates itself, so by having a deeper area of water, you will have a relatively cooler layer of water in the summer, and a relatively warmer layer of water in the winter that, obviously, will help a cold-blooded animal, such as a fish.

But, other than that, 18 to 24 inches is really what most of the ponds should be.  That will be the most valuable space to you, in terms of housing plants.  Even in koi pond, where you have a deeper area, most koi enthusiasts will want the majority of their pool to be 18, maybe even a little bit less than that, to keep the fish up in the shallow area where they can be easily viewed, so that’s really it with depth.  Now, you can create shallower areas for things such as shallow water plants, maybe wading areas for birds, maybe wildlife friendly edges, etc., but those should really be limited, and only targeted to specifically what we want to do because, again, that 18 to 24 inch maximum depth will be much more valuable to the typical pond owner.

William:  And, it’s probably a little bit easier to maintain that way, as well.

Richard:  Absolutely.

How To Minimize Creases in Your Pond Liner

William:  I know it’s okay to have some creases in the liner when you install it.  In fact, they’re practically inevitable.  Can you give any advice on minimizing the folds and creases and problems there?

Richard:  Sure.  A lot of amateur pond builders will panic when they first put that liner in, and they’ll notice a lot of folds and wrinkles.  They’ll start to worry about that a little bit, in terms of how visible they’re going to be when the pond is completed.

The first thing I like to ensure folks of is that even if the pond has a lot of folds and creases in the liner, they're rarely noticed.  Once a little bit of algae grows on the sides, the plants begin to bloom out, and the fish are darting around.  Those are the kind of things that are going to catch your eye. And if there are folds and wrinkles, they generally go unnoticed.

So it’s not worth spending a lot of time and stress over.  But, you can, when a flexible liner is first placed in the pool dry, before we add water, you can get in there and start to make what I call a couple of strategic folds.  The best example I can give is a rectangular pool, where if you had a perfect rectangle, you could create one fairly large crease coming up out of each corner to the upper edge.

That would, virtually, eliminate all the other folds.  That’s an easy one to do, where you can have the four larger creases in each corner, and eliminate everything else.  That makes a very nice, neat, clean application.

However, for the typical and informal shapes, the folds start to form themselves.  Once you get in the excavation and begin to work that liner down into the excavation, you’ll see where the folds will start to form.  It’s simply a matter of working those larger folds to eliminate a lot of the smaller folds.

Again, this is something that even an amateur homeowner shouldn’t spend more than 15, 20 minutes, maybe a half an hour on.  It’s certainly not worth spending hours trying to eliminate a lot of the folds. Also, they will notice that when they start to put the water in, that just the weight of the water, itself, tightens those folds, and creases up.  That, alone, makes them less obvious, also.

Before You Buy Pond Equipment, Consider This

William:  How can I determine exactly what type and amount of hardware and equipment I’ll need for the installation, and as far as equipment goes?  I realize that pond equipment is an entire subject of its own, but how do you know what you’re going to need in advance so you’re adequately prepared?

Richard:  The first thing is you’re going to want to know how much water the pond is going to hold.  That’s going to be a big factor.  And again, you’re going to need to know a little bit about what you want to do with the pond, in terms of equipment.

This goes back to what I said in the beginning.  A water garden, if you’re going to keep fish to a minimum, it can certainly be done without a filter.  My experience has found that most folks want fish, and because of the fact that the fish will increase naturally through reproduction, or the people add fish, they will inevitably end up in a situation where they need a filter.

Now, the beauty of a filter is, in most applications, it can be added fairly easily later, if it’s not installed into the initial installation.  But, certainly, it’s going to make life easier if you decide you’re going to want fish.  You’re going to want a filter.  You just need to look into filters, the different types of filtration, but the main factors are going to be how much water the pond holds.

There are formulas for calculating and figuring out gallonage, and you want to be as close to that number as you can, although you don’t have to be exact for these applications.  You’ll need to know what you want that pump to do.

For example, do you want the pump to power a waterfall?  Or, is it simply just powering a little spitting frog?  Is it powering the filter?  What size filter?

But, I would say, William, that the main thing you want to know going into hardware is how much water you’re holding.

William:  Yes, because your equipment’s going to have to relate to that number.

Richard:  Right.

How To Prevent Tears and Rips in Your Liner

William:   What are some ways that you can avoid tears and rips when you’re installing a flexible liner?  If you have some rocks down at the bottom, what can you do?  Can you line it with something, layer the ground with something?

Richard:  To be honest with you, most tears and rips come from under the liner, believe it or not.  So sharp objects should be carefully removed.  That’s one of the first steps.  You should be pruning back tree roots, and cutting them back.  You should be removing any sharp rocks or debris that may be in that excavation.

And then, I recommend a half an inch to an inch of sand on the bottom, anywhere where you’re going to be stepping on that liner and pressing against it, to protect it from damage that way.

Then a good cloth underlay under the liner, and on the sides of the liner, again, to protect it if something should work through the ground that you missed. Now there would be a barrier between that object and the liner.  That’s really the biggest way to keep your liner from ripping and tearing.

I don’t recommend putting any rocks on the bottom of the liner.  I know there are some folks out there who are recommending that.  Rocks on the side are okay, but in the bottom of the pool, it should just be a bare liner with your pump, tubing and your plant containers.  That should pretty much be it.

William:  Okay, and you mentioned a cloth underlay.  I’ve heard of people using old carpet.  Is that acceptable?

Richard:  Yeah, old carpet, old carpet padding, those kinds of things will work functionally just fine.  Again, this is just a cloth underlay with some type of thickness to it that will create a protective barrier to the liner.

I would not recommend newspaper.  I’ve seen or read where people are recommending layers of newspaper.  That can work, but it’s tedious to try to do it that way.  You need several layers of newspaper, and obviously, the newspaper is not going to last as long as some other materials under that liner.

The other thing I’ve found that does not work is ... some folks recommend wetting the sand and putting it up on the sides (i.e. the pond walls).  I’ve found that even once the pond is installed and that liner’s against it, that sand will just dry and fall, and you’re left with nothing there.  So the cloth underlay is the best option.

Electricity: Safety Tips You Must Know

William:  Great, thanks, Richard.  Now, the one thing that might concern some people is electricity.  Obviously, you’re using electricity around water, and that can be dangerous.  Is there a way that you can avoid the risk of electric shock?

Richard:  Oh yeah, it’s pretty standard that any electrical outlets that are installed ... any time you’re doing electrical work, you really should have a licensed electrician doing the work.  That would be my number one installation tip.

It is standard and it’s law that any outdoor outlets have to have a GFIC circuit on it.  Which basically means that if the electric contacts the water in any way, it will trip the breaker and the electric is cut off.

So, just make sure that the electrician is putting one of those in.  Any licensed electrician should be doing that.  So, that’s really all there is to it, and again, just make sure you’re using good, reliable products in the pond.

William:  Is it a good idea to have more than one outlet available on different circuits?  Would there be reasons why you might want to do that?

Richard:  For most applications, no, you shouldn’t need to run two things on different circuits.  But you’re going to want more than one outlet because you could end up with pumps, lights, deicers in the winter.  There are different pieces of equipment you may want to plug into your outlets.  So you want to have multiple outlets.

You know, if down the road, your pond becomes full of big, prized fish, you may want to consider having a back-up generator system in case the power goes off.

I have heard, it’s been rare, but there have been horror stories where electric goes off in the heat of the summer, and the water is no longer being aerated and now we’re losing big, valuable fish.  Other than that, multiple circuits shouldn’t be necessary.

6 Easy Ways To Camouflage Your Pond Equipment for Natural Beauty

William:  Are there some good ways to hide pumps and filters from plain sight for more of a natural look?

Richard:  Oh, sure. Submerged pumps can be a tricky to hide, but they’re usually pretty small and you can even set them behind a couple of plant containers or something like that.

For above-ground equipment, you can just stack a couple rocks up around it. You can also hide above-ground equipment underneath artificial fiberglass rocks.  You can put lattice up around your equipment, which is not as natural as rock, but it still creates a nice, clean look.  You just need to be a little creative there.  Sometimes, lattice will get a vine growing over it, and hide equipment behind shrubs.

A lot of these out-of-pond filters can be piped 15’or 20’ from the pond.  If it’s planned correctly, the water flow is just fine, and they can even be hidden behind a garage or a shed or whatever.  So there are easy ways to hide these things.

For submerged equipment, you can use a dye in the water.  There are some very safe just vegetable-based dyes out there that dye the water just slightly black, but botanical gardens, and public gardens like to use them in the water gardens.  They hide what I would call the guts, if you will, of the pond: the pumps, the tubing, the plant containers ... things under there that you might not want to

see at all.

Also the darker color helps to contrast the bright colors of the fish and the plants.

But be aware that the dye can be overused.  You don’t want to make the pond too dark, but the shading of the water also helps, obviously, deter algae growth.  So those are the kinds of strategies that you can use to hide equipment.

William:  And with a flexible liner being black….

Richard:  Yeah, everything is black now, William.  The pumps, the tubing, everything is black and dark, so it blends in naturally.  That’s the reason most pond equipment is black and dark in color.

Hose and Tubing Secrets for Hassle-Free Ponding

William:   Great.  Now, can you talk about some tips on using hose, length, diameter, anything like that that would be helpful?

Richard:  In general, use the largest diameter hose that you can use.  Don’t restrict it any more than you have to.  A lot of pumps and filters nowadays come with graduated inlets and outlets that allow you to use various size tubings and hoses.  That’s just more of an adaptive thing, if you need to adapt one size to the other.

In general, use the largest size that you can.  When you buy tubing, it’s rated with an inside diameter.  That’s what you want to pay attention to.

You want to use black, flexible tubing.  I don’t think you see the clear anymore, but never use clear, flexible tubing because algae grows inside of it.  So you definitely always want to use a black, or solid-colored tubing.

There is a higher-quality kink-free tubing that's better than the regular flex tubing, which can kink and block your water flow.

This cannot, and it won’t collapse and can be buried unless a huge amount of weight is put on it, will support weight better than the regular flex tubing.

You always want to make sure that you use hose clamps on connections outside of the pond, because those are notorious points for leaks.

And again, you can’t make sharp, right turns with flex tubing.  And even if you’re using rigid piping, you don’t want to have 90-degree turns anyway because of friction loss.

Friction loss is an important consideration when planning out your system.  As water flows through tubing and is contacting that tubing, it reduces your flow rate.  So the fewer angles, and less sharp angles that you have, the more you’ll maintain your actual flow rate by the time the water reaches its destination.

William:  That’s a good point.  Can the length of the tubing also add to the friction loss?

Richard:  Yes, but the biggest thing in determining friction loss and how large a pump you'll need is the vertical lift... how high up you’re pumping the water vertically.  And yes, there is also horizontal friction loss.

It takes about 10 feet horizontally to equal the amount of friction loss in one vertical foot.  So you can see, it’s not as much, but there is some loss there, also.

Child Safety and Legal Considerations Before You Dig Your Pond

William:  Are there are any laws or anything I need to be aware of, or any risks with installing a water garden?  Obviously, children around water always pose a risk.

Richard:  Sure, sure, and that’s definitely a concern, and rightfully so.  You may consider that, in particular, if you have toddlers, that a water garden may not be a great idea.  Or maybe to start out with a raised pond.

Raised ponds are safer than in-ground ponds for children, but obviously, not fool-proof.  In general, what I tell folks about their children is keep an eye on them and teach them how to swim.  Because obviously, a water garden in their back yard is probably not the only time that they are going to have contact with water in their life, but certainly, that needs to be considered.

Now, in terms of depth and the law, you definitely want to look into any State, County, local regulations, any and all that you have, in regards to water gardens and swimming pools.  I know locally, in my jurisdiction, as long as the water garden is 24 inches or less in maximum depth, it is considered just that, a backyard water garden or a pond.

It does not fall under the same regulations as a swimming pool, but if it’s 24 inches or more, then it falls under the classification of a swimming pool, and requires an 8 foot high fence, locked gate, etc., etc., so yeah, that should definitely be looked into and taken into consideration.

William:  That’s interesting, an 8 foot high fence to keep away a toddler.

Richard:  Yeah, that’s right.

William:  I guess that could kind of take away from the natural look of your pond.

Richard:  Absolutely.

William:  Definitely something to consider before you start digging your pond.

Richard:  Good point, William.  You won’t have much aesthetic value with that, and obviously, that’s another consideration for depth.  It’s not the same everywhere, but definitely, people should check with their local jurisdiction.

William:  Great, these are great tips to think of in advance because one little thing that you miss could really throw a wrench in your plans.

Richard:  Absolutely.

The Rock/Gravel Controversy: The Truth in Gruesome Detail

William:  Now, there’s a big controversy with regard to using rocks and gravel on the bottom of a pond, and you touched on it a little bit earlier, Richard.  Can you explain what this controversy is, and the pros and cons of this type of thing?

Richard:  Well, the controversy is that there are a few companies are recommending the use of rock, of various size and/or gravel, in the bottom of the pond.  These companies do a very good job of selling pond products.  I don’t have a problem with them at all, except for this one little point.

Their theory behind this is that this material will act as bio media by nitrifying bacterias in a pond that grow naturally in a pond. Good bacteria will microscopically break down organic waste.  You don’t see them, but they’re there, and the way that they live and operate is they colonize by attaching themselves to surfaces.

So this is good, and you want this bacteria; the more of it, the better, in most situations because it’s breaking down the organic waste and converting it into usable plant nutrient.  It’s the natural process of the pond that we want to have.

So, we’ve got all this rock and gravel on the bottom, and when we do that, obviously, we increase the surface area in the pond greatly, and can produce lots more of this bacteria.  That’s all fine and good, but what happens in these ponds is, over time, organic waste builds up.  The organic waste is going to be made up of three basic things:

It’s going to be made of up of fish waste... debris that hit the surface of the pond and sink to the bottom... and decomposing plant parts.

So when this material starts to build up in the bottom and the bacteria can’t quite keep up with it and break it down quickly enough; it begins to fill in those little empty spaces in between all that rock and gravel in there.  Now the water can no longer flow freely under and through the rock, which means there’s no oxygen there.  And, this nitrifying bacteria is highly dependent on oxygen.

So now all this usable space is no longer usable, and you can’t grow bacteria on it because it’s anaerobic (lacking oxygen), simply because of the fact that fresh water can’t get under there.

And so, now it becomes a problem.  This material is still breaking down, but it’s breaking down anaerobically, without oxygen, which converts it into highly charged nitrogen.

I know I’m getting a little fancy here, but it’s basically creates a real good food source for algae, and, in particular, string algae.  So, a lot of these ponds that are left un-maintained and allow this bottom material to build up over time typically have algae problems in the long term.

Usually, it works fine for the first year or two, but in my experience, unless these ponds are really carefully maintained, it can be problematic.  Also, it would require an annual draining to get this material out from under the rock.

In my view, the biggest negatives to gravel-bottom ponds are:

A.) the fact that it’s difficult to get the material from under the rock, and

B.) once the pond is established and things are growing, you don’t notice the rock or gravel bottom anyway, so it's no longer serving an aesthetic purpose.

You’ve got the negative of the added cost of the rock, you’ve got the negative of the fact that sludge will build up and have to be removed from under the rock, you’ve got the negative of the fact that God forbid, if there is ever a leak in your liner, it will be extremely difficult to find.

And, quite frankly, we’ve been water gardening in this country now for many, many years successfully, and I’m just not sure where all of a sudden, we have a need to line the bottom of these ponds with rock.

In the big picture, and part of their theory, is that in nature, you don’t see natural bodies of water with plastic liners in them.

Well, quite frankly, ponds aren’t covered with rock and gravel on the bottom; they’re covered with decaying matter.  In nature, there’s so much of this bacteria that organic build-up only becomes a problem in shallow, warm ponds, in terms of algae bloom, so what he’s created here is not really a pond, and it’s more of a waterfall or a stream situation because his system is highly dependent on moving water. And quite frankly, aquatic plants will grow in moving water, bu too much moving water,  and they won’t thrive.

And so, and I’m getting off track a little bit here, but those are the main reasons that I don’t recommend gravel in the bottom of the pond.

Other than that, this “newer system” is fine.  I mean, encouraging people to use automatic skimmers, bio-filters, and what have you is all fine, but the rocks in the bottom are where I disagree.

William:  Great, yeah, it's something a prospective pond owner needs to think hard about.

Richard:  Absolutely, and I’ll tell you, William, my company services a lot of ponds.  We run into these ponds occasionally, and we’re honest with the folks, because when we drain and clean a pond, the main purpose is to remove the organic debris in the bottom.

Matter of fact, that’s the only real reason to drain and clean a pond!

And if you’ve got rocks in the bottom, I have to charge those people extra because I cannot, with good conscience, tell them that they have a clean pond unless I’ve removed the rock and the debris, and everything.

So it becomes expensive, and we’re finding that a lot of the clients that we’re doing this with are opting not to put the gravel or rocks back into the pond.

William:  That certainly says a lot about it.  I definitely appreciate that input.

Richard:  Sure.

Do It Yourself or Hire a Pro?

William:  How will somebody know if they can handle the installation themselves, and when should they just bite the bullet and hire a professional?

Richard:  Yeah, again, do research, pre-investigation into this.  It’s going to tell them a lot.  It can be a tricky question.  Obviously, you’re going to have to know, yourself, in terms of physical work.  And bear in mind that if you’re going to take this on yourself, to give yourself plenty of time to do it.

I mean, even if you think you’re a well fit physical person, the physical part of it might not be that bad, but you really don’t want to hurry through it.  You want to allow yourself some time to do it.  So if you’re in a hurry to do it, you want to get it done and over with and knocked out, and certainly, you’re going to have to think, in terms of budget.  Everybody’s got their own personal budget.  So things like budget, things like size of the pond.

And, you know, even if you’re going to do it yourself, in most cases, you will find that these professionals will come out and at least do an initial contact with you and talk to you for no charge, or for a nominal charge.  Also, it may be worth it to have one or two people to come out, because they may come out and point out something that you weren’t even thinking about, so it may be helpful in that sense.

So, even if you’re pretty sure you’re not going to hire a contractor, it might not hurt to even have one or two come out and look.  Certainly take caution in choosing a contractor if you do, indeed, decide to choose a contractor.

If your project is going to require a lot of heavy rock work, you need to be prepared for this.  And if you’re going to tackle these kinds of things yourself, consider the scope of the work.  So it’s really a matter of investigating a little bit in what’s involved with the installation of a pond.

William:  Great, and definitely, this interview is a great first step to learn what you need to know.

Richard:  Absolutely.

William:  What kind of prep work does someone need to do before they think of getting an estimate from a landscaper or a professional installation?

Richard:  Well, you know, I would say that with prep work again, just investigate, just learn, get a good book, read a good book, particularly on building ponds.  There are some good ones out there.  You mentioned my book, that’s just a very good one that’s easy to understand.  It covers the ins and outs of it, so you know a what you’re talking about.

You spoke about that in the beginning that it’s a lot easier to get taken advantage of if you don’t sound like you know what you’re talking about.  So, get a little bit of knowledge, know what you’re talking about.

Consider basics like, do I want a koi pond, or do I want a water garden?  How big do I want it?

Learn a little bit about maintaining a pond, and what’s involved.  Maintaining a koi pond is different than maintaining a water garden, you know.  Learn the ins and outs because you don’t want to create a pond that’s so big and harder to maintain than you thought.

But, the main thing with prep work, I would say, would be learning the ins and outs.  Then if you are going to hire a professional, get at least three bids, or three folks to look at it, and get referrals.

A lot of times, retail garden, retail aquatic suppliers and what have you, will refer folks to you.  But once you get that contract, you ask them for referrals and customer referrals and things like that. And ask to see their work.  The most reliable ones that have been in the business for any length of time at all will be able to at least show you some photos of their work.

William:  That’s a good point, and maybe you can even ask to be taken to a site that they’ve done the installation.

Richard:  Absolutely, yeah, I would say that if a professional is proud of his work, he’d be more than happy to do that for you.

Sniffing Out the Red Flags

William:  Now, are there any red flags that you should look out for when interviewing landscapers, something to totally avoid, if someone does something or says something, where you might just want to walk away?

Richard:  The example I'd give here is maybe a landscaper is adamant about putting rocks in the bottom of the pond.  I would think twice about that.  I would think that most good pond builders would be open-minded about that kind of thing, and not be married to that one particular system.

Maybe that’s what they do, primarily, and they’ve had luck with it.  But they also should be willing and able to do other types of ponds, too.  And if you, as a client say, “Oh, well, I’ve heard this and that about it,” and they disagree and they’re pushing you towards it, that would be a red flag to me.

If this person obviously can’t show you any work, or doesn’t have any referrals, I mean, that’s a huge red flag.  That means they’re probably just getting started.  It doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to do a bad job for you, but you certainly may be a guinea pig, and you want to avoid that.

And, again, just learn as much as you can, and the red flags will pop up.  You know, once you have some knowledge, if there are going to be any red flags, typically, they’re going to show themselves.

William:  Sure, once somebody goes through this series of interviews, they’re going to be very well equipped for doing so.

Richard:  Yeah, absolutely, you’ll be able to find the contradictory information right away.

William:  Absolutely.  Okay, I think you've done a great job covering the subject here.  Of course, there’s so much more information that one can acquire.

Richard:  Absolutely.

William:  But, what we really wanted to do here with this interview is to really extract the tips that you’ve learned over the years, things to avoid, and things to look out for, how to avoid problems, and have it pretty much a maintenance-free water garden as much as possible.  We definitely appreciate the information you’ve given here, it’s been very helpful.

Richard:  Well, good, it was fun.

William:  Richard, if somebody wanted to contact you for more information or anything at all, how would they go about doing that?

Richard:  We can be contacted at 1-800-999-LILY, and that is 1-800-999-5459, and our Website is www.lilypons.com.

William:  Great, well, once again, thank you very much for your expertise, Richard, and I hope that everybody listening is going to take away quite a bit of value from this interview.

Richard:  Well, I hope so, too, William.  It was fun, and I appreciate it.

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Other Books in The Water Garden Masters Series

Volume 2:

Koi Care Secrets

The Easy Way to Happy Healthy Koi Fish

Volume 3:

Aquatic Plant Secrets

How To Make Your Water Garden Thrive

Volume 4:

How To Perfect Your Water Garden

with Pumps, Filters and Water Features

Volume 5:

Water Clarity Secrets

for Ponds and Water Gardens

The Quick and Easy Way To Crystal Clear Water

Table of Contents

Copyright

Introduction

Introducing Richard Koogle, Water Garden Installation Expert

The 3 Types of Pond Liners: Pros and Cons

Above-ground Vs. In-ground Designs: What You Must Know

Pond Kits (Potential Rip-Offs and How To Avoid Them)

The Best (and Worst) Pre-Formed Ponds

Secrets to an Easy Pond Installation that Lasts 50+ Years

The #1 Mistake and How To Avoid it

Mistake #2: Filling the Pond Too Late in the Installation Process

The 24-Hour Waiting Myth Exposed

Mistake #3: Choosing the Wrong Location

How To Avoid Complications by Choosing the Right Shape for Your Pond

Pond Location Secrets

The Koi Pond / Water Garden Dichotomy

Choosing a Flexible Liner

To Seam or Not To Seam?

How Deep Your Pond Should Be and Why

How To Minimize Creases in Your Pond Liner

Before You Buy Pond Equipment, Consider This

How To Prevent Tears and Rips in Your Liner

Electricity: Safety Tips You Must Know

6 Easy Ways To Camouflage Your Pond Equipment for Natural Beauty

Hose and Tubing Secrets for Hassle-Free Ponding

Child Safety and Legal Considerations Before You Dig Your Pond

The Rock/Gravel Controversy: The Truth in Gruesome Detail

Do It Yourself or Hire a Pro?

Sniffing Out the Red Flags

Other Books in The Water Garden Masters Series