Archive for Liner
Pondless Waterfalls: Concrete Vs. Pond Liner
Posted by: | CommentsThe get-rich-quick factor in the pond liner industry has forced up the price of pond liner kits to equal the cost of concrete construction. If you search for the truth about concrete ponds and waterfalls from reading the literature of the greed-driven liner pond industry, you will not find it. Why? Because if the truth be known, no one in their right mind would invest good, hard-earned money in a pond liner!
The pond liner track record speaks for itself:
More than 37% of all waterfalls have serious structural damage within 3 years of construction.
57% of homeowners say they are rather unsatisfied with the way their waterfall came out after the project was completed.
One in three waterfalls and ponds are leaking water within nine months of completion.
63% of ?do-it-yourselfers? say they wished they had the proper information from the ?get go? or that they had hired someone.
These statistics are from the pond liner industry itself (Bob Wilder, 48-Hour Waterfall). I can confirm and attest to these figures myself. I have built over 1,900 concrete and rebar waterfalls and ponds over the past 26 years. I have ripped out and replaced dozens of defective liner ponds and replaced them with concrete ones with lifetime warranties.
Pond liner guys will not attach more than a one-year warranty. They make no guarantee against rats, mice, ground squirrels, gophers, tree roots and sharp objects.
Let?s compare apples to lemons ? First, let?s talk about apples (concrete waterfalls). We will construct a pondless waterfall that is 20 inches wide at the top by 20 feet long, becoming 24 inches wide at the bottom, to create a spillway 3 feet tall. At the bottom is a catch basin 4 ft. x 6 ft. x 3 ft. deep. The costs of excavation are as follows:
To dig a waterfall and basin takes two men 4 hours @ $20 per hour = $160.
The flexible PVC pipe is 35 ft. @ $1.25 per ft. = $44.
Concrete (3500 psi with stealth fiber)): 2
Pond Liner: Buyer Beware
Posted by: | CommentsDo you waste your money on lottery tickets? Feed your hard earned money to the one-armed bandits in the casinos? Drive without a seat belt? Then a pond liner is for you. You obviously like taking chances and are not too concerned about the outcome. Well, when someone spends thousands of dollars on a liner pond, they are playing the odds. Will their liner pond leak or not. From my 26 years experience in the pond business, I can assure you that the odds are not in your favor. This is an article the liner pond dudes don’t want you to read. If you weren’t giving my industry such a bad name, there would be no need for this writing.
The liner pond gurus such as the ?Liner messiah? with his own magazine and catalogue, recruits unsuspecting followers with a ?Build a Liner Pond Day?, and shows how easy it is to get something for next to nothing. Here’s what these liner pond guys do:
? Lay out the pond with a garden hose
? Remove the sod and dig the hole
? Drop in our guaranteed liner
? Fill with water
? Drop in our pump
? Run our pipe
? Throw a piece of our liner on the pile of discarded dirt
? Stick in our filter
? Cover pile of dirt with loose rock
? Turn on our pump
? Throw in your fish
? Collect your money and split.
Does this sound a bit harsh on the pond liner industry? Well, here?s ?the rest of the story. ?I?m going to add a few more items that the liner pond guys omitted:
? Ground squirrels
? Gophers
? Mice
? Rats
? Chipmunks
? Moose
? Sharp rocks
? Heavy rocks
? Falling rocks
? Sharp objects
? Tree roots
? Plant & weed roots
? Leaky drain seal
? Leaky skimmer seal
? Kids with sharp or pointed objects
Did the liner pond guy offer you a discount if any of the above occurred in your pond? Here is what you would have had to do if any of them happened in your newly-built liner pond (and I know the Liner Guy didn’t give you this list):
? Take out the fish
? Turn off the pump
? Take out the loose rock (hope you didn’t use too many)
? Pump out the pond
? Take out the pump
? Take out the liner
? Spread out the liner on the lawn
? Clean off the dirt and algae
? Inspect every square inch of the liner for holes.
(Sure, there are short cuts, but if you assume you?ve fixed the problem after patching a hole, put everything back and then discover there was more than one hole, you might be a tad irritated. Remember this rule of thumb: one pinhole and you can lose five gallons of water every 24 hours!)
? Patch the hole or holes
? Repeat the whole process over again, only in reverse.
Hey, sound familiar? It should, with the exception of laying out the garden hose and digging a hole, you have just built another water feature!
If it had been done the professional way to begin with, all this time to tear it apart and put it back together could have been used to design and build another permanent project with steel and concrete.
Can you imagine if this scenario was referring to a project involving large boulders that were set in place with heavy equipment such as an end loader or crane? Not to mention lawn sprinklers, flower gardens, trees and shrubs that were growing there, and sidewalks and hardscapes installed! It can cost 30% more to tear out a liner pond and replace it with a professional one made with rebar and concrete. Where as if they had built a professional waterfall and pond in the first place it would have only cost about 20% more. Does the term pennywise and pound foolish mean anything to you?
Look before you leap and research before you weep. Happy koi, peace and joy.
A Professional Pond Liner Kit at an Affordable Price
Posted by: | CommentsTired of looking at the same old backyard everyday? Do you want to have that special area where you can sit and relax after a hard days work? A pond will create a tranquil and serene environment that is sure to have your curious neighbors peeping over your fence.
However, one thing to keep in mind is that pond equipment and installations can cost several thousand dollars when contracted out to a landscaper. They can be extremely expensive investments! Wouldn’t you like to obtain all the supplies that a contractor normally would, at their wholesale price? Well, now you can buy a professional-quality pond kit directly from Algreen Products!
New for 2007, Algreen’s Professional Pond Kits include a pump, liner, underlay, filtration media, and both a skimmer and bio waterfall filter! These kits come complete with a whole load of accessories to help transform your backyard into a spectacular work of art. The new Professional Pond Kits come in 3 sizes which range from 4? x 6? liner kits, to the 6? x 6? liner kits, to the larger 6? x 11? kits (which includes a pump that moves over 12,000 gallons of water per hour).
Leafs, twigs, and other debris use to make ponds look dirty and were a hassle to clean up. Not any more!! With the introduction of Algreen?s new pond skimmer, pond debris is skimmed off the pond water surface and filtered regularly so that you have a clean, clear, and beautiful looking pond anytime of the day. The skimmer is specially manufactured to operate with ponds containing up to 5000 gallons of water.
The skimmer?s Trap Basket has a large filter that is easily removable for cleaning and maintenance. There is also a secondary filter mat used for secondary filtration prior to reaching the pump. The kit comes with a special pump that creates a natural flowing waterfall. The pump is uniquely housed within the skimmer so it?s completely hidden from view.
Your fish will thank you with Algreen’s new Biofalls Filter, which includes both removable biological and mechanical filters, and 2 activated charcoal pouches. The charcoal filtration units have an extremely high surface area and when placed in the water bind, and thus remove harmful chemicals such as bacterial toxins. Poisonous toxic molecules physically adhere to the activated charcoal and stick to it until they are completely destroyed.
Keep micro bacterial agents such as algae and bacterial colonies from developing in your pond with the Bio Waterfall Filter?s special fish friendly filters and pond solutions. The filters include six separate filtering actions to ensure that your pond water is in healthy condition.
These new Professional Pond Kits are a lovely addition to any area they are placed in. They are proudly manufactured in Canada and are accompanied with a lifetime warranty on both the skimmer and waterfall filter enclosures!
I know what you?re thinking. With this great value, the price must be through the roof. WRONG!! Compared to the leading competitor?s prices, Algreen?s Professionial Pond Kits give you a savings of more than 25%. The leading competitor has a 6? x 11? kit retailing close to $1300, and it does not even include all the specialized filtration media and pond solutions that Algreen provides. In addition to Algreen?s great package, you also get a free thermometer, so you can keep an eye on your fish during those hot summer days. Algreen gives you everything you need, other than the shovel and landscaping materials; even then, the largest kit is still priced under $1000.
Be the trend setter this year on your block. These pond kits add value to your home, are great conversation starters, and make a great place to relax next to while enjoying your drink. They come with easy to follow installation instructions and are customizable so no pond looks the same. Best part about the kit is that the instructions give you the flexibility of doing-it-yourself, with helpers. Alternatively, the kit also provides you with a low-cost, professional pond kit, so that you can hire a contractor to complete a cheaper, more affordable pond. Come visit gardensupermart.com today for more information about our Professional Pond Kits.
Go to GardenSM.com to view this article with pictures.
