I have a 45 feet stream bed that just runs and circulates ... I have some dig pools about 3 feet in some places that just circulates around. It was made with a rubber liner but it leaks year after year ... I'm doing a concrete next year would you suggest doing my concrete over my rubber liner or remove the rubber and go straight on dirt.
Very helpful video, thank you! We ripped out the 4-year old pond foam that was crumbling and absorbing water and replaced it all with the concrete mixture you recommended. It worked fantastic and looks so much more professional and we have less water use and evaporation on our pond-less waterfall. Want to know if you recommend sealing the concrete at any point?
There are a few swimming pools that don’t use your EP DM plastic I think here in California I’ve seen the cheap Above ground plastic pools cheap and ugly! Or someone who digs a hole lines it with concrete then plaster is it to seal the concrete! There is no chemical affect for the people swimming in it after cure and you can make it any color you want and you can form it anyway you want! Concrete the way to go! My pond that I made for my dogs would not stand up if I had a plastic liner in there! You guys really have to up your game if you want to make high-quality ponds
@jerseyshorepondscapesvideos With the Portland Cement and Sand what is the ratio you use for a pond? Home Depot Portland Cement says 1 part cement to 3 parts sand. I've seen other pond videos where they are using 1 part cement and 6 part sand. Just want to make sure the fish are safe. I would be using this to seal gaps in waterfall.
I used 14-15 shovels of sand to a half bag of Portland. (94 lb. Bag) or about 7 shovels to 1/4 bag. You can even mix a shovel or two of mortar mix in too, but not necessary.
I have used concrete to set my boulders on the ledge around the pond without any problems there. My waterfalls and streams are also good, as I do not run the ponds in the winter, keeping them dry helps. as the freeze and thaw in shallow water it what causes the concrete to break up. Over time, some of my concrete on the waterfalls may crack in the seams between the boulders, but we are talking years, and it can be fixed pretty easily. Better than the foam!!! And I would guess that the majority of the cracks are due more to a little settling of the rocks than the degrading of the concrete. It doesn't happen too often, but it can be fixed just by refilling the cracks with more concrete or hydrolic cement.
I have 4 small ponds made completely out of concrete and another much bigger also entirely made of concrete. I couldn't do otherwise since there is no stones available in my region. I Never have any problem.
Very nice. The real threat with using concrete is primarily when it is new. After some time, a lot of the harsh chemicals have leached out, and it is no longer a problem.
How much cure time for concrete in a water feature? Not concerned about strength in this particular application . . . more, just concerned about surface . . . i.e. don't want concrete to dissolve away by exposure to water too soon.
I wouldn't recommend doing that. That's a lot of concrete, and probably not going to be good for the fish. I would rather see you put some large river stone boulders in the bottom followed by some smaller river stone as you build up. Just be shore to wash it off before you put it in your pond. The other option is to drain the pond, remove the rock and or gravel from one side and in the pond if you have gravel in it, and pull the liner up on one side then add fill dirt under the liner then pull the liner back in place. You may then have to cut some excess liner away, then redo your rock and gravel in and / or around the pond.
Bad advice to use large stone and small stone to build up on top of liner. All the voids will fill with muck. I would remove the liner fill with dirt cap with sand then put your liner back in
Concrete or mortar is the way to go! I put a little bond adhesive in my mix to make it more waterproof. I tried the foam and geuss what? My waterfall leaked! People use mortar or concrete! Save yourself the headache!
@@jerseyshorepondscapesvideos Not just you! I made a beautiful waterfall 5 years ago and it was watertight for about 2 years. We live in a mild climate so it is not the freeze and thaw, but the foam just pulls away from the rocks and allows leaks. Today I am repairing the entire falls with concrete. Crossing my fingers I can run it again without losing water (we are in a drought area and have to guard that water carefully!)
Two things that annoy the crap out of me in respect to landscapers, is firstly referring to soil as dirt. It is NOT dirt, it is SOIL, It is a result of horticulture teachers and landscape construction instructors drumming it into me early on at college that dirt is dirt and soil is not dirt. And, referring to cement as concrete.
This fucking guy, I love it dude I love you dude keep doing what you do! Bitching about dirt not being called soil I love it man, you're a hero not to me but I'm sure to some people. Just keep doing what you do. About dirt and whatnot. The mistreatment of labels & what have you... you know what I'm saying.
I have tried to reach out to the aquariums to ask what they use that keeps the fish safe but they are not aware of how they have tried to ask for me. But you guys may know what they use... So what might they use concrete/shotcrete in the aquariums that you can even walk in to be with the crabs and fish?
My best answer, is that they build the tanks, etc. with concrete, and then seal it with a liquid rubber coating. This coating both seals the tank from leaking, but also seals out any toxic residue from the concrete. This coating makes it safe for fish. I have a video about these rubber coatings. th-cam.com/video/VCKwGN-E3lg/w-d-xo.html
perhaps more importantly that spray foam deteriorates and pollutes the environment...PLEASE CHECK OUT INFORMATION ON PLASTIC IN OUR BODIES AND IN OUR FOODS....thank you
All the details about your process are great. A lot of things aren’t explained in detail on TH-cam like this. Thanks man!
I'm glad that it helped you. I'm going to be publishing a new video about PVC Pipes and plumbing for ponds in the next week or two as well!
I have a 45 feet stream bed that just runs and circulates ... I have some dig pools about 3 feet in some places that just circulates around. It was made with a rubber liner but it leaks year after year ... I'm doing a concrete next year would you suggest doing my concrete over my rubber liner or remove the rubber and go straight on dirt.
Very helpful video, thank you! We ripped out the 4-year old pond foam that was crumbling and absorbing water and replaced it all with the concrete mixture you recommended. It worked fantastic and looks so much more professional and we have less water use and evaporation on our pond-less waterfall. Want to know if you recommend sealing the concrete at any point?
Nice, you don't have to seal the concrete on a waterfall.
Great info on the deteriation of foam over time. UV rays really mess with this stuff, if it is exposed it will deteriorate.
Yes, I actually hate that stuff. As I have to fix leaks often due to failing foam on waterfalls.🙂
There are a few swimming pools that don’t use your EP DM plastic I think here in California I’ve seen the cheap Above ground plastic pools cheap and ugly! Or someone who digs a hole lines it with concrete then plaster is it to seal the concrete! There is no chemical affect for the people swimming in it after cure and you can make it any color you want and you can form it anyway you want! Concrete the way to go! My pond that I made for my dogs would not stand up if I had a plastic liner in there! You guys really have to up your game if you want to make high-quality ponds
Can you please recommend some good landscape (like yourself ) in Minneapolis Area ? Thanks !!
Sorry, I live in New Jersey. Don't know anyone in Minneapolis.
@jerseyshorepondscapesvideos With the Portland Cement and Sand what is the ratio you use for a pond? Home Depot Portland Cement says 1 part cement to 3 parts sand. I've seen other pond videos where they are using 1 part cement and 6 part sand. Just want to make sure the fish are safe. I would be using this to seal gaps in waterfall.
I used 14-15 shovels of sand to a half bag of Portland. (94 lb. Bag) or about 7 shovels to 1/4 bag. You can even mix a shovel or two of mortar mix in too, but not necessary.
Do you have much problems with cold freezing temperatures breaking up your concrete?
I have used concrete to set my boulders on the ledge around the pond without any problems there. My waterfalls and streams are also good, as I do not run the ponds in the winter, keeping them dry helps. as the freeze and thaw in shallow water it what causes the concrete to break up.
Over time, some of my concrete on the waterfalls may crack in the seams between the boulders, but we are talking years, and it can be fixed pretty easily. Better than the foam!!! And I would guess that the majority of the cracks are due more to a little settling of the rocks than the degrading of the concrete. It doesn't happen too often, but it can be fixed just by refilling the cracks with more concrete or hydrolic cement.
I have 4 small ponds made completely out of concrete and another much bigger also entirely made of concrete. I couldn't do otherwise since there is no stones available in my region. I Never have any problem.
Very nice. The real threat with using concrete is primarily when it is new. After some time, a lot of the harsh chemicals have leached out, and it is no longer a problem.
How much cure time for concrete in a water feature? Not concerned about strength in this particular application . . . more, just concerned about surface . . . i.e. don't want concrete to dissolve away by exposure to water too soon.
This was great, thanks !
I have a pond that has a liner .But its to deep about 7 ft.Can i pour 3 ft in the bottom to bring it up to 4ft?
I wouldn't recommend doing that. That's a lot of concrete, and probably not going to be good for the fish. I would rather see you put some large river stone boulders in the bottom followed by some smaller river stone as you build up. Just be shore to wash it off before you put it in your pond. The other option is to drain the pond, remove the rock and or gravel from one side and in the pond if you have gravel in it, and pull the liner up on one side then add fill dirt under the liner then pull the liner back in place. You may then have to cut some excess liner away, then redo your rock and gravel in and / or around the pond.
Thanks
Bad advice to use large stone and small stone to build up on top of liner. All the voids will fill with muck. I would remove the liner fill with dirt cap with sand then put your liner back in
Concrete or mortar is the way to go! I put a little bond adhesive in my mix to make it more waterproof. I tried the foam and geuss what? My waterfall leaked! People use mortar or concrete! Save yourself the headache!
Thank You. See, It's not just me!!!🙂
@@jerseyshorepondscapesvideos Not just you! I made a beautiful waterfall 5 years ago and it was watertight for about 2 years. We live in a mild climate so it is not the freeze and thaw, but the foam just pulls away from the rocks and allows leaks. Today I am repairing the entire falls with concrete. Crossing my fingers I can run it again without losing water (we are in a drought area and have to guard that water carefully!)
It's hilarious that you mention people think spray foam is going to work better than concrete and that people think cement is toxic.
I hate the spray foam! I've always used concrete, especially on my waterfalls.
Two things that annoy the crap out of me in respect to landscapers, is firstly referring to soil as dirt. It is NOT dirt, it is SOIL, It is a result of horticulture teachers and landscape construction instructors drumming it into me early on at college that dirt is dirt and soil is not dirt. And, referring to cement as concrete.
This fucking guy, I love it dude I love you dude keep doing what you do! Bitching about dirt not being called soil I love it man, you're a hero not to me but I'm sure to some people. Just keep doing what you do. About dirt and whatnot. The mistreatment of labels & what have you... you know what I'm saying.
I have tried to reach out to the aquariums to ask what they use that keeps the fish safe but they are not aware of how they have tried to ask for me.
But you guys may know what they use...
So what might they use concrete/shotcrete in the aquariums that you can even walk in to be with the crabs and fish?
My best answer, is that they build the tanks, etc. with concrete, and then seal it with a liquid rubber coating. This coating both seals the tank from leaking, but also seals out any toxic residue from the concrete. This coating makes it safe for fish. I have a video about these rubber coatings.
th-cam.com/video/VCKwGN-E3lg/w-d-xo.html
Cement, sand and gravel = concrete
Cement and sand = mortar
perhaps more importantly that spray foam deteriorates and pollutes the environment...PLEASE CHECK OUT INFORMATION ON PLASTIC IN OUR BODIES AND IN OUR FOODS....thank you
Yes, agreed. Good point! Thank you
I thought this dude was Steve Irwin
just DON'T :)