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#poolpond

4 posts3 participants0 posts today

It’s already 25°C and I am dripping with sweat… but a slight modification had to be completed! Made a shelf in the main #poolpond area to hold a milk crate, which will hold one of the pumps.

I decided it was critical to have circulation from the bottom of the pool including taking water from the bottom to send to the filter. But since the main pump area is in the intake bay/skimmer I would have had to bring a pipe up and over the wall and down into pool. (The pumps must be submerged in at least 6” of water at all times)

This would be inefficient and potentially have air lock problems… so I pulled back the three layers of liner and cloth and excavated a little nook in the already semi hidden back corner.

This will have to do. :) the sun was already coming over the house. The rubber liner gets very hot 🥵. Glad it didn’t take too long.

There will be a rock or some sort of wall below and in front of the crate to further support and hide it.

Oh, and now that the liner and stuff is all back, the 🐜 ants can go back to their regularly scheduled ant-ing.
#diy #backyardpond #hot #ants #gardening #homeimprovement #portalberni

Continued thread

the plumbing for the bog/wetland filter is nearly complete.

The last item I needed was some 6" PVC pipe for a cleanout. It'll go down through the milk crate so I can send a vaccuum hose down there.

It isn't easy to find this size at stores, but a friend of a friend came through with some free cutoffs. They'll work perfectly. Probably $50 worth of pipe! I only had to buy the plug ($40).

Befriend a tradesperson! 😀

Continued thread

and then there is the backyard... lol. The hazelnut tree is doing surprisingly well considering the chaos literally at its feet. The far flower garden with the blueberries and the only rose bush we like is also doing OK especially now that I have battled back against the encroaching blackberry vines.

I didnt capture the new plum, or the rhubarb-amazon, but they're ok too.

We are starting to make real progress on the pond/pool now. The inlets for the wetland filter are in the hole and we started placing the large rocks on the bottom... the first layer.

Many yards of rock and pebble to go! Oh, and I have had to peel back some of the liner
in the pool. I've decided I need to make a landing spot for one pump to live in the back corner of the pool so it can circulate water from the bottom.

Uncovered an anthill in the process! 🐜

Continued thread

Looks like up to two pumps will fit nicely in the bin... this is good. Ill make holes in the bin for the pipes to exit one end.

The bin will be installed in the intake bay of the pond to draw/skim water from the surface.

These are skookum pumps. 💪

At full power (180W each) together they will move 40,000L/hr (666L or 175gal/min). That's almost twice the pool volume of 21,000L.

But I should not need to move that much through the bog. One pump will be dedicated to the bog filter while the other will go to both the bog and/or the sprayers in the pool.

That said, if I do need a third pump there will be room in the bin for three.

I may put one pump in the far corner of the pool itself with an inlet hose to reach the bottom of the pool to really ensure there is good circulation of the water. We'll see.

Going out for some pond building parts but had to take a break at the c̓uumaʕas river (su-u-ma-as) to watch the fishers coming in from a morning of sockeye salmon fishing. 🎣
Lots of sounds of Bald Eagles in the distance. Probably in the trees across the river looking for a fish to snatch up.

check out the pro trailer parking with the offset stalls. 😂 🅿️
#portalberni #poolpond

Welp. Was going to take advantage of the rare vacation day on a work day between the weekend and Canada Day to go buy rocks for the #poolpond but turns out the local rock/cement place is taking the day off too. Fair. 🤷‍♂️

I took the trailer for a bath at the car wash instead and got the watering done before the heat sets in today.

Maybe later I will go get some lengths of pipe. But I sense a swim in the lake. 🏊‍♂️ #today #canadaday

What are you up to today? Day off, or slaving for The Man?

Pond plumbing dilemna. Any plumbers out there?
The pond will have two strong pumps moving water through the bog filter and around the pool.

One pump will be dedicated to the filter (long black pipe).

The 2nd pump will split duty between the filter and providing water for 3 to 5 emitters in the bottom of the pool and around the edges.

The main piping is black 2” flexible pipe plus some PVC Sched40.

Plumbing Question: Should I reduce diameter once (as pictured badly lol) when branching from the mainline and then have valves for each and long runs of smaller 3/4 or 1/2" line to each sprayer.

Or keep it to 2" throughout and reduce at the outlets?

The reason to reduce is mostly cost. This is a big space, long runs. I’ll be needing a good 200-300ft of pipe

I would rather have the valve controls centralized than have them spread about where the sprayers are (obv not an option for the bottom ones anyway)

#Pond#DIY#Plumbing

#PondLife #PoolPond #Backyard #DIY #PortAlberni #Home
$CAD1100 is a lot to spend on just a couple items, but I guess in the grand scheme of making a pond/pool that will completely transform our backyard, it's not crazy. This about equals the amount spent ($1200 iirc) to rent the digger last Labour Day weekend. The liner and underlay fabric was another $3000. So we're looking at about $5500 so far for the project as a whole. Still better (including for the ecosystem!) than your average $50,000 in-ground pool install. ;=D

I realized last night that I bought the wrong pumps (DCT vs DCP argh). One of those “oh that's cheaper than I thought it would be” moments... followed by... “oh crap.”

I'll send the previous pumps back immediately upon arrival.

It's ok though, these will be two 20,000L/h variable pumps. The entire pond/pool system should be no more than 23,000L. My biggest rookie mistake with the #pandemicpond in the front yard was too small a pump. I rectified that when I added the bog filters there.

So I'm overbuilding this time. I should be able to run them at low-speed/power for the same amount of flow. Which will be better for pump longevity and power over time.

Also got main piping for the system: 50ft of 2" flexible PVC (Schedule 40). This will move water from the intake bay (behind the tree) to the bog filter (in front of the tree) and connect to smaller diameter piping/valves/fittings for sprayers in the pool.

This should be the end of the big-ticket items. The rest will be a LOT of little stuff: electrical, piping, and a lot of rock. Probably another $1000-$1500 to go, all should be local, and some of it can be put off until next year if needed.

It took a few tries on the Bezos Site, but I managed to find a supplier within Canada to avoid tariffs on any of it because Tariff-flation is definitely a thing! (American .com store essentially doubled the cost!)

So ya, you can hashtag this #tariffs #TariffLife #TheAmericanFascist and #TrumpTariffs

Another step in the #PoolPond today. Bought the 2 pumps. They are high-efficiency, DC variable speed/power up to 15000L/hr (4000gal/hr) and 105W.

One will be to take water from the pond to the bog filter, and one will do double duty going to the bog filter or to sprayers/jets inside the pond (both decorative and for circulation)

I might get a 3rd pump in time if I find the extra capacity is needed.
#DIY #PondLife #PortAlberni #Pool #Pond #Natural

amazon.ca/dp/B0CLB7SJ4Q?psc=1&

www.amazon.caAmazon.ca

🌎 Earth Day Accomplishment 🌎
Here is our new Plum Tree. ("Early Italian Plum" variety)

I had actually forgot yesterday that it was Earth Day today. So while I was a little disappointed I didn't get this done yesterday, it turned into a nice memorable Earth Day addition.

Love planting trees. It's like planting hope every time. :)

It is mounded for now because that will be the height of the yard once I move more of PondPool Mountain around. 😂
#backyard #poolpond #earthday #fruit #tree

Continued thread

The day is done. Made a reasonable dent in the mountain. Raised the level of about half of the driveway. Tomorrow I will measure the fabric for the car tracks and put down another 2 loads of dirt to bring it to the edge of the tracks.

Then we'll need to wait until a weekday when I am home to go get sand, gravel, and top soil.

Maybe Ill go to the stone shop next week and grab the flagstones for the path. 🤔

Lots to do!

Then we will move to the backyard again and start on plumbing for the poolpond!