Pond Boss
Posted By: fowlball Liner in the Texas Hill Country - 05/04/08 11:09 PM
I built a pond near Austin Tx. a couple of years ago and tried using clay to seal it. It still leaks some. I've sworn to never build another pond in the Texas hill county without using a liner. Now I'm wanting to build a small pond at my ranch near Junction Tx to water my deer and raise a few catfish. How difficult is it to install a liner in a small pond about 100 feet around? Do I need a pro or is this something I can handle on my own with some day laborers? Is there a qualified contractor in that area of Texas to handle this small project? How deep does the liner need to be to avoid damage from deer and hogs? Sorry, a lot of questions. Thanks
Posted By: Theo Gallus Re: Liner in the Texas Hill Country - 05/05/08 12:26 PM
Monday Bump.

We should be able to get you some good answers from liner owners, fowlball.
Posted By: Dave Davidson1 Re: Liner in the Texas Hill Country - 05/05/08 02:00 PM
I don't know anything about them but do recall that Mike Otto did a pretty good sized article in the mag on liners. I believe it has been in that past year.
Posted By: Theo Gallus Re: Liner in the Texas Hill Country - 05/05/08 03:13 PM
And Bruce just put in that small pond for his Dad with a liner.
Posted By: Eastland Re: Liner in the Texas Hill Country - 05/06/08 12:56 AM
Junction is a very dry area, if it's only 100 circular feet, you will need supplemental water, or a very deep hole. A liner could be easily damaged as the water levels recede.

My advice would be to wait until you get enough dough to bring in a dozer for a good sized 1/3rd to 1/2 acre 20ft. deep pit...it's deep enough in your area to hold water and last year round...providing the test holes produce some clay, which they should. If you have a decent runoff area, 4K will get you the catfish hole you're looking for, and keep the wildlife happy. Heck, throw in some CNBG & a few LMB too \:\)
Posted By: JHM Re: Liner in the Texas Hill Country - 05/07/08 11:44 AM
 Originally Posted By: fowlball
How deep does the liner need to be to avoid damage from deer and hogs? Sorry, a lot of questions. Thanks


We've got a 36 mil Hypalon liner in an acre pond that is 18 years old and still in great shape. I was concerned about deer hooves punching holes thru it, but hasn't been a problem. (it's empty for a month or two late winter, and again early fall)
It's fairly steep sided, and gets SLICK!

Contractor was out of Colorado, but hired locals to do installation under his supervision.
Posted By: otto Re: Liner in the Texas Hill Country - 05/07/08 02:34 PM
A few things to think about.
1 Get the pond as big or bigger that you think you will ever need
once a liner is installed you cannot make it any bigger.

2. Yes you can install the liner yourself. you will need sone help. You just need to be strong to install a liner not smart.(I CAN SAY THAT BECAUSE I DO IT )

3 A trench will need to be dug around the top of the waterline the liner folded into the trench and is covered. This trench can be 2 feet deep,and will hold the liner in place .

4 Cover the liner with a min. of 1 foot of dirt, this will hold the liner down, protect it from animals and also the sun.

5 Be carefull not to let any rocks or sticks puncture the liner from on top or the bottom. In rocky soil a felt liner to protect the plastic is cheep and worth the money.

6 Get all the water to drain into the pond at the same place and fix this place so the water will not wash the dirt off the liner. Rocks, more liner,old tin.

OTTO
Posted By: Dave Davidson1 Re: Liner in the Texas Hill Country - 05/07/08 02:51 PM
Mike, what PB issue was your liner article in?
Posted By: otto Re: Liner in the Texas Hill Country - 05/07/08 10:57 PM
Dave
Checking

OTTO
Posted By: JHM Re: Liner in the Texas Hill Country - 05/08/08 06:05 PM
They also installed some sort of gas vents around the perimeter of our 1 acre pond.
We have had problems with water coming up under the liner,when the pond is empty, sometimes 10-12" worth: sort of like walking on a REAL big water bed, mostly because we have another 1 acre pond nearby, at a slightly higher elevation,and it's a bad leaker.
But as soon as we fill the lined pond, the weight of the water takes care of the bottom bulge.
Posted By: fowlball Re: Liner in the Texas Hill Country - 05/09/08 01:49 AM
Thanks for all of your help. We're gonna start excavating this bad boy next week. I talked to the folks at Colorado Linings. I'm planning on using the pvc liner that they suggested. They quoted me 28 cents per square foot. Sounds pretty reasonable to me. Any suggestions on liner material. PVC vs. EPDM ect...? I'll post some pics of the progress. Thanks again.
Posted By: Bruce Condello Re: Liner in the Texas Hill Country - 05/09/08 01:53 AM
I use EPDM liner, 45 mil PondGuard. It is a spectacular product. Almost indestructible.

DON'T, I repeat, DON'T try to glue the seams together yourself. It is your worst nightmare. Get a roll big enough to use a single piece, or have a professional seam it for you.

PM me if you want the source I used to order it. I got it at a pretty reasonable price. About 40 cents per square foot, plus shipping.
Posted By: otto Re: Liner in the Texas Hill Country - 05/10/08 09:04 AM
You can,t go wrong with Colorado Lining.

Otto
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