Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Soil questions Pond holding water...success notes

About 24 gallons an acre for DB-200; possibly 2x's the amount for DB-100 per treatment. Two treatments, applied a month or two apart, are better than 1. One problem that limits how much you can apply, is that DB-100 (liquid) can glob together and roll to the low point of your pond bottom. Doug recommends mixing it no richer than a 1000 to 1. With that in mind, seems you could rototill into or cover a DB-200 layer(dry) with some clay. Then you could get away with applying more.

(Edit 7/21) Doug recommended 6 gal of DB-200 for 1/4ac pond with my level of leakage and sandy soil. He also thought that DB-200 was 2x's more potent than DB-100.

I thought the db-100 was applied at approximately 4 gallons per acre depending on the leak severity.

I think everyone is getting different answers on the amount to be used. I was told 6 gallons would be more than enough on 3/4 acre?? I would say the more you apply the better the results as long as you don't put your fish in danger.

I bet you're right belkins456. The label says 4 gallons per acre but also includes the statement (varies with severity of leakage). Probably best to go with what the pond doctors recommends.

users of db100 and db200 any real success stories yet? i am pondering several approaches to trying to fix my leaking dam--dam is steep on pond side but i think i would do best by tying my fix into the 2' red clay we lined bottom with last year--now thinking of waiting till water falls or draining down below edge of red clay liner--then after it drys enough rototill db200 and bentonite(s.kitty/etc) mixture into the wall of the dam to tie it into the clay bottom--and continue that up wall of the dam to the level of the siphon. i really hate to think about recoring 1/2 the dam.

I may not be able to confirm a DB-100 success or failure until I get some much needed rain. Water level is about 1 ft low. Once the water level rises again, I will see if the pond still holds. Good thing is that I'm no longer seeing any seepage on the toe of the dam.

hello all, I am new to the forum and really glad to havve found this thread. We have a new property and it has about a 1 acre pond that filled this past winter in spring. once it essentially quit raining in mid june, we began to see it go down about 6 or more inches per week. it is down about 4 feet in just over a month. about 150 feet below then dam are wet spots with ponding water. our pond is definitely leaking. i am hoping to call the place and order db100 monday. i will speak to them and take their advice on how much and whether to do it now or wait. but i am open to input here. the portion of the bank that held the 4 feet we have lost is accessible and i wonder if you would apply the db100 to it as well as the water surface. i appreciate the info on using a trash pump. all input is a help. many thanks.

Welcome FarmerRick.

If you're treating the dirt/pond bank then I think you will need the DB-200. Check with the Pond Doctors...they can confirm. If you do end up using the DB-100 then a trash pump is the way to go. Good luck with it and keep us posted.

FarmerRick
Welcome abord. This is the best place on the computer.
Most of the questions about leaking ponds land here and we are always looking for people's experiance. Keep us posted.

FarmerRick- There is nothing more frustrating than watching your pond water run right back into the earth! 4 ft a month is a nice leak! I would probably use the DB-200 (which is much easier to apply and can be compacted)on any areas that are exposed and you can get to. Then spray several applications of DB-100 directly into the water and onto banks. The dam always seems to be the culprit of most leaks...kind of makes me glad I don't have one! My pond was leaking more than an inch a day before 2 applications and it has slowed down to less than 1 inch per week now so it's definately made a difference. One thing I can tell you is I strongy believe results will vary with the DB-100 product. The product is a polymer that depends on organic matter, grass clippings, basically anything floating that It can bond together and force to the pond bottom. My pond had a particulary large amount of organics suspended in it therefore I had optimum results. If you don't have anything for product to work with and had easy access to bentonite, pot ash, manure? whatever ...I would definately use that along with the polymer. One last thing it's sort of a pain to apply. You'll have to first buy a trash pump if you don't have one and then rig suction hose to become an eductor to draw DB-100 as it's spraying. It's also very slimy and a mess if you aren't VERY careful. Just wanted you to know all of that up front. Good luck and keep us posted!

otto-- i talked with doug of pond doctors--he says if can work dry----- the db-200 is best as it takes less (or is more effective)---"so sauty" says he got the same info from doug---db-200 is $244/gal and a gal is 42lbs--- it takes 150lbs per acre-- will have to research how much bentonite required-- they recommend compact it--on steep slope i can't figure how to do that without draining pond---i may try to rototill the clay and db200 into my existing soil--
in weedeating around pond there is wetness along 2/3 of the dam on the back and on the opposite side there are willow looking trees on a 30 yard area across from dam/siphon--i suppose i may be looking at a spring there that adds water when water table up and drains it when the water table drops if so i may have to put 2 or 3 ft of clay and compact that?? i'm scared that i may not be able to stop a spring like that as i'm at the bottom of a large hillside--i had to dig out my drive and put rip rap and drain pipe--so i could finish construction on my house due to an underground spring running under the road and turning it to mush. no way for concrete trucks, building supply trucks to get in unless i fixed road which i did (extra 2 grand for digging/gravel/rip rap/drain pipe)
--i'm sure learning as i go but no way to predict some stuff like this until it's too late. thanks for phone info--i'll keep pond boss and you updated on what i try and how successful it is.

otto--of all products i have looked at including kitty litter from walmart--the db100 and 200 are by far the cheapest--some places sell basically the same product for twice the price. i am almost spent out on pond right now--i will gamble another 2 to 3 grand but will stop after that and focus on other things. so i am hoping my research and choice of what remedy to pursue will be the right one. i lost my fist stocking of fish--i hate to think of losing this stocking too. thanks again.

I appreciate the welcome guys. Couple things i left out or misled. My pond is over 40 yrs old. It on a mountain, and there are exposed rock surface in the basin that are 4-5 feet across. my feeling is that it leaks at the rocks. Also my water is extremely clear (can see bottom from 4 feet deep). so do you think i should supplement the db100 with a material that will coagulate with it? again thanks for the help!

jlodestro, please tell where you got the solar pump. And please tell what kind of pipe of hose you use with it?

Would those of you who have used the pond doctors product, please update us on the progress of your leak-fixing? i am headed to see Doug and pick up DB-100 tomorrow. he has suggested 6 gallons for my 1 acre pond along with 1500 lbs of bentonite. my pond is very clear and the bentonite is for the polymer to coagulate with. he suggests that i spread the bentonite on the exposed (by receding water) bank and in the pond, and use db100 for both bank and in the water. i will also be looking at his pond aerator while there and if it looks good, i will purchase it. i have a lot of hope for this new found DB-100 to at least slow down our leak.

I've been away for a little while. Weren't the guys at Pond Doctors about to release a new product that looked promising? Anybody know the status? Thanks

FarmerRick

please keep us posted what your learn.

I went and met Doug at Pond Drs this morning. Nice guy. He said the new product is still in testing. I got the DB100 because i have fish and he said i could not let the DB200 get in the water or it would hurt my fish it it were used. I purchased his aerator also as it will help stir up the bentonite while working with the DB100. Plus it makes sense to aerate water that i am trying to grow fish in. I will be applying the 6 gallons of DB100 and 1500 lbs of bentonite to my pond and its banks this weekend. i hope i will at least slow my incessant leak and i hope it will rain enough for me to get a good feeling in the next month or 2. IF the wx is like last year, it will be next spring before i will really know.

otto and farmer rick--i am about to undergo a similar experiment--i have water/now wetness behind my dam--my pond is down 6ft from full in jan.--the spring feeding it (i run it thru a 6" pipe to shallow end of pond--so this spring doesn't factor in the pond leak) my water stopped flowing 1st week in july--have already packed 2 ft red clay in bottom----i have flagged rear of dam as to wet areas---i will dig 7 to 8 test holes on back side of dam to see if i can better find area of leak--that said --i will probably do 2/3 of the dam as follows--dig a shelf wide enough for mini-trac hoe (not sure what you call them--once shelf is dug and can run trac hoe along dam (on water side) we plan on digging app. 3 ft below pond bottom and making a new mini-core 1 1/2 to 2 ft wide with red clay from upper part of my property. i plan on mixing in db-200 along with the clay as it goes in the trench/hole--may try to spray it with garden hose and tamp it in as we go(not sure on that yet). as a finish touch i will try and mix some db-200 +kitty litter/bentonite with the soil between existing red clay liner and new "mini-core". hopefully i will not kill my fish as they have been well fed for awhile now. otto--will keep updating this as i go and as soon as can determine success or failure of this i will post that also. thanks

ga pond rookie, u are sure very industrious. But out of curiosity, have you tried the DB100 in the water and on the banks?

DB-200 August 1st initial report:

background; 1st week of July, at 3' pond would drop 2.25" day, applied 500lbs bentonite, 750lbs lime dust/gravel, 80lbs salt, & 6gal DB-200; no compaction done

July 25-29th; pond level at 6', day1 drop = 3" day2 = 2.75" day3 = 2.75" day4 = 2.5" 11" in 4 days

I'm unwilling to draw any conclusions as to DB-200's ability to form a pond seal other than it won't perform a fast miracle. My .2ac hole is generally sandy with the rock bed just 8" under a sandy (slight clay) layer. There are no signs of any moisture behind the dam or in the vicinity. The water visibility doubled from 24" to 48". There's been an explosion of gambusia minnows.
I attribute day1 leakage to 'wicking up water into dry soil.' Day2, 3, & 4 leakage was what I'd expect from added hydro pressure from the increased water level. Hope to apply 6gal DB-100 before returning to my present residental state CA (in just a few days). In conclusion, 4 ton bentonite may be called for, rather than 1/4 ton for my situation.

May return to AL pond and review in October. Due to a lack of time and $$ resources, I may just throw another 1,000lbs bentonite (or kitty litter) along with some DB-100, and pump more water into it this fall.

The neighbors 1/2ac pond, just 75yds over has the same soil/rock situation. After 5 years, theirs holds water OK, it's down 4' this summer (been very dry), so mine might seal to some acceptable level in the future. I believe having water in the pond is necessary, yet am realistic that that may not be sufficient.

(*My trip back to this AL pond has been postponed until Thanksgiving!)

SoSauty- Sorry you aren't having much luck with DB-200 so far. Like i said I think results will greatly vary depending on soil type and organic load in pond. I'm just curious how are you missing all this rain?? You said this summer has been very dry? In Kentucky we've had over 8 inches of rain in JULY and only one day that broke 90 degrees. One of the best summers on record. it rained 2.5 inches here just last night! My pond came up almost a foot! Now i'm just hoping it stays! Hope that pond seals off for you soon. Thanks for update.

Yep, uncanny, Huntsville 70 miles west, has gotten 7" rain this July. 7/30 Thurs. night, I'd refer to online doppler radar, then go out on the porch to watch the storms roll in. The rain would roll up along the Tennessee Valley and to the west. My pond is a dozen miles to the east of the TnV. June rainfall 1.67"; July thru the 30th 2.03". Day after day, I'd watch the creek slow and the pond level refuse to rise though 6gpm was pumping in. 7/31 today it did rain 'bout 1". The pond came up an inch in spite of no water being pumped and the water is cloudy 12" visability. This should give the DB-100 I plan to apply 8/3 something to adhere with. The creek went from gpm to cfs

(8/1 edit remark) Thanks Belkins for sharing your rain! I don't know how much it rained, yet my pond rose 4" today!!
3 little bull(frogs) can just be seen close to the bank
(8/4 drat, stupid stunt, killed water pump impeller, ran it dry; will have to add DB-100 in Oct)

(*My trip back to AL pond has been postponed until Thanksgiving!)

Boys
Always ready to hear the feed back on seeping ponds.

As of yet I have not found the the quick, cheap solution, but still looking and all the feed back helps.

Thanks

farmer rick and otto--not overly industrious i just don't want to throw nickels at a quarter problem. also i built this pond as a view on the backside of my house and house is now complete but pond continues to be problematic and mud hole isn't an attractive back yard. so while i am looking for an inexpensive solution i also would love for the next "fix" i try to be successful. the lining of the pond bottom cured some of the problem but i think it exposed the problem of the dam core not being done well. will keep everyone posted on my attemted fix although like the rest of folks here i will probably need till jan/feb or perhaps even beyond to see if what i try works. i chose to try db200 as they told me was twice as effective as 100 and i plan on working dry. should this fail or not work real well i may spray some of the dam with the db100 but hopefully that will not be necessary. time will tell. i keep checking here to see success stories on the db200 and 100 but am seeing incomplete or minimal success posted.