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My site happens to have a very gradual slope. Instead of an earth dam, is it possible to build a glass dam such as in this video?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1T69gVg7au8

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That's not a dam. It's a wall of a large tank. I don't think what you are proposing would be practical in an outdoor setting. If you made it work, you would need to set the glass panel in a silicone bed in a concrete wall. The glass would constantly be covered with dirt and algae. If the pond froze, the glass would probably break. Any vandal with a big rock could drain your pond.

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I agree with John, it can totally be done! But risky! And a pain to keep clean.


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Robert, I think it can be done. What is your budget for the project?

It's not glass, large tanks and walls like that are made from clear plastic, and a rock won't break it. Think of bullet proof "glass", which is really plastic.

You will have to clean the inside frequently due to algae build up on the viewing surface.


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Can something like this be done for $5K? If building a regular 700 sqft lined pond, I was going to do it myself and only spend $ on materials. I can still do most of this except the glass part, depending on how this might be set up.

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Originally Posted By: John F
That's not a dam. It's a wall of a large tank. I don't think what you are proposing would be practical in an outdoor setting. If you made it work, you would need to set the glass panel in a silicone bed in a concrete wall. The glass would constantly be covered with dirt and algae. If the pond froze, the glass would probably break. Any vandal with a big rock could drain your pond.


Yes the glass in the video is not a dam, but in my situation it can function as a dam, because I do need to build up something on the lower end.

YOu gave me an inspiration... I'm thinking if I can make the pond come up to the house, and have the glass be part of my house wall... That way I can view from inside the house and the glass/plastic would be protected...

I will be building an accessory dwelling unit later, so I could incorporate the two projects together.

Last edited by RobertFisher; 06/12/17 11:44 AM.
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Originally Posted By: RobertFisher
Originally Posted By: John F
That's not a dam. It's a wall of a large tank. I don't think what you are proposing would be practical in an outdoor setting. If you made it work, you would need to set the glass panel in a silicone bed in a concrete wall. The glass would constantly be covered with dirt and algae. If the pond froze, the glass would probably break. Any vandal with a big rock could drain your pond.


Yes the glass in the video is not a dam, but in my situation it can function as a dam, because I do need to build up something on the lower end.

YOu gave me an inspiration... I'm thinking if I can make the pond come up to the house, and have the glass be part of my house wall... That way I can view from inside the house and the glass/plastic would be protected...

I will be building an accessory dwelling unit later, so I could incorporate the two projects together.


My buddy's swimming pool did that. There was two large viewing windows in his basement that let you view the pool. Very cool and the basement was quite cool too.


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If I had a glass or plastic wall holding back a large amount of water even in my basement, I bet my insurance company would balk at covering my house.

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From an engineering perspective the volume of water held in a pond would apply an enormous force at the base of the glass.

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I think force only depends on depth of the water, not volume. The top few feet of water in a large reservoir exerts relatively little force on the dam. If he only glasses off the top two or three feet, not much force is involved. That's why extremely deep ponds need a thicker clay liner than shallower ones; the most pressure is at the bottom.

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That's true if the water is calm. If it's moving, it's like the difference between atmospheric pressure and wind.

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I have thought of this many times for our garden pond, and I don't see why not. The problem is sourcing the plastic or glass, which is going to be expensive. If you can position it facing north out of the direct sunshine, it will be easier to maintain.

The hard part is sealing it against expansion and contraction.

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I am thinking one step further in the direction of crazy... Is it possible to have the pond extend further inside the house? Then I can fish from my living room.....

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Originally Posted By: RobertFisher
I am thinking one step further in the direction of crazy... Is it possible to have the pond extend further inside the house? Then I can fish from my living room.....


If you can be self insured.

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Originally Posted By: John F
I think force only depends on depth of the water, not volume. The top few feet of water in a large reservoir exerts relatively little force on the dam. If he only glasses off the top two or three feet, not much force is involved. That's why extremely deep ponds need a thicker clay liner than shallower ones; the most pressure is at the bottom.


I wonder how thick this "glass" is?

I've seen it and it's impressive!!!!!

Monterey Bay Kelp Forest Aquarium


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Originally Posted By: esshup
Originally Posted By: John F
I think force only depends on depth of the water, not volume. The top few feet of water in a large reservoir exerts relatively little force on the dam. If he only glasses off the top two or three feet, not much force is involved. That's why extremely deep ponds need a thicker clay liner than shallower ones; the most pressure is at the bottom.


I wonder how thick this "glass" is?

I've seen it and it's impressive!!!!!

Monterey Bay Kelp Forest Aquarium


did some quick research... monterey aquariums acrylic wall is 7.5 inches thick, to support water pressure at 16' depth. san diego plastics inc sells 4"x4'x8' acrylic sheet for $8437 each! not cheap...

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Originally Posted By: RobertFisher
Originally Posted By: esshup
Originally Posted By: John F
I think force only depends on depth of the water, not volume. The top few feet of water in a large reservoir exerts relatively little force on the dam. If he only glasses off the top two or three feet, not much force is involved. That's why extremely deep ponds need a thicker clay liner than shallower ones; the most pressure is at the bottom.


I wonder how thick this "glass" is?

I've seen it and it's impressive!!!!!

Monterey Bay Kelp Forest Aquarium


did some quick research... monterey aquariums acrylic wall is 7.5 inches thick, to support water pressure at 16' depth. san diego plastics inc sells 4"x4'x8' acrylic sheet for $8437 each! not cheap...


That's why I was asking about the budget. You would probably need less thickness, but the knowledge of how to install it and the manpower that would be needed to install it would be beyond most homeowners capability. So, you'd have to hire a pro that was well versed in making large fish tanks.


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google custom aquariums or diy aquariums will more likely bring back descent results. most likely you should look to various companies that can make what you want. but the price is going to skyrocket.

you might also try
window site:koiphen.com

there be a few folks there that i know did a DIY windows on there koi / goldfish ponds. there should be some build threads on some of the ponds.

==========
if tank was ever put in public area (such as a business) the glass/acrylic or what ever it is made of, wil sky rocket again in cost due to thickness it will require. someone going up to it and tapping it, leaning against it, etc...

some of the materials out there can scratch more easily from cleaning pads or like to remove algae growth on them.

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Originally Posted By: John F
I think force only depends on depth of the water, not volume. The top few feet of water in a large reservoir exerts relatively little force on the dam. If he only glasses off the top two or three feet, not much force is involved. That's why extremely deep ponds need a thicker clay liner than shallower ones; the most pressure is at the bottom.


You're correct! My bad.

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Wow, that sounds like a really great project. A viewing window into a pond from your man cave. Sitting there with a few friends sipping on some adult beverages, watching your local sports team on the big screen TV. All your fishes gathering on the other side looking in at you. What's not to like? Hey, was that your brother-in-law that just swam past... with a speargun in hand? LOL, what could possibly go wrong?

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If just a "viewing window", one inch acrylic would work great. The force on the the glass if fairly low and depends on head pressure (just under .5psi per foot of water)

Last edited by Rainman; 06/15/17 10:06 PM.


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I have evaluated this further -- an outside pond that abutts the house with a sealed glass panel on the house wall is pretty straight forward, with a) sealing the glass and b) joining the liner with the wall being the most critical tasks.

Pond extending into the house can be a lot trickier. In addition to the above:
-- there will be an opening to get into the house, by either animal (such as a beaver), insects, or human. What problem can this have?
-- air pressure change may cause water level to change but there should be plenty of air holes around the house.
-- How does this affect house insulation?

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Likely extending under the house or above any finished part of the house would make it uninsurable. Mold and humidity would be abundant. Snakes, frogs, etc could get in. Anything that can crawl into and out of the water could and would get inside.

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How do those homeowners with high water towers deal with earthquake? I am in quake prone California so wondering how a mass of water will behave in an earthquake.

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Not to mention the skeeters! You would have to have a special sealed viewing room to keep stuff from getting into the rest of the house. You would probably be better off with a porch or deck off of the house over the pond.

Note a local fancy hotel (Woodcliff) has an indoor/outdoor pool which at the interface has a plexiglass divider that is from the ceiling down to just below the water surface so the indoors can be conditioned while the outside is, well, the outside. No critters to worry about, and the outside of the pool is fenced to keep the casual human invader out.

Last edited by liquidsquid; 06/20/17 04:05 PM.

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