Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Pond leak

I have a 2,500 gallon pond with water lilies and 50 small gold fish. There is a 25ft by 2ft. stream with a small waterfall on the top and bottom. The original property was flat and the falls was put on a built up hill with a 3 ft slope.
I have been loosing 2-3 inches of water a day ONLY when the stream pump is on and running otherwise the pond only loses 1/4 inch. I see no water or moisture around the perimeter of the falls. Is there a way to check the pipe, parts of the falls for leaks without tearing the whole thing up????? Thanks

Mary, your upper portion most likely has a liner, either rubber or plastic. I'm sure the liner is broken. It is possible you could have that much evaporation also if you have very low humidity.

A plumber can pressure test the pipes without removal. Poking holes in the hill with a thin sharp rod will help find wet spots, but be VERY careful of buried liners, pipes and electric supplies.

Thanks so much for the info.
Regarding evaporation. The temperature here has been 100 degrees plus and the air is extremely dry. What kind of evaporation can you expect with a falls and a pond with these conditions.
Also, when the pump is off and the falls is not running. The water lose for the pond alone is 1/4-1/2 inch. But when I put the pump on and the falls is running the water loss changes to 2 plus inches for the same period of time. Can the evaporation from a fall and stream bed be that much given the heat and dryness.
Thanks again for your help.

PS your strategies for looking for a leak are very helpful.
Mary

Mary, you sound like similar conditions as Phoenix or Las Vegas. Rumor has it that when you water the lawn in those conditions, none hits the ground. Hope that answers your question. Keep the hose handy. I lose a lot more when my aerator is going, but the need for O2 in very hot water tips the scale to keep it running.

Thanks! Yes we are semi desertic and hot. Little grows here without irrigation...
Tomorrow I will do some guided investigation for possible leaks as mentioned in the other post. But I'm beginning to realize there may not be a leak at all.
There's always more to learn!!! Thanks for sharing your wealth of knowledge. Mary
Please do not hesitate to add any other information that comes to your mind.

Hi All,
Today I did a further investigation for a leak in the pond with a friend. Nothing showed up. I figure that the loss of water was due to evaporation as you suggested.
Thanks, Keep up the good work!
Mary

Mary, thanks for the update. It's good to hear that you won't have to go thru any costly repairs or renovations.

Mary,
The water falls and stream are breaking up each gallon of water and increasing it's surface area. The increased surface area accelerates the water evaporation.

This is how commercial cooling towers work for large air conditioning systems. They pump the condenser water to the top of a tower where it is distributed using spray nozzles or a large plate with holes in it. This spreads the water out and it cascades down over "fill' material that used to be made of wood, but is now made of PVC plastic. This further increases the surface area of each droplet of water and aids in the evaporation rate. This evaporation causes adiabatic cooling of the remaining water in the system. Every pound of water that evaporates takes 970 BTU's of heat with it.

Absolutely nothing to do with your question, but might give some insight into where the water is going! LOL

Hopefully this is all there is to it and things return to normal soon!