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Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 97 Likes: 1
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Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 97 Likes: 1 |
Dave Davidson, I'd be willing to help just to observe and learn how it's done. I'm thinking Soilfloc is in my future. I'm retired so I am available most any time. Dave Goyne
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 8,800 Likes: 69
Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent Lunker
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OP
Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent Lunker
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 8,800 Likes: 69 |
Feel free to reach out anytime I am here to help anyone in need or answer questions. I have 4 projects pending right now and if they don't post results I'll keep everyone apprised. So far we're 28/30 with the two misses coming on coarse grind crosslink polymer and issues were resolved, but still not counting them as successful to remain objective. And, in the spirit of full disclosure, we're all still unsure how long the seal will last. Might be indefinite, might vary, we're still watching daily. Thankfully most guys are checking in with me often to report any issues - appreciate your feedback Jeff.
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau
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Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 1,094 Likes: 1
Lunker
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Lunker
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 1,094 Likes: 1 |
TJ-you mentioned you are not sure how long it could last. i would like to add that the wet place behind my dam (literally a swamp with reeds and cat tails growing) is still bone dry. the area was so heavily vegetated it was hard for me to tell exactly how big the area was, but i would guess somewhere around 800 sq ft or more of standing water. the standing water was gone in less than a week. i have since been able to go in the area with my tractor and skid steer and clean it up. i just looked back thru my notes and see that i sealed it about the end of july. my pond has stayed full this winter with all of the rain we had. i do have more soil floc that i am going to apply soon. i was still losing some water after the first treatment but not in a noticeable area like the place behind the dam. let's all keep reporting results.
Scott Hanners
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 8,800 Likes: 69
Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent Lunker
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Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent Lunker
Joined: Jan 2008
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Thanks Scott, every report is more science for us to share. How about some BG pics...been a while, you're doing some great work down there. Need to share your success with us!
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 16,090 Likes: 285
Moderator Lunker
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Moderator Lunker
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 16,090 Likes: 285 |
dg84s, timing seems to be crucial due to wind, etc. What I don't know is where the bottom of the dam is. I found some pics of the dam when it was built and finished but how it relates at the now full pool is going to be a question. Since the dam was not cored, my most obvious problem it that it is leaking under the dam. That is what I'm trying to fix and will ignore the rest. I'm sure that I'm losing some water due to wicking along the sides but that is to be expected.
I've also been contacted by another member who wants to come along. Al Hall also hopes he can make it.
Joshua Flowers, a Pro who posts here is coming and his help/ideas will be invaluable. Actually he will be bossing the whole thing and filming it.
At this time, I have no idea how to schedule, in advance, for application on a day without wind.
Last edited by Dave Davidson1; 03/03/16 07:13 AM.
It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.
Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.
Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
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Joined: May 2013
Posts: 2,907 Likes: 148
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Joined: May 2013
Posts: 2,907 Likes: 148 |
DD1, Wind isn't a terrible issue if you are treating the dam. You just have to be sure the wind is blowing towards the dam base ![smile smile](/images/graemlins/default/smile.gif) When I used the boat and hand spreader technique, I needed to coat the bottom of my whole pond evenly and even a slight breeze would take the floating portion and make one swath (about 4' wide swaths of product floating on top) merge slowly into the next swath and then the next swath. Some of it sinks pretty quickly some stays floating and sinks more slowly. If you had light winds going toward the dam and you purposely started say in a boat in the middle or at least on the 1/3 of the pond closest to the dam and started applying at a distance and worked towards the base of the dam you would have overlapping swaths with wind helping to push more and more towards the dam base. Apply even swaths towards the shore at the base of dam, do the shoreline extra heavy, then maybe go back in the middle and do another series of overlapping passes towards the base of the dam again. You would most likely have a great application then. Have others applied to base of dam that can give their advice or experience?
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Joined: May 2014
Posts: 148 Likes: 1
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Joined: May 2014
Posts: 148 Likes: 1 |
I am continuing to watch this, I am afraid my leak is bad enough it would not work in my situation. I am loosing about 1.25 inches per day at full pool. It drops to a certain level and stabilizes. All the leaks everybody is working with is much much less. It is tough for me to find good clay around here to have it lined.
Thanks Dave 1 acre pond.
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 28,670 Likes: 887
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent ![](images/stars.gif) Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent ![](images/stars.gif) Lunker
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 28,670 Likes: 887 |
TJ, didn't you say that they used this material to seal ponds that were used in the oil industry? How long have some of those ponds remained sealed?
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 8,800 Likes: 69
Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent Lunker
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OP
Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent Lunker
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 8,800 Likes: 69 |
I am continuing to watch this, I am afraid my leak is bad enough it would not work in my situation. I am loosing about 1.25 inches per day at full pool. It drops to a certain level and stabilizes. All the leaks everybody is working with is much much less. It is tough for me to find good clay around here to have it lined. My test post was losing about 12" weekly - worked in that scenario, and the average loss from guys with whom I've worked are around 1"+ daily. Feel free to reach out anytime to chat, here to help in any way I can.
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 8,800 Likes: 69
Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent Lunker
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OP
Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent Lunker
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 8,800 Likes: 69 |
TJ, didn't you say that they used this material to seal ponds that were used in the oil industry? How long have some of those ponds remained sealed? Yes, I was told they sealed slag pits which were gravel. I was not there to witness it...that's why I don't offer it as evidence if you get my meaning. Always try to emphasize the unknowns and under promise and hopefully over deliver since this is my Pond Boss family and all.
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau
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Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 2,429 Likes: 20
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Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 2,429 Likes: 20 |
It rained a little here early this morning. After it quit, I noticed the air was dead calm. I took my remaining 43 pounds of Soilfloc and 50 pounds of fine grained Bentonite to the pond. I carefully applied the Soilfloc around the dam a quarter cup of A, quarter cup of B, until I had evenly applied all of it around the base of the dam. Just as I was finishing, a slight, variable breeze came up. Then I hand scattered the 50 pounds of Bentonite over the floating slurry of Soilfloc to help it sink as instructed by Ms Sandra of Aquaben Corp. After I finished with the Bentonite, a stronger breeze of maybe 10-12 mph came up out of the NW and eventually blew much of the floating slurry mixture to the SE corner of the pond. I am hoping enough of it sunk to do some good before this happened. I am hoping for a wind direction change before it all sinks in one place. So, YMMV.
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 28,670 Likes: 887
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent ![](images/stars.gif) Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent ![](images/stars.gif) Lunker
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 28,670 Likes: 887 |
TJ, didn't you say that they used this material to seal ponds that were used in the oil industry? How long have some of those ponds remained sealed? Yes, I was told they sealed slag pits which were gravel. I was not there to witness it...that's why I don't offer it as evidence if you get my meaning. Always try to emphasize the unknowns and under promise and hopefully over deliver since this is my Pond Boss family and all. FWIW, I have beach sand here down to 11', a thin layer of clay, then another 10' of beach sand. When I dig the small production ponds here I will be incorporating SoilFloc into the sand that is in the pond basin before I add any water to seal them.
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Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 97 Likes: 1
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Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 97 Likes: 1 |
DD1, March and April are not good months for wind-free Texas days. If you're just going to treat a swath across the dam, is your plan to apply Soilfloc from the shore on foot or by boat? If by boat, a couple of guys on opposing shores with long ropes should be able to gradually pull you across the area you want to treat. I'm out of town until 3/14 but willing to help when I return. Let me know. Dave Goyne (l.goyne@sbcglobal.net)
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 16,090 Likes: 285
Moderator Lunker
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Moderator Lunker
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 16,090 Likes: 285 |
We will be using boats. I'm thinking the toe of the dam is about 25 ft from the dam. I can see where it is coming out at the back. I have 1 unit of SoilFloc, the 2 bags, and think that should handle the leak if we hit it right.
It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.
Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.
Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
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Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,054 Likes: 12
Lunker
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Lunker
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,054 Likes: 12 |
DD, your situation sounds much like mine. And I was very happy with the results.
Just a Pond Boss 'sponge'
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 2,187 Likes: 29
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 2,187 Likes: 29 |
I have a feeling things will hold pretty well in the case of poorly-compacted soils. One thing I have seen here is ponds that fill up really fast after excavation tend to be "seepy". It is like the soil in the dam never gets a chance to settle, and then the slowly flowing water suspends the particles as it flows through.
Stop the flow, remove the water from between the particles, and the dam can settle better.
For me, being able to mow and clean up the backside of the dam will be a huge plus. I spent last fall nuking willows and pulling unwanted trees by hand. It would be nice just to mow the darned thing and keep the cattails off of it.
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 8,800 Likes: 69
Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent Lunker
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OP
Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent Lunker
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 8,800 Likes: 69 |
I hear you on the willow and cattail nuking, we get to add cottonwoods to the list, their tap root grows fast and deep. I try to pull everything I can, but sometimes have to resort to glyphosate.
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau
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Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 1,911 Likes: 116
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Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 1,911 Likes: 116 |
Just curious. Has anyone done a video of an application. I must have missed it if it's in an earlier post. I'll be applying it from a small rowboat. I guess throwing a cup of each. Then maybe throwing a cup of bentonite. I'd like to see an effective throwing technique before I go throw hundreds of dollars around the pond. I'm going to stretch a rope across the pond, go straight across, then move the rope by 5' or so and repeat. After reading John's post, about it all blowing into one end of the pond, I am going to wait until I have absolutely no wind. I think the evening would be best, then it has all night to settle, "if the wind stays down."
I think I'm going to wait until after the YP spawn. I don't think they will have any ribbons along the dam, where I'll apply the soilfloc, but I'm not taking any chances.
9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep. RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these. I think that's about all I should put in my little pond. Otter attack in 2023
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Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 2,429 Likes: 20
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Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 2,429 Likes: 20 |
After going back and looking yesterday, it appears the Bentonite did cause most of the Soilfloc to settle where I needed it, but I did have some residue blow into one corner, which caused a heavier application there than intended. I definitely recommend the Bentonite. I used a quarter cup measure and flung out part A, then part B, then went back and flung handfuls of Bentonite over the slowly sinking slurry. I am pumping more water in today to see how it holds. I Think my leaks are mostly under the dam due to old roots through the old part of the dam and poor compaction in the new part.
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Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 1,911 Likes: 116
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Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 1,911 Likes: 116 |
Hope it holds better! Good luck!
9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep. RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these. I think that's about all I should put in my little pond. Otter attack in 2023
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 8,800 Likes: 69
Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent Lunker
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OP
Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent Lunker
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 8,800 Likes: 69 |
7 new projects launching soon, I will keep everyone apprised of the results - everyone waiting for water temps to rise and some break in the Spring winds.
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau
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Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,054 Likes: 12
Lunker
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Lunker
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,054 Likes: 12 |
Joe seems to be having great luck with his SoilFloc down here TJ. Not sure if you have talked to him yet but I ran into him the other day and discussed it a bit. He is going about it quite a bit differently. He is just adding it along the edge as he raises the water. He stopped adding water when he got it to 9' deep. After 2 weeks he only lost about an inch of water, which was most likely evaporation. I'm not sure how much he was losing before, but it was astronomical amounts. His quote 'I wish I'd have known about this before refilling this pond several times'.
Just a Pond Boss 'sponge'
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Joined: May 2013
Posts: 2,907 Likes: 148
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Joined: May 2013
Posts: 2,907 Likes: 148 |
After warm weather the last 2 days the pond ice is receding. I can see about 2 feet of my shore line now. I can see the water level and can see that over winter I probably did lose closer to a foot of water over the past 4-5 months. That much easily could be a very slow leak plus some evaporation. Very happy with how my first application went since I did it in mid September and had immediate results the first winter.
Even if I have a slow seep somewhere, that is fine with me since now in the spring I have a little room for the topping off effect of heavy spring rains.
TJ, how warm is 'warm enough' in the water to do my spring reapplication? I don't want to wait till May but also don't want to apply to frigid water when it doesn't work well either... Probably have just about 1 unit left to reapply to the whole pond.
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Joined: May 2013
Posts: 2,907 Likes: 148
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Joined: May 2013
Posts: 2,907 Likes: 148 |
DD1, any updates on your application?
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Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 2,429 Likes: 20
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Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 2,429 Likes: 20 |
The consultant at Aquaben, Sandra, told me that Soilfloc can be used effectively at any water temperature as long as there is no ice near the application site.
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