Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Help leaky standpipe in existing pond dam

i have a leaky standpipe in an old existing pond. the pipe runs through a man made dam. on the dam side the ground is wet and it is obviously seeping through. what do i do? who can help. looking for experience with this situation. HELP!

My first thought was to sit down and cry.

Second thought is to fill it with concrete and count on run around for dam safety. Tell us more about the overall structure including size, where you are etc.

might be able to fill with bentonite as well..might be easier to manage than concrete if doing by yerself.

hi sigmund,

I wasnt quite clear from your description where you found wet ground. More details would be helpful. Pictures if you have them.

Step one - determine "where" on the pipe the leak is coming from. Is the whole thing bad or just one spot?

BTW, I can tell you how to turn a "honey, we just need to fix the leaky standpipe" into a $30K complete rennovation!

Gator

my pond is approx. 1.5 acres it is an old steel pipe with a valve and a stand pipe, both very rusty. water is puddled around the valve. the valve is half buried in mud/water and ground down hill in this location is also very wet. pond is on a recently aquired piece of property just northeast of houston texas. thanks for all the responces hoping to find a solution....hopefully not a $30k one.

Sigmund - I there an easy way to shut off or cap the intake so that you can inspect the (leaky?) valve?

Gator

cannot see any intake opond side. i plan on carefully digging out the half buried valve and pumping out water so o can better inspect the valve and possibly the rate of leak but i have never messed with anything like this before. i do know there must be a lot of pressure behind that thing. sigmund

sigmund,

Looking for the leak as you described seems the next step to me too.

Does your design look like this?
http://www.ponddampiping.com/asys1.html

However, If the pipe is damaged inside of the valve - draining is the only way (I know of) to make repairs. Lots of smart folks here on this board, maybe they can pitch in too.

Pictures usually help.

Gator

hey gator thanks for all the responces, and yes this is the same design as seen at pond dam piping. only diff. is i have only 1 standpipe. they say use pvc mine is oooooold rusty steel. if i do end up draining would i just pour cement into the pipe or what? do i attemt to use the valve to drain and or facilitate the uptake of cement or bentonite as some1 else posted as a idea?

sigmund,

Now that is a great question!

It depends, is the answer.

I feel the "dig it out" vs. "cement it and leave it" is a complicated question based on a lot of factors; economic, design requirements, personal preference...ect.

Ask yourself these questions (there are others): do you desire to totally eliminate the pipe? Does your pond need a drain - if so what design do you prefer? Do you have a spillway? How much you are willing to spend? All of these are questions you need to think through. In short you can successfully plug it or remove it - the choice is up to you.

I do not have experience with bentonite.

My personal opinion (this plus 50 cents will get you a newspaper): If the pipe has one bad spot in it - it may have others. I believe in fixing things once, so I would dig it up and replace it or totally remove it and go with a different design...just my opinion. There are plenty of folks on this board who have drain pipes and do not have issues.

I took this route with my leaky stand pipe. I removed it and replaced it with a spillway and siphon system. If I had to do it all again I would remove all pipes and simply use the spillway. I do not have a need to drain my lake on a regular basis.

Gator

I would dig up the pipe only if it leaks enough to lose alot of water. If it is a small seepage I would let it go until it must be dug up and replaced. Do you have any history on the pipe? Is the leak the same or has it gotten worse? You can email or call me directly at my office mon thru fri 8 to 12 940.665.2258 or mikeotto@ottosdirtservice.com

Had the same problem until last week. I have a single stand pipe that runs through the dam and empties into the pasture behind the pond. I had a steady stream of water coming from the leaky pipe. We are currently in the middle of a 50 year drought and my pond is as low as I have ever seen it so I thought this would be the perfect time to fix the pipe. I looked out the window last week and my pipe was GONE!! I guess the lack of water to support the pipe coupled with plenty of rust did it in. This is good and bad. Bad because until I fix the pipe my pond will have hardly any water. Good in that it is now short enough to be able to work on.

Question:
I am planning on running 6 inch PVC through the pipe in the dam, putting on a 90 and then running the 6 inch PVC up as a stand pipe. I am going to fill in the gaps with concrete and cover the whole seam with a rubber pond liner.

Does anyone know of a good ruber cement or some type of adhesive that I can glue the pond liner to the existing pipe and pvc to make a good seal? I need something that can stand to be under water continuously but not affect the fish.

Thanks!

Scott - how big is the existing stand pipe?

I believe it is 8 inch diameter and is probably 20 feet long going through the dam. I am not sure how tall it was. I need to go out there and see how much is left.