Aquatopia Posted April 6, 2006 Report Share Posted April 6, 2006 Day 5. Not much to see today. They have started replacing the verandah deck and staining the pergola. Thats a lovely sofa Caryl - you could turn it into a swing to finish the project off ! :-? Just kidding - am enjoying reading this thread - makes me want to move and get a big garden (for the swimming pool and pond and waterfall and kennels......). Cant wait till its all done. Keep up the good work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquatopia Posted April 6, 2006 Report Share Posted April 6, 2006 I'd like to build a concrete pond in our courtyard. But the wifey says, "There's not enough room!" Build it anyway and prove her wrong Ira :lol: and she will love you for it when she sees the masterpiece... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted April 6, 2006 Report Share Posted April 6, 2006 Build it anyway and prove her wrong Ira :lol: and she will love you for it when she sees the masterpiece... Come out to the courtyard and see the new po*SPLASH*....Oh...Guess you were right, there isn't enough room. :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted April 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2006 Well it is now dark but as the sun set the water level was still the same as it had been at lunchtime, which is a good sign 8) Here is our new lawn after they resowed the bare bits... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderstorm Posted April 6, 2006 Report Share Posted April 6, 2006 thats very cool giving me ideas lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted April 6, 2006 Report Share Posted April 6, 2006 Wont the fence that local govt require make it look wrong now Caryl. Or is that the "I didn't know anything about that" basket. Looks kewl tho Caryl, and look at all that lawn that will save you having to climb that hill each day mowing it. Can you find out what they used finally Caryl to repair,seal, the pond and actually how they did it?? Alan 104 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted April 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2006 It does not require fencing as it is not a swimming pool. We checked with the council before we started. It was a pond sealer they use for concrete water tanks Alan and didn't have a name on it. They put the slurry over the surface and this had some sort of sealant in it as well. They then brushed the pond sealer on in two coats with several days in between to dry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquatopia Posted April 6, 2006 Report Share Posted April 6, 2006 Come out to the courtyard and see the new po*SPLASH*....Oh...Guess you were right, there isn't enough room. :bounce: Lol - she should be happy - you made her a plunge pool !!! :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted April 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2006 Well got up this morning to welcome heavy rain. Pond level has dropped about 6cm if that. Not sure if it is still very very slowly leaking all over or just at the top edge where it joins the rocks. Hard to tell with the rain. Will have to wait a few days to see. So I think we will just get a sniffle out of the poor landscaper today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted April 7, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2006 Water level hasn't dropped any further so I suspect it is just a bit around the top somewhere. Will have to decide what to do next if so... 1. add more rocks to cover bits of plaster above water line 2. Grow plants in a way to cover bits showing 3. Figure out where the leak is and seal it further. I think I prefer option 1 as it is easiest but will wait and see if it stabilises at this level then see what the landscapers suggest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted April 7, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2006 Another day and level seems to be holding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billaney Posted April 7, 2006 Report Share Posted April 7, 2006 Sounds good Caryl, I can't wait to see it finished Awesome ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted April 8, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2006 Hmmm think level might be dropping very very slowly. Not too bad as we could top it up once a week. The fish would appreciate that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted April 8, 2006 Report Share Posted April 8, 2006 Fill a two litre bottle with sand.. then push a stick into it and mark it off in gradients. Place this at the deepest point of the pool and watch the progress over a day or so. You may find that small leaks will seal over time with the waste floating around. Looking good Caryl Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted April 8, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2006 You sneaky boy. I will try that but we are sure it is very slowly still dropping and Grant thought it would seal more once a bit of junk had settled too. Level isn't low enough yet to work out if it is just an adge leak or all over. You asked about the trees earlier. There is one large silk tree overhanging and it does not have a root system that will cause problems. The leaves, when they drop, are very fine so should not clog the filter or make too much mess. Because of the prevailing winds (and anyone who has been here knows we get strong ones here) most of the leaves will be blown away from the pond anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquatopia Posted April 8, 2006 Report Share Posted April 8, 2006 Hmmm think level might be dropping very very slowly. Not too bad as we could top it up once a week. The fish would appreciate that. auto top-up ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquatopia Posted April 8, 2006 Report Share Posted April 8, 2006 Fill a two litre bottle with sand.. then push a stick into it and mark it off in gradients. Place this at the deepest point of the pool and watch the progress over a day or so. You may find that small leaks will seal over time with the waste floating around. Looking good Caryl Bill. Now its experience like that which make this site invaluable. This has been a brilliant thread. Caryl - can i come up for tea and see it when its finished ? Anything to get out of Christchurch for a while.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted April 8, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2006 You would be most welcome POMEREEF. I didn't have to do as Pegasus suggested as I could lean out from the end deck and hold an old broom handle at arms length to have it in the deepest part of the pond Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted April 8, 2006 Report Share Posted April 8, 2006 Oh Caryl...your yard is BEAUTIFUL Can't wait to see the fishies in the lake :lol: can i come up for tea and see it when its finished I thought we could have a BBQ when ready... :evil: shoot, forgot I live on the other side of the world Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted April 9, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2006 Over the past 24 hours the level has dropped 1.5cm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted April 9, 2006 Report Share Posted April 9, 2006 Hmmm...I'm wondering how much of that is from evaporation. Probably not much. Only way I can think of to check for sure is take a bucket full of water and put it next to the pond. The bucket should have the same drop in water level from evaporation as the pond. Then you can at least tell the landscapers you checked that before complaining that it's still leaking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted April 9, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2006 I doubt it evaporates that fast at this time of year. Besides, it also rained overnight (1.0mm) :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted April 9, 2006 Report Share Posted April 9, 2006 We've had 6mm of rain today(I think it must be more than that)...And 80! lightning strikes since noon. That's within 25 km of Upper Hutt. On the 6-7 minute drive down the hill on the way to work this evening I counted 23. All looked to be very close around the Upper Hutt area. A couple times I couldn't say a thing while driving down the motorway. Counted a total of 42 on my trip to work. And yet, it's bone dry in Wellington. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted April 9, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2006 Landscapers are back today. They think the leak is around one of the pylons so are re-doing it (pouring Emulsifier 93, I think they called it, down there too) plus lifting all the rockwork around the edge and coating the sealant higher underneath. Pond holds approximately 6,600 litres (when it isn't leaking) apparently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wok Posted April 10, 2006 Report Share Posted April 10, 2006 tried to spot caryls Lake when i flew over this morning but couldn;t see anything as a cloud was blocking my view. saw lake grassmere though :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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