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Puddled Clay ponds


Sam Missile

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Hi...

Does anyone have any experience of this sort of pond lining?

Im contemplating a pond next year...and live on solid clay, so am thinking I can save myself a fortune by 'puddling' it.

Only I havnt the faintest idea how to go about it, or how durable it would be.

Any clues or pointers?

Thanks. :)

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From Here

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If an impervious clay (i.e. not a calcareous clay or marl) can be obtained cheaply, the pond can be excavated 500mm deeper than its intended water depth and lined with 500mm of clay, which is then heavily compacted by wheeled vehicles, then thoroughly wetted and further compacted (puddled). It should not be allowed to dry out between puddling and filling the pond or wetland.

If you have everything except a way to get "wheeled vehicles" into your new pond, you can also use another trick that will work well with heavy clay. After you have dug the pond to a little deeper than you want (3-4 inches), mix some of the clay you removed with a regular concrete mix. At least 25% concrete mix and up to as much as 50% if you want. Put 3-4 inches of this over the flat part of the pond and wet it then cover with most anything so it will cure rather than dry. Finish the sides off with the same mixture but you will have to wet it first and spread it on. Possibly some wire mesh to hold it in place while it cures.

 

Big advantage of the clay/concrete over puddled clay is if you have to drain the pond for any reason. The clay will crack and leak unless you puddle again before filling. The mix won't.

 

[ 07. January 2003, 12:27 AM: Message edited by: Newt ]

" My choices in life were either to be a piano player in a whore house or a politician. And to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference!" - Harry Truman, 33rd US President

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It would also depend on how practical it would be, if you are planning a very large pond it may be practical to just have a clay lining, but you may have to look at water table and see if the area will hold water. Water will find a way out given time if the water table is much lower than your planned pond.

If the pond you are planning is a smaller 'garden pond of say 1000 - 2000 gallons then a pond liner would work out, in the long term cheaper, ie saving you time, mess & agro. A good quality PVC liner will be fine giving you a permanent water tight seal.

A concrete clay mix as suggested by Newt will be fine but you may want to think about a 1/4" render over the top using sharp sand and concrete with some stuff called Fibromix, which is small strands of glassfibre this mixed with the render will give added strength.

Then use a water proof paint over this to seal the render and stop anything nasty leaching out of the concrete.

Just a few ideas!

 

[ 07. January 2003, 12:43 PM: Message edited by: Nick South East ]

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Nick - doesn't all the significant leaching from concrete take place during the first couple of weeks after it has water on it? Especially if done in warmer weather?

 

I know that there are coverings and paints that will prevent it but I gather Sam wants to save some money and good quality paint for a pool or pond isn't cheap.

" My choices in life were either to be a piano player in a whore house or a politician. And to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference!" - Harry Truman, 33rd US President

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Sam, I seem to remember that puddling was only done where the bottom of the pond or canal was porous. Clay was taken to the site and then "puddled" to give a waterproof lining.

 

Very very successful as well.

 

So it would seem that if you already have a good bed of clay then you will not need to do anything to it.

 

Why not dig a hole and fill it up to see how long it holds water, run a comparison test in a bucket or large tank to compare evaporation rates.

 

Den

"When through the woods and forest glades I wanderAnd hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,And hear the brook, and feel the breeze;and see the waves crash on the shore,Then sings my soul..................

for all you Spodders. https://youtu.be/XYxsY-FbSic

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If you really need to puddle clay, you'll need 24+ inches, rolled or otherwise compressed into place when wet. Originally, clay-lined dams were puddled by walking cattle over them; nowadays, modern machines use vibrating plates or rollers to achieve the same effect.

 

But - as Poledark said - you don't need any of that is you simly dig into clay that holds water. You may have to fill the pond with water unless it receives surface drainage or unless you are prepared to wait for it to fill by direct rainfall.

 

I suggest you dig a couple of test holes, a yard or so square and at least 6 feet deep, and monitor what happens. Remember to mark their positions with red-and-white hazzard warning tape, and cover the holes (with old doors, corrugated iron sheets or whatever). They may awefully effective animals traps from which there is rarely any escape - I've seen dead rabbits, sheep and deer in them. They would be fatal to a child, too, and could kill an adult that fell in.

 

[ 12. January 2003, 01:15 AM: Message edited by: Bruno Broughton ]

Bruno

www.bruno-broughton.co.uk

'He who laughs, lasts'

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One night whilst locking up the garage, I passed my smaller pond. Thinking my son, had thrown something in, I continued to pick out the scrubbing brush, then I noticed it had little feet, eyes and a nose. Squirrels are common, but I never thought Hedgehogs would come so close to the house. :(

Now I have covered them both and made "likkle" ladders into the water, just incase. Frogs use the ladders too. :rolleyes:

hey waddaya know I can spell tomato !

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if you keep koi dont keep them in a pond when toads are about several nice koi were "drowned" by randy toads in my old employers pond they (the toads) will grab hold in a sexuall embrace anything that moves in the breeding season (amuse your kids by putting your hand infont of a randy toad in the mating season ,you will have a lovely toad "glove") if toads (and frogs i think) find a female with a "partner" they can get the resident to let go if they have a louder croak as koi rarely croak ( audibly) if their new friend manages to get a grip on the head it can stop the koi using its gills and it (the koi) "croaks" literally :( if for some reason the females are late or in short supply serious fighting occurs and any unfortunate females turning up are usually drowned in the orgy

as for clay lining i worked on the basingstoke canal when it was being restored ,in the sections where the water had remained the 200 year old clay was still fine on the drained section i worked on (a serious burst had drained it) it was re puddled , i thought that clay was clay it isnt the clay used was reddish in colour and VERY heavy and almost imperviose to water making the puddling very hard labour (hence the cattle) garden clay would be almost useless (unless many feet thick) as it clouds the water easily (the surface erodes quickly) the red stuff on the other hand hardly coloured the water even in the puddling process :)

 

[ 15. January 2003, 08:22 PM: Message edited by: chesters1 ]

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