Getting ready to start digging and need some input on a bottom drain. It's going to be a pretty big pond at least 2000 gal. likely bigger. It will be built near a slope in the yard and we're thinking about making a gravity drain in the deepest part of the pond with a valve. It won't run all the time just to clean out the muck as it settles into the deepest part. Any dos and don'ts? Would love to hear of your experience with a bottom drain. What type of bulk head, valve, glue, etc? We will also have a separate shallow plant pond for filtration and a bog at the overflow which won't flow back into the pond. My mom has had great success with her plant pond keeping the water crystal clear, even more so than a bog. The plant pond will have a short drop waterfall into the main pond and any overflow will go into the bog. Has anyone put roof catch rain flow into your pond? We don't have trees over the house so the roof runoff would be debris free. Thanks for any suggestions, ideas, experiences!
Lana
Anyone with a bottom drain? Need input please.
Hi Lana,
I have a bottom drain and I'm glad I put one in. Here's a link to the thread on building our pond.
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/497510/. If you look at the posts in mid-april you will see the bottom drain design. I keep mine going all the time as it circulates water from the bottom of the pond through the skimmer box. I don't use it to drain the pond, only to keep the detritus from collecting on the bottom. So far it does an excellent job. My only wish is that I had put in a shut-off valve so that if I wanted to close it off for maintence of the skimmer box, I could. It hasn't been necessary yet, but it could be in the future.
You'll see that I made mine from Home Depot and Lowes plumbing supplies.
Pixydish
I bought a botom drain for mine. 3 inch PVC
Run it out the bottom and down the slope to drain.
Put a 3 inch PVC valve on the end.
What I should have done.
Set the thing in concrete in the bottom of the pond. Mud or something under the liner wants to cut down the opening under the drain disk lid.
Run the line also to the pump and filter box.