#Preform waterfall how to#

A small waterfall, 90cm in length and raising up 30cm above the surface of the pond will require a flow rate of about 2000lph. The higher and further a pump is expected to pump water, the more it experiences head loss, from gravity, and the flow is reduced. When pumps pump water up out of the pond we refer to it as head. Additives are also available especially for the cement to be used for building ponds, so this and a sealer will give a belt and braces approach to a fish safe concrete stream. If you are experienced in mixing concrete and mortar you could build a stream on top of that liner from rocks and cement.Īny exposed concrete or mortar should be sealed afterwards with pond sealant, the pond emptied and refilled several times to remove any traces of cement (which contains lime,) and the pH of the water tested. If you want simplicity and something you can create in an afternoon, just dress the waterfall with large stones. Once the mechanics of the waterfall are done you can think about how you would like it to look.

This way you will have a bare liner waterfall, but you can check that it's watertight and the water is of the correct flow rate and running the way it should be - back to the pond - with no leaks. Run a hose up underneath the liner, connect to a pump in the pond and turn it on. Ensure that no water escapes from the sides of the lined waterfall by raising up the edges, again with earth or stones, beneath the liner. If using a separate strip of liner, make sure that it overlaps the other liner and terminates in the pond, or better still stick it to the main pond liner with either silicone or liner repair tape sandwiched between the overlap.Ĭreate a U shape in the earth below the liner on the mound, forming a natural valley for the water to flow down, back towards the pond. By using one piece of liner you will ensure that both pond and waterfall are watertight and one self-contained system. If using a liner, you could use an oversized liner to also line what will be the wet side of the mound. If using a preformed watercourse, first run some pond hose up the slope and then place the watercourse on top of it, with the lip of the watercourse hanging over and into the pond. Dig the pond, making a large mound of earth about two feet high to one side of it. Getting startedįor a natural-looking waterfall you need the pond to be at ground level. The vessel is typically a pond, either preformed or made from a pond liner and to return the water from the high place to the pond, we typically use a preformed watercourse or a waterfall we make ourselves from liner placed at an angle on a mound of earth.

The pump goes in the bottom, pumps water up and out of the hose, and is returned to the pump in the vessel below. To do this you’ll need a vessel to hold water, a pump, and a hose. To create the most basic of waterfalls you simply need water to drop from one level to another below it. The good news is that they are easy to create - and you don’t even need a pond! The basics

#Preform waterfall how to#

Many of us would like a waterfall or watercourse of our own but are unsure how to build or install one. There are few things more pleasing than the sight and sound of running water in the garden.