Top ten tips to help you with the right pond liner you need to buy
The ultimate choice must be down to availability and price. If you have a supplier on your doorstep, or there is a price in a magazine or on the Internet from a reputable company that suits you, then go for it. The important thing is that it is suitable for the project you have in mind. Here are 10 top tips to bear in mind in your budget considerations.
A butyl liner at the end of its useful life.
1.Budget Consider the whole project; budget for all the materials you are going to use. Then consider the type of pond liner you think you can afford, but dont penny pinch on anything over 6sqmtrs. Minimum 0.5mm.
2.Familiarize yourself with what is available. See what they feel like and try to see them in the ground. Gauge opinion from other pond owners.
3.Buy off the roll unless there are any end of rolls or off-cuts that suit you.
4. To estimate the size of the liner:
length of liner = (length + (2 x depth))+10%
width of liner = (width + (2 x depth))+10%
Estimate stream liners roughly:
Length of liner =Length along the horizontal + (2 x height of the head)
Width of liner = width of widest header pool + (2 X depth)
5.Plan your pool with a dimension that plus the depth times 2, equals a standard width of liner off the rolls. EPDM generally comes in multiples of 5feet up to about 25feet (American you see), PVC and butyl in 2 metre widths up to 8metres in some places.
Flexible
liners offer you everything to the limits of your imagination. A
pool created in Somerset.
6.Dramatic indentations in the shape use up extra liner. Measure along the contour of the pool excavation just to check before you try to install it. In desperation you can gain a few inches by laying it in skew, using the extra length of the diagonal. Risky though.
7. Dont stretch it into place. I dont care how many books tell you. It needs to be tucked and folded into place. Just before you cut too much off around the top, then you can make sure it is properly fitted by filling it with water.
8. Use underlay and sand especially in gravely and stony situations. The pressure of water magically causes stones to float up through the sand and press against the liner. Very odd.
9.You also need to double the underlay for conservation projects or projects where the liner is going to be totally obscured by stone work.
10. Having considered everything, you though you might have a bash at going au naturelle clay puddling after all, or even using concrete. Well, my advice is put a liner underneath as an insurance. It will also mean that you wont have to use the proper 15cm thickness of concrete or clay as you run out funds or energy!