This is a quick guide to help you isolate the cause of your low water level.

Pond leaks – how to find your pond leak. You are probably here because you have a leaking pond, read on to discover how to find and fix that leak. The good news is that once you find a leak in a flexible pond liner it is usually repairable.

Super quick leak detection guide:

• 1. Fill pond to top.

• 2. Turn off external components:

If level in pond stays stable then leak is in external components – Assess and locate, repair or resolve.

If level goes down, then the leak is in the pond – wait for level to stabilise, drain 2″, locate leak, clean and repair.

• 3. Repeat.

Full guide to locating a pond leak:

Pond leak causes:

Over our time working in ponds we have seen a multitude of different causes for pond leaks from escaped cows to crossbow bolts.
The commonality between all the causes is the water loss issue they create. If you have been constantly topping up your pond, dancing for rain or praying for a deluge this guide may help you to get to the bottom of your pond leak and set you on a path the level waters.

Evaporation:

A pond can lose a noticeable volume to evaporation. This action increases with warmth and wind. If it is good conditions to dry your washing then it is good conditions for evaporation. Try leaving a bowl of water next to your pond to highlight this action.
Moving water will also increase evaporation. A longer duration, thinner sheet or finer spray will increase the action.
Porous stone around a pond, shallower water and less shade will also increase this loss.
If loss is variable, seasonal or very slow consider evaporation as a possible culprit.

Short cuts to leak detection:

If your leak has developed or worsened suddenly does it coincide with an event or action. For example gardening by the pond or near pipe runs, a tree or branch fell near the pond,  someone got in and cut the plants back (all have been past causes of leaks). Have a think before you start and it may give you a short cut to a solution.

The process:

This is a step process we follow or ask our clients to follow to help isolate where a leak is located within the pond system.

For the purpose of this article we will imagine a leak on a pond with a fountain, external filter system and waterfall. This allows us to cover several possibilities.

First we must narrow the search to internal – pond related leak or external – waterfall, filter, fountain or plumbing related leak.
Before we begin please make sure any automatic top up systems are turned off or disconnected to get a true reading.
A leak anywhere in a watergarden system will show at the lowest point where a pump is located, this is because this is the static or storage area. With this in mind if you have a series of linked ponds all must be checked separately to assess which one is losing water.

Stage 1: Internal or external?

The pond level drops – go to stage 3.
No pond level drop – go to stage 2.
1.1 Turn off all external components.
Turn off waterfalls and external filters, and external and internal features so that no water is leaving the pond.
1.2 Top up the pond to maximum level and mark that level.
1.3 Take time to wait and observe for a drop in the pond level.

Turn on all external components at once and let it run for up to 24hrs or until water loss is apparent.
If no water loss occurs move directly to Stage 3. If water loss does occur continue on with Stage 2.

Stage 2: External leak suspected.

2.1 Waterfall – Run just this component for 24hrs or until water loss is observed.
Common causes of leaks in a waterfall include:

• A low edge.
• A blocked flow causing overtoping/escape.
• Wicking or syphoning to adjacent soil or via membranes or overlapped liners/liner folds.
• A holed liner or cracked cement or fiberglass depending on the material used.

Keep in mind that if your pond is full when a waterfall is turned off the water from the falls will overtop the pond causing a subsequent loss when the waterfall is replenished via the pump.

2.2 Filter system – Run just this component for 24hrs or until water loss is observed.
Common causes of water loss from a filter system include:

• A blown or damaged hose or pipe.
• A poorly glued or secured fitting or connection.
• An off level box causing over-topping.
• An overly dirty filter box causing over-topping.
• A leaking seal, gasket or o-ring.
• A return pipe that has dislocated or moved away from the pond edge.

2.3 Run just water features, fountains and spitters for 24hrs or until water loss is apparent.

Common causes of water loss from a water feature, fountain, spitter or  other feature within the pond include:

• Wind blowing spray out of the pond area.
• A partially blocked fountain head  diverting flow out of the pond.
• A tipped over fountain or angled jet shooting water out of the pond area.

2.4 Common causes for water loss from external components when no other cause is apparent:

• Buried plumbing has been ruptured by subsidence.
• Buried pipe damaged by digging, animal action or other works.

If no loss is found from any external components being run, move to Stage 3.

Stage 3: Pond leak suspected.

keep external components turned off. You may need to add aeration whilst undertaking these tests.

3.1 Fill the pond to its top level and wait 24hrs, if the level drops we know we have a leak within the pond.

3.2 Let the level continue to drop until it stabilises. This is the level to check for a leak.

3.3 If there is still water in the pond then pump out 2″ and check around the pond side at 2″ above water height. Look for shadows and check in and behind any folds, under rocks and behind plants etc.

If the water level stabilises close to the top of the pond:

Have a walk around the pond and check for soft or wet patches which might indicate water loss from a high level hole or a compromised/low edge. Wicking to surrounding ground via soil, vegetation or a membrane. Or syphoning/capillary action via a liner overlap or fold.

3.4 Repair the leak – once located, clean and dry the area and use mastic tape, cover tape or a repair patch as appropriate to resolve the issue.

3.5 Repeat – always repeat! This locate and repair procedure will show you the lowest point of a leak. Repeat to process to check if there are other holes at higher levels in the pond. Repeat the process and repair if required.

Common causes of leaks in a pond:

There are so many possible causes of leaks in a pond. A few common ones include:

• Plants in the pond; Reedmace also known as Bullrush is a classic example.
• Plants around the pond; Bamboo is a likely culprit or tree roots.
• Fallen trees or limbs. Also shrub or tree pruning.
• Animal action; domestic animals or wildlife accessing the pond. Burrowing animals, heron, rat or other animal action.
• Human action; gardening around ponds and pipes, during maintenance activities, dropping something in to the pond.

Common locations for a leak within a pond:

Shelves, access areas and penetrations unless there is an obvious area of damage.

Keep in mind your pond may have multiple leak issues so repeat the process if you still have an issue after a repair.

If a leak is too severe or a liner has  perished and failed, we offer a relining service.
If you feel its time to enhance your garden with a one of a kind pond, waterfall and/or water feature please contact us and we would be happy to assist.