Here Are Some Facts and Benefits for Using EPDM Pond liner

Here Are Some Facts and Benefits for Using EPDM Pond liner.  At Pond H2o, we have a bevy of pond liners you can purchase to keep your water garden pristine and healthy.  Today, however, we will be specifically assessing the effectiveness of EPDM pond liner, an option that offers both high quality and flexibility.

It provides versatility

A koi pond under construction by Biofilter tech via Wikimedia Commons.

Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM) pond liners are also known as one of the more flexible pond liners on the market. In other words, they can be used to form sizes and shapes at your discretion.  Typically, one sheet of EPDM rubber will be sufficient enough to meet the needs of your average pond. However, this will depend on your pond’s size. If yours is on the larger side, you can use multiple liners.

Easy Installation

Another of the benefits for using EPDM pond liner and a testament to pond liners, especially with the EPDM variation, is its simple installation. You don’t have to be a professional to install this pond liner. Although it should be noted that you will need butyl tape and top quality pond adhesive, like PondH2o’s product Gold Label sealant, to make sure the seams are waterproofed.

The quality is ensured

Seaming a EPDM pond liner by Aquascape Ponds via YouTube.

There are other flexible pond liners that have trouble holding up over the course of time. However, EPDM liners provide your water garden koi fish pond with longevity—enabling you to save money in the long run. 

For example, if you opt for a low-grade plastic or vinyl pond liner, there’s a higher chance it will eventually develop cuts and tears. Another variation known as PVC liners—typically found in above ground swimming pools —tend to be susceptible to punctures, too. PVC Pond Liners have a great starting price point and are easy to install, but can dry out in the sunlight.  With EPDM liners, however, the material is much more resilient and longer lasting. 

Practicality

And there’s a practical reason for this. EPDM liners were originally made for flat roofs so that they can be more water resistant over time. However, once this liner became popularized and buyers made aware of its sturdy material, EPDM liners soon became one of the most widely used pond liners in the U.S.

After installation, you can be assured these are qualified for your pond and are fish friendly. And while there is no perfectly impervious pond liner on the market, this will provide you with much more resiliency and flexibility than the average.

It is important to note that since EPDM liners are made from high quality materials, they tend to be more expensive than its competitors. Although as the old adage goes, ‘you get what you pay for,’ and this is certainly the case with this variant. 

In the long run, you will be much less likely to replace this with other liners. In addition, an EPDM pond liner will withstand  harsh, colder climates, too. 

As far as upkeep, the most salient matter is to make sure your EPDM pond liner is consistently obfuscated from sunlight. Otherwise, the strength of the lining material can weaken over time.

Buy our fish pond liners designed to fit every budget today to get started, including from our EPDM, LDPE, and other pond liners.

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Spring Cleaning a Water Garden Koi Fish Pond

Like any spring cleaning project cleaning your water garden koi fish pond or water feature is going to be messy, but so worth it in the end.  The best time to do the cleanout and opening of your pond or water feature is in early spring before your water temperature reaches 55° Fahrenheit (12° Celsius).  After all of the frosts are gone but before the weather is too warm, most especially before any spawn enter the water.  Doing a proper cleaning of your pond at this time ensures that algae blooms will not take over your pond and keep the water clear though the summer months.

Pond Spring Cleaning Supplies Needed

• Long Arm Pond Gloves
• Fine Mesh Skimming net
• Containers for fish and plants
• Extra pond filter and pond pump parts, including new filter media, UV Bulbs
• Pond Vacuum or collection bucket for the waste
• Old clothes and shoes
• Water Clarifier, Beneficial Bacteria, declorinators, water test kits, plant fertilizer, Barley Straw

Simple Spring Cleaning Check List

1. Remove as much debris as possible. Trim/deadhead your plants, flowers or grass to remove dead growth, divide plants and repot if needed.  PondH2o has great pond forceps and pond scissors to help cut back pond plants. Replace and repair any broken pond plant baskets.
2. Remove the pond fish by putting them in a holding tank with some of your pond water.  Our Koi transfer kits are great.
3. Use your pond pump or a clean out pump to empty about half of the water out of the pond. It is always better to leave half the water in the pond because it contains the beneficial bacteria necessary for clear pond water.  Not all pond bacteria are bad.
4. Use a pond scrubbing brush to clean any rocks or décor items within the pond water.
5. Using a fine mesh Pond Skimming Net, remove the pond sludge and pond muck from the bottom of the pond. A pond vacuum is great, but not needed for smaller ponds and sometimes can vacuum the gravel off of the bottom.  If using a pond vacuum a quick tip is to use the nozzle upside down (facing the water not the bottom of the pond) so that just the silt will be removed, not your gravel. Place the pond muck and small debris in buckets or garbage bags.  This is great for a compost pile.
6. Now that your water is clean it’s time to look at the mechanical parts of the pond. Your pond filters and pumps.  Ensure that there are no particles in the pump that would block the impeller. For the pond filter, it would be a great time to clean or replace the filter media.  Replace your UV bulb if your unit contains the UV clarifier, cleaning the quartz tube to ensure that the unit is effective.
7. Check all of your hoses and fittings. If it was a cold winter you may have some splits in your pond hose tubing.  Make any repairs or replace the hosing, even a small leak will reduce the water level in your pond and eventually get worse.  Ensure that water features or pond lights are all working with no wiring issues.
8. Start to refill the pond with fresh water. Once the water garden koi fish pond is filled, test the water, add any necessary chemicals such as a spring prep of Beneficial Bacteria per guidelines and place the fish back in the pond.
9. Add fertilizer to any plants. Pond Plant fertilizer comes in the form of plant tabs placed in the soil or a liquid fertilizer.
10. Check the pH levels to ensure that your fish and plants are going to thrive. A good pH range is between 7 and 8.

Now that you are done spring cleaning your water garden koi fish pond it’s time to enjoy it.  Now sit, relax and watch your pond come back to life with spring blooms and the relaxing sound of the water flowing.  PondH2o carries all of the necessary products for your pond spring clean out and start up.

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Get Your Pond Ready For Fall

With the passing of the seasons your pond transitions throughout, blooming pond plants and active fish in the summer and warmer months need tidying up and its time to get your pond ready for fall.

As air temperatures begin to drop, so do pond water temperatures. During this temperature change, the needs of pond fish are altering as well. It is very important to protect the fish from their changing surroundings including falling debris, pine needles and decaying leaves. Protect your water garden ponds with quality pond cover nets.

In most parts of the United States it’s best to leave fish in the pond during the winter, providing the depth of the pond is adequate (18˝ or deeper) and there is little or no water circulation. 

To get your pond ready for the fall perform these simple easy tasks:

1.  Cut back all pond plants that are starting die off, this will help stop the plants material decaying in the pond. Our pond maintenance pack is perfect.
2.  Add a bacteria like Spring & Fall to help break down sludge and other debris and adds beneficial bacteria.
3.  Place a protection pond cover netting across the pond to stop leaves from entering the pond.
4.  Depending on where you are located you may need to stop the pump and filter if fitted. If so take the pump out of the pond and blow air through all pipes so any freezing does not cause expanding issues with UV quartz sleeves etc.
5.  Add a Ice Preventor, can be a electrical pond heater or  a floating device, this stops the pond surface from totally freezing and maintains gas exchange
6.  Add a thermometer so you know when to stop feeding when water lowers to 50 degrees

Choosing a Location for your Pond

Choosing a location for your pond takes some careful consideration. Read our tips below to make sure you pick the perfect place in your garden.

1. Install your pond on level ground with good drainage.
2. Plan the most direct line possible between the house and pond if you will be needing electrical wiring for pond pumps or filters for example.
3. Contact your local municipality to determine if a permit is required.
4. Make sure the site isn’t directly over any underground pipes, cables, wires, sprinklers or septic systems!
5. Being near an outdoor faucet so you can add water to the pond from a garden hose would be very helpful.
6. The more sunlight the pond gets each day, the more choices of water plants you have. If adding fish to your pond, a balance of sun with some shade during the hottest part of the day is best. Try adding water lilies or lotus pads, reeds, shrubs and grasses as additional shade options.
7. Avoid choosing a location for your pond near large trees or in open windy areas. Falling leaves and needles contaminate the water and collect on the bottom of the pond.

You’ll find many products for your pond within our online pond supply store. Read more on our blog on How to Dig a Pond https://www.pondh2o.com/2019/07/03/how-to-dig-a-pond/ and Installing a Pond Liner https://www.pondh2o.com/2019/07/03/installing-pond-liner/.

Call 811 from anywhere in the country a few days prior to digging, and your call will be routed to your local one call center. Tell the operator where you’re planning to dig . Your affected local utility companies will be notified about your intent to dig and will send locators to your dig site to mark the approximate location of buried lines with flags or paint.