Go with the 45mil, no questions asked. It will last longer, and is much more resistant to puncturing. The 45mil liners will last 20 years, and can take UV
First outdoor pond started...
- Thread starter Conner
- Start date
Go with the 45mil, no questions asked. It will last longer, and is much more resistant to puncturing. The 45mil liners will last 20 years.
Skimmer looks good - life time warr. is nice.
Liner - 45 mils. would be better expecially w/turtles. You could even double up the 20 mils. in a pinch, but try to find a cheap 40 or 45 mil.
Let me know if you need any advice on the skimmer. It is pretty straight forward, but you don't want to dig to deep or wide. lay the skimmer in place and outline it. By digging to deep, or wide for that matter, you will then have to backfill and compact the soil under the skimmer. That leaves the door open for settling. The best bet is to take your time and measure a lot when you get close to the depth needed. I like to tamp the soil once I have reached the desired depth. Just use a hand tamper to make a nice flat base. If you find you need to raise it a little, go to any Menards/lowes and get a bag of limestone screenings, or sometime called paver base. It is fine limestone that compacts really well. it makes a nice base pad for the skimmer.
Liner - 45 mils. would be better expecially w/turtles. You could even double up the 20 mils. in a pinch, but try to find a cheap 40 or 45 mil.
Let me know if you need any advice on the skimmer. It is pretty straight forward, but you don't want to dig to deep or wide. lay the skimmer in place and outline it. By digging to deep, or wide for that matter, you will then have to backfill and compact the soil under the skimmer. That leaves the door open for settling. The best bet is to take your time and measure a lot when you get close to the depth needed. I like to tamp the soil once I have reached the desired depth. Just use a hand tamper to make a nice flat base. If you find you need to raise it a little, go to any Menards/lowes and get a bag of limestone screenings, or sometime called paver base. It is fine limestone that compacts really well. it makes a nice base pad for the skimmer.
Cool, I decided to go with 45mil, just to be safe. Added $140 to my total, but I don't want to have to do it over anyways later if the pond tears.
Here's the new list of what I'm getting:
45mil liner, Firestone, 20'x25' = $190 + $79.36 shipping = $269.36
20mil liner (for bog filter), 10'x12' = $24.99
3500gph Beckett Pumps, 2x $89.99 + $29.90 shipping = $209.88
4500gph Skimmer = $185.00
Total = $689.23
I also opted for a skimmer with a 9" weir vs. a 6" weir, and 700gph greater capacity. It's only $15 more, so I think its worth it.
I'm also going to be building a new deck starting in a week or two, so things are gonna be crazy around here for a bit. I'll post pics of everything I'm doing. It should look really nice once I get the pond and deck done
.
Here's the new list of what I'm getting:
45mil liner, Firestone, 20'x25' = $190 + $79.36 shipping = $269.36
20mil liner (for bog filter), 10'x12' = $24.99
3500gph Beckett Pumps, 2x $89.99 + $29.90 shipping = $209.88
4500gph Skimmer = $185.00
Total = $689.23
I also opted for a skimmer with a 9" weir vs. a 6" weir, and 700gph greater capacity. It's only $15 more, so I think its worth it.
I'm also going to be building a new deck starting in a week or two, so things are gonna be crazy around here for a bit. I'll post pics of everything I'm doing. It should look really nice once I get the pond and deck done
.I would go with 45mil everywhere. Nice find on the beckett pumps. They are usually horribly overpriced.
I looked for the 45mil for the bog filter, but its about 4 times as expensive for a similar sized piece 
. It' not going to be very large, the bottom will be completely covered with pea gravel, and the sides will be shaded by plants and a wooden top cap, so I think I'll stick with the 20mil there. If it leaks, its less of an issue than if the pond leaks.
. It' not going to be very large, the bottom will be completely covered with pea gravel, and the sides will be shaded by plants and a wooden top cap, so I think I'll stick with the 20mil there. If it leaks, its less of an issue than if the pond leaks.
Does the skimmer that comes w/the larger weir also have a larger skimmer box itself, or just the weir?
If it is bigger, thats awesome. If you need a larger pump down the road, no problem. You can add more brushes in there for mas mech./bio. The larger weir is just more effectient and run on a larger pump if need be.
If it is bigger, thats awesome. If you need a larger pump down the road, no problem. You can add more brushes in there for mas mech./bio. The larger weir is just more effectient and run on a larger pump if need be.
The second skimmer is a little bit taller than the other one, but the weir is 3" bigger, and can accommodate the larger pump if I decide to upgrade later. And since it's only $15, I figured I go with it.
Here's the link to the skimmer I plan on getting:http://cgi.ebay.com/Large-Garden-Fi...in_0?hash=item5880d05f1d&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14
It also comes with a "Pond Care Kit", which I'm guessing will be next to useless, but if its free...
Here's the link to the skimmer I plan on getting:http://cgi.ebay.com/Large-Garden-Fi...in_0?hash=item5880d05f1d&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14
It also comes with a "Pond Care Kit", which I'm guessing will be next to useless, but if its free...
Quick question, does it make more sense to go with 2x 3500gph pumps, one for the skimmer, and one feeding the bog filter, or to go with 1x slightly larger pump, say 4,000-4,500gph, that feeds from the skimmer TO the bog filter? I don't know why I didn't think of doing it that way to start, but it seems that would be a much more efficient way of running things... Or do you think it would be better to keep them separate, so that I can keep one running while I work on the other?
