Has anyone had experience lining a pond with carpet? I heard about using carpet with cheap poly sheeting (what you usually buy if you were going to paint around the house). You lay down the carpet, then the poly and the another layer of carpet. The bottom layer protects the poly from puctures and the top layer of carpet keeps the sun from breaking down the poly. I would like to build a pond, but can't afford the rubber liner most people use. I would like to hear from anyone that has tried this before I do it. Can you imagine hauling the wet carpet out if it begins to leak? thank you.

-- Ann Lynn (sarah0724@excite.com), May 23, 2000

Answers

Ann Lynn,

Hi. Is this pond for water for animals to drink? Or koi or something? I wonder about the chemicals in the carpet...glue to hold it to the backing, or? I don't know much about this subject at all, but I am glad you asked. I am considering re-doing our small dirt bottomed pond. I thought about the pond liners, but I question their use for the reason stated previously. I don't know where to start. I have a lot of rocks (from fist sized to melon sized) and wondered if I couldn't do something with them...???

I look forward to answers on this one, too. Thanks!

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), May 24, 2000.

I understand some carpets are even impregnated with insecticide. Arose as a subject here because some people were using them as a weed- proof base for commercial no-dig organic vegetable growing, then turned out the unlucky ones had poisoned the land (the insecticides were high-residual too) for several years.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), May 24, 2000.

I've heard of people using carpet too, but carpets have LOTS of chemicals in 'em. I even knew one person who got sick (headaches and naseua) from the fumes a new carpet was giving off! I wouldn't use carpet for a pond liner, no matter how tempting and thrifty it sounds. But that's just my opinion.

My wife and I are planning to some year build a koi pond out in the front, and making it the focal point of a flower and herd garden. I'm thinking about looking for a liner from an above ground pool, and using that. Or the other idea I had was to salvage a fiberglass hot tub or something similar, bury it, and line it with rocks. And the hot tub even has a drain built into it that I could use for the pump intake (hopefully one of those solar jobs)...

-- Eric in TN (ems@nac.net), May 24, 2000.

We have 2 ponds. One lined, one earth bottom. I like the earth bottom one better. The lining is a pain in the butt. If it rains really hard the ground water gets under the lining and bubbles it up. If we have a lack of water the pond water level goes down and the lining shows. I would skip the lining altogether if you can, and dig a deep earth bottom pond. It doesn't work if you are in a area that isn't mostly clay though.

-- Peggy Adkins (adkinsonthefarm@hotmail.com), May 24, 2000.

I've never heard of the carpet idea before but I wouldn't do it myself for reasons already mentioned. A variation of it that might work as well is prepare the bottom of the pond and remove protrusions and rake it smooth. Then a layer of sand, evenly distributed for puncture prevention. Next your poly and finally another layer of sand over the poly.

I don't know how big your pond is but another option is a type of clay called bentonite. You get it in bags. Spread it over the pond bottom and till it in. When wet it becomes gelatinous and impermeable to water.

-- john leake (natlivent@pcpros.net), May 24, 2000.

I live in Northeast TX and the soil here is extremely varied. Someplaces have the blackland soils so good for farming, others have sugar sand, sandy loam or clay. If people here have sandy soil, which obviously won't hold water very well, they haul in clay by the truck load. It is then spread evenly over the bottom of the pond and packed. I think the standard depth of clay is 6". Sometimes it is packed with machinery, but people used to pack it with hogs. They just fenced off the pond area and put in the hogs during the dry season, with their water container down in the bottom of the pond. The hogs stomp, roll, and otherwise pack the clay down into a remarkably hard, smooth surface that leaks very little. You might consider it.

-- Green (ratdogs10@yahoo.com), May 24, 2000.

Since I am so extremely allergic I can't have even new carpet in my house (because of the chemicals and stuff) I would think a lot before using it in a pond if I was planning to let animals drink out of it or raise fish that I planned to eat....I'm not an expert on any of this but these are just my thoughts...Some rubber liners might have chemicals too....Isn't there somebody out there with info on the "old fashioned" way of building ponds?????

-- Suzy in 'Bama (slgt@yahoo.com), May 24, 2000.

We'll be digging our pond this summer (to use the dirt to build up the ground where the house is going in). But we have that clay here. I would use the bentonite, not carpet. You could contaminate your water supply for a long time. I'm not sure WHAT they're doing and adding to these newer carpets, but I'd try something like bentonite, it shouldn't hurt anyone.

-- Louise Whitley (whitley@terraworld.net), May 24, 2000.

Wow, great idea! Old used carpet , the chemicals have been warn away from ware, use, cleaning, (some of the chem's are probibly inside us, thats why were ill). I say go for it!! tHEN NEXT SEASON, follow up with how it worked.

-- Dan Urban (lyndadan@cyberhighway.net), May 24, 2000.

I'm no expert on ponds but we are building up a library of "homesteading" books. "The Home Water Supply. How to find it,filter it and conserve it" by Stu Campbell.(Storey Books) is a mine of information on creating ponds. Well worth reading for those who are planning something on a fairly large scale.

Pauline

-- Pauline Adderley (tworoosters_farm@AltaVista.com), May 24, 2000.

Check out this forum: www.gardenweb.com/forms/ponds

This is a good forum to ask questions about ponds, liners (hard plastic vs. liner), roofing liner vs aquatic liner, rocks in the pond vs no rocks, algae bloom, etc. etc. etc.

-- Jim (jfarmer00@hotmail.com), May 25, 2000.

I was talking to a buddy/neighbor today. He was telling me there is some stuff in a pelletized form that you just throw in the pond, trying to distribute it easily. I swells up and forms a water- impermeable seal. I suspect its some kind of bentonite product.

-- john leake (natlivent@pcpros.net), May 25, 2000.

Hi there,

I have two ponds. My soil is sandy loam so earthpond was not an option. The first pond has the foam for under the carpeting under the liner. It worked well. The liner looks unsightly now with wrinkles and algea but the pond itself is healthy. I have been fooling with a homemade skimmer and decided to move it. The second pond is lined with newspaper. I used roofing rubber, covering the liner with assorted rocks and pebbles to make it look natural (make sure you leave levels or shelves for the rocks to rest on) This pond is small and greets people by my front door. It looks absolutely fabulous! I am thinking of redoing my first pond with rocks and pebbles but it will be a complicated job without those shelves.

I had put some poly down under stone for a patio. After time, the poly deteriorated. Even if it seems cheap, it will not be worth it in the long run. Without a good liner and adequate filter, you will only have a stagnet mess. Good Luck

PS. I like that idea of pigs. They can dig better then we sometimes. I was thinking of using them to "weed" my riding ring.

-- D Tur (gdgtur@goes.com), May 26, 2000.

i'm in dfw area. have two ponds each about 1 ac. that leak. called a guy that does it for a living. qoute was $12,000. to seal off the entire tank... not just the toe of dam, which is typically culprit. he was utilizing a pelletized bentonite product that he buys in west texas and throws when tank is full for best results. says the water pressure hold the clay in place. am trying to find bentonite in 50# or larger bags... 48,000# if anyone knows. i decided to do it myself with used equiptment... i figured his deal out... and if succesful then put three oldest children in the business ( $12,000. FOR TWO DAYS AND 40,000 EQUIPTMENT !!!!) FOR THE SUMMER. write here if anyone who read can tell me where to find bentonite. thanks

-- jeff siegel (jisiegel@txis.net), March 24, 2002.