Pond leak

[ewright]

Hi,

We are new to the pond thing, and came home today to see that 6" of our pond has
leaked.  (the liner is probably at least 3-5 years old)

Does anyone have any advice as to how to find the leak?  Is it feasible to fix a pond leak?  Alternatively, what company would be able to help us out quickly?

Thanks
Leesa

[woodendude]

You might want to PM pondboy.
http://ovas.ca/index.php?action=profile;u=2466

[CrazyFish]

I had a leak in my pond last year and it was fairly easy to find.  I just filled it back up and looked for the wet patch around the pond.  The hole will be near the new water level so you should be able to see it(if not try draining a bit first).

In my case it was a mouse sized hole under my water fall.  I patched it with a kit from home depot.  Just clean around the hole and then stick the patch on it.  The patch has been fine ever since and I hope my cat enjoyed that mouse since I didn't have any new holes this year. 

[ewright]

Thanks Crazyfish,

Well, we partially drained it, and found a level 1' down at which it is stable.
Unfortunately, it is a dug in pond so we did not see an exterior wet spot.  It seemed to fill and hold fine for 2 weeks and just yesterday we found the level change.
I assume it is a minor crack or hole in one of the liner folds, just above where the water level is now.

Anybody have tricks to find out where along the 25' perimeter it is?

[beertech]

I would also check any hose connections to a pump or filter box if you have any. 

[ewright]

Thanks all for their input.

Pondboy was great, indicating various design problems with our pond, but after he left we found the initial 'leak'.

In case anyone is watching this, I'll share what we learned.

If you suspect a leak, turn off any waterfall and monitor the level.  Reports are that most leaks are related to the waterfall.
If the water does not continue to drop, suspect the waterfall.
A shift in our rocks caused a flow change and a splashing outside of the liner.  A small, but constant splash can result in quick water loss.
If the water level did continue to drop, do nothing until it stops dropping (to identify the level at which to look for a leak),  or, with a eyedropper place drops of whole milk (coffee cream?) around perimeter of the calm pond, and see if one drop gets sucked toward the leak.  (We  did not have to do this)

Regards,