I’ve just about finished building a rectangular pond and am ready for the falling water feature. At first, I dragged several, sizeable round pots to the homeowner’s house, but eventually wound up just taking pictures to her of various pots that I could locate. I pretty much exhausted local inventories and she really didn’t care for any of the designs. She’s decided that she wants a vertical, rectangular feature. It turns out that well-constructed, fired, square clay pots just aren’t available around here, so here is my “sort of plan”.
First, will this work, i.e. are the materials likely to hold-up to 14 or so inches of submersion in the water? Second, can anyone suggest a more durable design, short of concrete forms and rebar (I’d like this thing to be movable and removable)
1. Construct a cube frame from copper pipe that would remain open at the top in order for water to spill over and down the sides. 2. Fasten Hardi Backer to the pipe with stainless steel nuts and bolts. 3. Seal the interior, intersecting corners of the board with silicone caulk. 4. Tile the cube with gauged slate, butt joined (matches the tiled, slate perimeter of the pond) set in modified thinset. 5. Seal the slate with several coats of penetrating, natural stone sealer.
I am open to any suggestions if any of this doesn’t sound practical. Thanks. I plan to post pics if this ever gets completed. Zbalk
Replies
If there will ever be fish in the pond, don't use copper. Copper kills fish.
Smile. It could be worse. You could be me working for you.
I'm having trouble visualizing what you are trying to do.
any pictures of existing pond?
using a filter?
how high is the water feature?
how big is the pond?
what's behind the water fall?
bobl Volo, non valeo
Hmmmm... I'd forget the copper pipe idea. How about using fiberglas and resin to hold your panels together with? Like... duct tape the box together, glass the inside corners... Then untape and do the same on the outside corners. Then tile, slate or whatever over the outside with thinset.
Or, make a form and just cast a portland cement box... is not too hard to do.
Or, make a hardware cloth & wire frame box... and stucco it inside and out.
Just my thoughts on the subject...
Thanks Mikey, Bobl, Brick and Sonny. Think I'll go with the fiberglass and resin suggestion. I've built several stich and glue sailboats. Funny how previous projects don't project to current ones.
thanks
if u build a box, line it with pond PVC or EPDM, depending on how big the box is.
also, look into preformed plastic spillways at a landscape place that has water features and build a box around it.
bobl Volo, non valeo
I'd contact a pool company and pick their brain re: materials and design. That's what I did here for a similar project for a condo association.
I don't know how wide you want thes "square tubes" (that's what I'm calling them, if I have the right idea), but how about clay flue tile. Remove in winter so it doesn't have to stand up to freezing. Or stack concrete chimney units (don't know their "official" name) and veneer with slate or whatever.
If you go with a copper pipe frame, why not solder sheet copper to the outside of it to make the box? Look in some of the copper roof threads for Greencu, he could probably make it to a faxed drawing and ship it to you.
-- J.S.