settling a pond

[macky1]

i am installing a 800 gallon preformed pond in to hard clay soil
with a 2 inch bed of sand
i was wondering how much i can expect it to settle
will it move inches or millimetres??
or will it move at all

any thoughts

thanx

macky

 

[Dragonslair]

Macky, the preformed pond will move as the weight of the water beds it down into place. Thereafter the natural movement of expansion/contraction will move the pond naturally. Preformed ponds are flexible enough to withstand the natural movement. You will probably find that the pond will settle by around an inch or so after a few days. Make sure that there are no tree roots that can penetrate the pond once it is in place. A cracked preformed pond is the hardest thing to repair.
When putting the pond into place make sure that there are no air pockets where stones or other foreign objects can fall in and cause any uneveness. The pond must be perfectly level to avoid any undue stress to the fibreglass. A preformed pond is strong and rigid, but very unforgiving if it is not settled in right from the start.

 

[macky1]

i was just wondering if it would move as much as an inch
because it is in very hard compacted clay
but the sand would absorb any movment i would think

thanx drag

 

[dolphin]

Hi Macky

If the sand is well compacted, it should not move too much. I do not think that it will settle by more than 1/2"

 

[macky1]

thanx dolphin mate
its going in tomorrow so ........moment of truth

macky

 

[macky1]

just to let ya know it has been in for 4 days now full of water and it has not budged an inch yet

macky