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Designing
a Natural Waterfall
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No
stream would be complete without a waterfall. The most important
thing to remember is that the water goes over the rock, not
underneath it. This is easy to do by sealing the rock to the
liner using (black) expanding foam sealant.
Decide how many waterfalls you want and pick out a piece of
flagstone for each location. Before installing the liner,
adjust the soil so that the rock will fit snug. After each
waterfall location is prepared, remove the flagstones and
put the liner down. Place a bead of expanding foam sealant
on the liner (see
illustration 1) then replace the rocks, packing additional
dirt around them. The bead of expanding foam sealant should
be 2" wide and 1" high. If you use a large rock,
instead of flagstone, the installation is similar to illustration
1 but the expanding foam sealant should be applied behind
the rock (see
illustration 2).
It is not necessary to have a perfect seal, but most of the
water should go over the falls. Some pond builders use concrete
but it does not bond to the liner and takes 24 hours or more
to dry. Using the expanding foam sealant, you can usually
run water after 30 minutes. Concrete will also alter the pH
of your pond. The waterfall stones should be level from side
to side to ensure that the water will flow across the entire
face of the rock. A slight tilt forward will encourage the
water to project further and form a sheet, but too much water
will look unnatural. If the water flow needs to be changed
after the installation is complete, move a few rocks to redirect
the water. This change can be made permanent by turning the
water off for a few days or until the rocks are dry, then
foaming the dry rocks in place.
To insure the stability of the flagstone forming the waterfall,
large and very stable rocks should be used for support. Building
from the bottom up, place rocks under the flagstone as though
you were building a rock retaining wall. Carefully stand on
the front of the flagstone to test its stability.
Now that the waterfall is almost completed, you need to foam
in a rock on each side of the flagstone to ensure that the
water is directed down the middle of the waterfall instead
of around the edges.
Before you add all of the remaining stones to cover the liner,
fill the pond with water and start the pump. As the pond starts
to fill, look along both edges, the entire length of the stream,
for any water flowing out. If the water is leaking out the
side or is close to the top, add soil under the liner so the
edge of the stream is 2" to 4" above the water flowing
down the stream. Make sure each waterfall is full and meets
your expectations.
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Contact
Information:
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| Telephone: 1-888-838-4017 |
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Fax:
1-877-878-6813
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Mail
Address: Pond Supplies R Us
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P.
O. Box 79
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Bogota,
TN 38007
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accept all all major credit cards, personal or certified checks and wire
transfers.
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©
2001 Pond Supplies R Us All Rights Reserved.
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Shipping
is not included in product prices unless otherwise specified.
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only ship within the 48 U.S. Continental States.
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We
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