A Koi Pond is Born!
Follow Along from Conception
to Completion as The Pond Doc Builds a State-of-the-Art, Low-Maintenance Doc's
Dream System Koi Pond in His Own Back Yard.
Pond Construction Stage
Installing the Fountains
Beginning Date: August 8, 2006
Once the major structure has been built and the equipment has been installed we'll have to install what I consider the "goodies" which are the decorative components to the pond. The "goodies" of our pond are the two spitting lions and the fountain.
We had at the store these two large and gorgeous lions that doubled as spitters. I knew when I purchased them that these pieces would only fit on a formal pond. I did not know then that I would be the one to use them. I thought of them when the Doc and I began discussing our plans for this pond and wanted to include them into our design. I think they will look majestic sitting on our tier, spitting into the main part of the pond while guarding our beloved koi. I imagine they'll sit amongst the tall reeds and umbrella palms as if resting by the water.
We considered the different placements of fountains in the middle and on the ends of the pond and finally settled on only a large one in the middle. The fountain will be both decorative and functional. It will serve to oxygenate the water as well as add a little bounce. The type of fountain head we'll use is probably the same one that we have (and do not use) at the store now. It's not a fancy one with several tiers. It's a geyser that creates foam. This is one of the best to add oxygen to the water. We can, of course, always change out heads if we ever want to get a little fancier with the fountain. It's just a matter of screwing one off and another on.
This page was last updated 09/26/2006
Click on the Thumbnails for Full-Size Pictures
| August 8, 2006 - Plumbing the Fountain | ||
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We decided to position the fountain in the exact center of the main pond. 1 1/2" hard PVC was run through the trench along with the lines from the drains. It is extremely important that the vertical piece of PVC that is to hold the fountain head is positioned straight up so when the fountain is running all the water will not come down on one side. This was done by leveling the support piece then securing it into place with temporary wood strips. Concrete then was poured onto the base (which consisted of a 1 1/2" PVC elbow) and allowed to harden for stability of the fountain. There was no need to install the fountain head yet so the top of the support piece was taped off to keep debris out of it during construction of the pond. | |
| September 20, 2006 - Installing the Fountain Head | ||
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A 1 1/2" PVC coupling was used to attach another piece of PVC to the support piece to add height to the head. It will need to be placed just above the water line to properly function. The correct fittings were glued into the support PVC piece so that we could attach the fountain head by simply screwing it in. This will allow us also to change the head from time to time if we desire. | |
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We chose to install a foam head on the fountain. This will send a geyser of foaming water straight up. The height of the geyser is determined by the water pressure allowed to pass through to it. A valve will be installed in the plumbing line to the fountain so we can control the amount of water going from the pump to the fountain -- and thus, controlling the height of the fountain spray. This particular fountain head is made of stainless steel and is extremely durable. We're guessing that about 4000 gph will run through the fountain so the fountain head must be able to withstand that kind of water pressure. A plastic one would simply fall apart! | |
| September 20, 2006 - Lions Arrive! | ||
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The lions are transported from the store to our home. These things weigh a ton and it took several strong men to manage them onto the back of the truck. To get them off the truck wood planks were used to create a ramp and they were slid off carefully as not to chip or break off pieces. | |
| September 22, 2006 | ||
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While spraying the floor to the main pond, Neil with Blades & Blossoms took a few minutes to spray the PVC piping to the fountain. This was much better than simply painting it with black spray paint because it won't peel after a year like the other would. You can barely see the plumbing for the fountain now and that's the way it should be. | |
The Project Schedule
(click on each step for pictures & details)
Though I tried to place each step in chronological order I am finding that as we progressed I often have to go back and revise what I've already completed. The color codes are as follows: BLACK is "Not Started", GREY is "In Process", PURPLE is "Completed" and RED is "Recently Revised"
Have a question about the construction of our dream pond (or any other question for that matter)? Click HERE!
To get to each section of our project so that you can see pictures and follow along with our progress, simply click on the stage in which you are interested.
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Finishing Up |
Practical Information | |||||
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