How do I find a leak in my pond? Leaking Pond Baltimore | Maryland Pond Repair Company

How do I find a leak in my pond? Leaking Pond Baltimore | Maryland Pond Repair Company

How do I find a leak in my Baltimore County Pond?

Is there a leak in your Pond, or are your fish drinking all the water?

Leaks are among the most misunderstood and misdiagnosed problems anyone can have in their Baltimore, MD Pond.

Understanding the basic principles of leak detection and repair will save you time, money, and headaches in your pond and Waterfall adventures! I have Repaired leaking Fish Ponds, Koi Ponds, and Waterfalls all over the Baltimore area.

These are a few tips to help you find out why your pond and waterfall is losing water.



What is Evaporation?

First, let’s have a look at what evaporation is and what it isn’t. Evaporation is caused by water turning into a vapor and escaping from your Pond. The amount of water loss will vary according to the area of Maryland that you live and the time of year. In Baltimore County and Harford County, Maryland we can have high temperatures with high humidity or high temperatures and low humidity which can cause quite a bit of evaporation throughout the year.
The quantity and size of your Waterfall(s) will also affect the amount of water that is lost.

Regardless of the climate or time of year, a 4’x 6’pond with a 20-foot stream and 5 feet of cascading waterfalls may lose as much as 2.5 – 3 inches or more every day! Why? Splashing and moving water has greater exposure to additional evaporation than does the still water in the pond. If that same pond was 15’ x 20’ pond, you’d probably never even notice the additional evaporation because it’s a larger pond.

What It Isn’t

Evaporation is not filling your pond up all the way one evening, and waking up the next morning to find the water 8 inches lower. That’s a leak! If your pond is experiencing a loss of water at a more rapid rate, you either have a leak, or your fish are drinking the water. Seriously, let’s figure that it’s a leak. What do you do then? 

What to do next?
The first thing I recommend when someone in the Baltimore area calls up with a suspected leaking pond is this: Shut your waterfall pump off for 12 or 24 hours.
By doing this, you’ll be able to determine the approximate location of the leak.

Here’s what to do:
• Make sure the pond is filled to the appropriate level.
• Make sure that the pond is not overflowing
• Unplug the pump.
• Let the pond sit for 12 or 24 hours.
• If the water level drops, then you know the leak is in the pond.

When the Water Drops
• To find out where the leak is occurring in your pond, allow the water level to continue to drop. The level where the water stops dropping is the level where the leak is located.

• Concentrate your search around the perimeter of the pond at the level that the water has stopped dropping.

Now the fun begins! At this point, you may want to consider calling in a Baltimore MD pond professional, but in order to reveal the exact location of the leak, you’ll need to:

• Remove any rocks around the entire perimeter at the level where the water stopped. You can then carefully check for some sort of puncture, or hole in the liner.
• When you find the hole, you simply patch it with a liner patch kit available at a Baltimore, Maryland Pond Supply Store.

• Now you can replace the rocks, fill the pond back to the top, and enjoy!

If the water level remains the same, then it is safe to assume that that the leak is not in the pond.

Here’s What To Do

Look for any low edges.

Settling of the Waterfall or Stream edge is the most common cause of a leak, especially in a new pond. Typically, the low edges are found around the Stream and waterfall where settling may have occurred after a few rainfalls. These areas are usually built up during the construction of the pond using the native Maryland soil from the excavation, and are prone to some settling.

Your first line of defense is to carefully inspect the edges your Stream and waterfall.

As the dirt around the stream or waterfall settles, it can create low spots that may cause water to escape over the edge of the liner. Keep your eyes peeled for wet mulch or gravel, or muddy areas around the perimeter of your stream or waterfall. If you find a spot that’s leaking, all you have to do is lift the liner up and push some soil under it in order to raise the edge.

Another possibility is that water is splashing out of your stream. To fix a “splash leak,” all you have to do is adjust a few of the rocks under and around your waterfall. This will contain or redirect the splash and it will stop the splash leak.

Once again, you’ve solved the problem the easy and cost-effective way … using common sense. 

Low liner edges can be built back up by simply backfilling and compacting soil beneath the liner in order to raise the edge of the liner above the water level.

Obstructions in the Stream and Waterfalls

In addition to checking for low edges, you should also check your stream and waterfall. Rocks and excessive plant or algae growth in the stream or BioFalls filter restrict the flow of water and divert it over the edge of the liner. Plants and algae should be maintained by trimming them back in order to let the water pass freely.

All in all, these leaks are extremely easy to fix.

If you don’t find a low liner edge then the next step is to check the pipe, the plumbing fittings, and the pump connections for leaks.

Another possible culprit is the faceplate of your Skimmer if you have one. If the water level stopped dropping above the bottom of the faceplate you should investigate the skimmer. It may not be sealed correctly.

If the Leak is in the Skimmer

• Investigate the skimmer faceplate without disassembling it.
• Simply move a few rocks around the front of the skimmer and slide your hand behind the liner, feeling for wet soil around the opening of the skimmer. If the soil is saturated, then the faceplate may have not been installed properly and might be the source of the leak.
• Remove the faceplate, clean all of the old silicone off the liner, and refer back to the skimmer instruction manual on proper procedures for sealing the skimmer faceplate to the skimmer.

Hopefully, you’ve solved the leak!

It’s not fun when your Maryland Pond is losing water. It can be a time-consuming and frustrating process to locate and Repair the leak.

Hopefully with these steps and tips, you can quickly locate the source of the leak and get right back to enjoying your Pond and Waterfall.

We are a Baltimore Maryland area based full services Pond contractor & Pond Maintenance landscape company specializing in naturalistic water features, and unique outdoor spaces, including Ponds, Water Gardens and Stream Design, Construction, Repair, Renovation & Maintenance Serving the greater Baltimore County Maryland MD area. Arbor Ridge was founded to fill a need for a full service company that truly cares about the details of every project and service.  Please click here to see what our Baltimore area clients have to say about us!

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