# Starting new pond



## StevenA (18 May 2009)

Hi all I'll be starting my new garden pond very shortly, so will be on here asking loads of questions. I'll be using used railway sleepers to build the surround, probably only two high, just want it raised up a bit as we have a 4 year old son  Any advise on building this type of pond will be gratefully received. It will only be about 1.5m wide and about 2m long. I have got to collect some sleepers up from Hoddesdon in Hertfordshire which I have aquired for nothing on http://www.freecycle.org/ So that has already saved me a few quid


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## Garuf (18 May 2009)

My only reservation is that railway sleepers are notorious in the architectural world for soaking up everything bad that's ever been taken via train and some have seen entire projects scuppered by poisoning the ground meaning extensive additional ground works to replace the soil that's soaked possible toxins out of the wood. 
They're actually banned for children's play areas for this reason.


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## StevenA (18 May 2009)

Should have said in the original post, but when the present owner bought them they were new sleepers, not been anywhere near a train


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## Ed Seeley (18 May 2009)

As long as you put a good underlay on the side of them to cover up any rough bits and then run the liner over the top of the top sleeper then the water in the pond can't contact the sleepers so there won't be a problem.  You can then use decking screwed into the sleepers to trap the liner and cover the top of the sleepers wehre you'll sit so you don't contact them either!!!

If you're going to do a koi pond do it properly.  Fit an aerated bottom drain to feed your pod (I'm assuming you'll be transferring that over?) and fit a skimmer too to keep the surface clear.  Give me some more details of your ideas (and budget) and I'll plan you a cracker mate!  It used to be my job after all!


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## Goodygumdrops (20 May 2009)

I'm moving in with the bf soon and a pond is one of my projects.I was also thinking about having it raised,raised beds all the way round actually,was also thinking of using sleepers.I'd have it raised up to a certain level,lined and filled to this level,then the final sleeper laid on top,ie,so that the water level is just below the bottom of the topmost sleeper.


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## Acrantophis (21 May 2009)

If as stated the sleepers were new and hadn't been near the railway industry ( I know you can obtain them as I have my sources too   ) then all should be fine. I think the problem is that when someone mentions railway sleepers, instantly the brain kicks into gear and thinks diesel, tar, and creosote, to name a few of the baddies. Just be careful as to what you opt to treat them with yourself.


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## StevenA (25 May 2009)

Just started getting all the bits and peices together, and I was wondering what sort of electric cable I will need to run from the house into my Blagdon powesafe box. Is there some special cable or is it just the standard 2 or three wire stuff used around the home?


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## Tony Swinney (25 May 2009)

Hi Tourney

Sounds like a great project   

The cable should be heavy duty 3 core cable, and it should be armoured if it is crossing any garden at all.  Any electrical supplies place will sell it, and should advise you correctly (B&Q sell it too).  There should also be a RCD between the Blagdon box and the house.

Look forward to seeing the pics.

Tony


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## StevenA (25 May 2009)

Yea I knew about it being armoured and I will definately be fitting an RCD, just wondered if the cable itself was special really. I've ordered the pump and filter, and liner this weekend, and I also picked up some free railway sleepers, although not the original ones i was offered(these are reclaimed sleepers), plus bought a couple more    Even got the wife to help me clear the area for the pond, and mark it out, so I'm good to go. I've been taking pictures of the progress, so will post those up soon


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## Acrantophis (26 May 2009)

Tourney said:
			
		

> Yea I knew about it being armoured and I will definately be fitting an RCD, just wondered if the cable itself was special really. I've ordered the pump and filter, and liner this weekend, and I also picked up some free railway sleepers, although not the original ones i was offered(these are reclaimed sleepers), plus bought a couple more    Even got the wife to help me clear the area for the pond, and mark it out, so I'm good to go. I've been taking pictures of the progress, so will post those up soon



 :!: Tourney under no circumstances would I recommend the use of reclaimed railway sleepers or timbers around a pond  :!: 

New untreated hardwood sleepers cut from oak or whatever yes   

Reclaimed spell trouble  
Don't do it

As for the cabling, you can use armoured as previously stated or you could use Arctic Blue 3183AG 2.5mm cable and route it through conduit. All exterior wiring operating at a voltage above 48VAC must be protected by and RCD and is now a requirement by law within the UK. If in doubt consult a qualified electrician.


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## StevenA (26 May 2009)

Ed Seeley said:
			
		

> As long as you put a good underlay on the side of them to cover up any rough bits and then run the liner over the top of the top sleeper then the water in the pond can't contact the sleepers so there won't be a problem.  You can then use decking screwed into the sleepers to trap the liner and cover the top of the sleepers wehre you'll sit so you don't contact them either!!!



Surely they will be okay if done in this way?


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## Ed Seeley (26 May 2009)

Tourney said:
			
		

> Ed Seeley said:
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You must make sure no run off from the sleepers can get into the pond though Tourney.  That means running the liner all the way under the decking to cover the tops of the sleepers completely.  If you want to be even more careful then you could also seal the sleepers to and front with Clear G4 but it will make them shiny.


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## StevenA (26 May 2009)

Thats what I thought ED thanks for clearing that up


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## StevenA (4 Jun 2009)

Just another question. Where built in UV's are concerned, is it better to get a filter with a 16w one or is 8w OK? Might be a daft question, but is it only a case that you need a higher wattage one the more water passes over it, or is a higher wattage one better at it's job in general  :?


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## Ed Seeley (4 Jun 2009)

The UV wattage is all about wattage versus flow rate and contact time.  It's a combination of having a large enough wattage with big enough turnover so that the water passes through the UV regularly and, when it passes through the flow rate is right so the algae is killed and flocculated.

Basically you need to be turning the pond over at least once every two hours (once an hour or lower is much, much better though) and have a wattage of UV suitable for the flow rate you need.  What size will your pond be again and what  filter and turnover are you planning?


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## StevenA (4 Jun 2009)

It's 2.5m long and 1.5m wide, and about 1m at it's deepest point. To be honest although I'm interested in Koi, I'm not too worried about keeping them, this is just a nice garden pond for my whole family to enjoy   With regards to filtration, I've seen a Green Genie 6000 for Â£42-95 from Ketering Koi and Ponds which is only about an hours drive from me, so I'm quite interested in that, because it looks good, has a built in UV, and does'nt cost the earth to buy. Here's the link to it, let me know what you think Ed. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=270353889805 Not sure what pump I'll need with it, but was hoping to buy that at the same time as the filter


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## Ed Seeley (4 Jun 2009)

Well if it were me I wouldn't buy a filter like this as I hate cleaning out foam!!!  I find it such a hassle and a chore and then I don't do it!  Don't get me wrong it will do a decent enough job on a pond with goldfish and the odd koi maybe but if you stock a lot of fish you'll be forever cleaning it out!  I'd be looking at a DIY K1 filter as it's a lot easier to clean (though it still needs regular cleaning) or maybe you could get this one and if you find it too much of a chore cleaning the foam later on you could convert it with K1 at a later date?

BTW your pond will be somewhere around the 3,750litre mark (833 gallons) so I'd be looking at the Green Genie rated at this volume per hour so the 24000 model with a 4,000 lph solids handling pump.


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