Tootfinder

#poolpond #backyardProject #diy
I spent the morning cleaning out the big pond. Lots of dirt and gunk and water had accumulated in the bottom over the past months. A combination of the little sump pump and a shop vac cleaned that all out.
But more concerning was the fact that when I walked down into the pond, it was mushy. There was obviously water underneath the liner.
I just pulled back the liner to reveal the water that had gotten under. It is likely that this water is from the overflow when I was testing the filter. It could be from a little bit of rainfall, but I doubt it.
There was a lot of water washing around the yard yesterday as I was figuring out the filter and the stream and overflowing areas so I am sure it got in that way.
Not a big problem. Just some more water to move with the little pump.
I am more concerned about the fact that a horsefly landed on me twice in the past hour. Devils they are.

Time to see a man about some stones. #poolpond
(Before it is 30°C!)

all right. Done for the day. At some point, it becomes a bit of a losing battle using the shopvac. I'll let nature evaporat it hopefully by tomorrow. Probably take another day for it to dry out and harden up.
in the meantime, I can do the next job that I've been dreading.
Figuring out the fence situation. 😱
#poolpond #backyardProject #diy

i've also drained both the filter and the pump bay. The blueberries are getting a very good drink today. 🫐
I probably won't circulate water through the stream again until I get the main pond weighed down with rock on the bottom. I wanted to try to start building the rock lining around the wall of the main pond to see if it would hold and be sufficient.
But I might just let the bottom of the pond dry out completely. It's going to be nice and warm again the next couple days so it is best for it to let it dry out and harden up.
#poolpond #backyardProject #diy

Hmmmm… here is a problem I did not anticipate.
Every time I empty the main pond hole of water, (the actual hole under the liner) water returns within an hour or two. I’ve done it 4 times now, and it keeps filling back up with water.
Obviously there is water underground infiltrating into the pond hole, and/or the water table itself is above the bottom of the hole. It is not coming from either of the other holes because they both have the same amount of water in them as they did this morning.
I have “watered” the blueberry patch and hazelnut tree a lot with the water that I have been cleaning the filter with… and we also had lots of water flying around outside the liners yesterday as I tested the pump. So it is quite possible that the ground around the pond is simply well saturated.
I think I am going to have to just keep removing the water (and putting it into the sewer) until it does not refill. We have a week of hot weather coming. Surely that will be enough time for everything to dry out completely.
Otherwise I might run into some issues if the rains return before I can anchor down the pond liner with gravel and get the plumbing in!
How is time already running short!?
Never underestimate the ability of water to find a place where it is not wanted. 😆
#poolpond #backyardProject #diy

Welp. Was going to take advantage of the rare vacation day on a work day between the weekend and Canada Day to go buy rocks for the #poolpond but turns out the local rock/cement place is taking the day off too. Fair. 🤷‍♂️
I took the trailer for a bath at the car wash instead and got the watering done before the heat sets in today.
Maybe later I will go get some lengths of pipe. But I sense a swim in the lake. 🏊‍♂️ #today #canadaday
What are you up to today? Day off, or slaving for The Man?

Going out for some pond building parts but had to take a break at the cΓuumaʕas river (su-u-ma-as) to watch the fishers coming in from a morning of sockeye salmon fishing. 🎣
Lots of sounds of Bald Eagles in the distance. Probably in the trees across the river looking for a fish to snatch up.
check out the pro trailer parking with the offset stalls. 😂 🅿️
#portalberni #poolpond

The kind man in the giant front loader at the gravel pit "gently dribbled" 820kg/1800lbs of river rock into the trailer. EV mileage not great. 😂
Was hoping for more rocks on the larger size, but it will all be useful for the #poolpond and #pandemicpond
And the price is right! $40
#diy #backyardproject #poolproject

alright. emptied the pump bay (watering the hazelnut tree as I go) so I could get down into the box and loosely fit the hose onto the pump.
Now we'll turn the water back on in the filter and let the bay fill back up again from the little diversion stream.
I need to go get a couple big hoseclamps to properly secure it to the pump. But loose is fine for testing.
#poolpond #backyardProject #DIY #electronics

escape! escape!!
This is what happens when you introduce a big pump (even only running at 30-50%!)
You find out REALLY fast where the low points are. I had suspicions. They have been confirmed, and temporarily rectified!
the pump is now running, hooked into the pipe to the bottom of the filter (I will cut more of it off in time so the pipe is running along the ground), plus the garden hose is continuing to add more water to the system.
No spillage! Ill fill the intake bay and then turn the garden hose off to just let it circulate.
#poolpond #backyardProject #DIY #electronics

First test of the pump! Just turned the first pump on to make sure everything works. The regulator works! 100% power seems to draw about 160W. 50% was around 70W. Can't take a reliable picture of the display unfortunately.
I will have to cut the main wire and extend it with a good extension cord so it can reach where I need it to. At least to the little grey shed for now. The controller has to stay dry and in reasonable temperatures.
Not really looking forward to that job. I have cut/spliced/shrinkwrapped wire before but not on a $600 pump. 😬
Today though I will concentrate on hooking up the pipe to the filter to set up a circulation and figure out a temporary situation for the pump controller.
edit: btw the pumps are both Jecod 20,000L/hr varieties. I am hoping (and calculated) that they are oversized so I can run them at 50-75% most of the time.
#poolpond #backyardProject #DIY #electronics

initial pump testing has been successful!
Filled the filter and pump bay to an approriate level via garden hose. ✅
turned pump on for the first time and fixed any overflows in the system on low flow ✅
turned the garden hose off and allowed pump to circulate for awhile ✅
I brought the pump up to 100% power (180W) and confirmed inlet standpipe did not overflow indicating good distribution flow on the bottom of the filter. ✅
identified/fixed more overflowing low points with pump at high flow. ✅
tested the breather pipe by turning off the pump and making sure the water was not siphoned from the filter the pump bay ✅
I let the top water from the filter drain into the bay until the bay was full (starting to overflow into the main pond) ✅
Used the small pump to empty the pump bay of some of the dirty water... watering the blueberries and flowers in the process. ✅
tiny red bum friend? ✅ 🕷️
A successful day!!
#poolpond #backyardProject #DIY #electronics

flowing!!! 🎉 💧
Ill stop filling soon for the night but this is a huge milestone! HAPPY DAY
#poolpond #BackyardProject #diy #portalberni #watergarden

ooohh! The water is at the top! Now we'll see where it chooses to go!
Looks like I will actually be taking some pebble *out* if I want to plant in an inch or so of water.
#poolpond #BackyardProject #diy #portalberni #watergarden

Time for the first fill and empty cycle. Not sure how many times I'll do this probably a bunch lol. We will see how long it takes to fill it. The hazelnut tree will get lots of water today.
While, it's doing that, I will keep working on the rock liner of the intake pump bay. If I can get that done today, then I can try to direct the overflow from the filter into the pump and set up a circulation.
#poolpond #BackyardProject #diy #portalberni #watergarden

Officially the longest load I have carried with the trailer. 😂 Had to use 0.5 on the iPhone. 😆
#portalberni #poolpond #trailer #ev

The pumps came!
#poolpond #diy #pondProject #Backyard #unbox

I think I moved about a yard of drain rock into the filter this morning, but I have stopped now due to the smoke rolling in. :(
Probably need 4-5 more cart loads before I switch to the top layer of pebble.
#pondlife #backyardpond #poolpond #bcwildfire #airquality #gardening #portalberni

Looks like up to two pumps will fit nicely in the bin... this is good. Ill make holes in the bin for the pipes to exit one end.
The bin will be installed in the intake bay of the pond to draw/skim water from the surface.
These are skookum pumps. 💪
At full power (180W each) together they will move 40,000L/hr (666L or 175gal/min). That's almost twice the pool volume of 21,000L.
But I should not need to move that much through the bog. One pump will be dedicated to the bog filter while the other will go to both the bog and/or the sprayers in the pool.
That said, if I do need a third pump there will be room in the bin for three.
I may put one pump in the far corner of the pool itself with an inlet hose to reach the bottom of the pool to really ensure there is good circulation of the water. We'll see.
#poolpond #diy #pondProject #Backyard #unbox

#pondlife #poolpond #backyardPrpject #diy #rock #labour
The rock came!! At least the first load. Big stuff 4" . About 3 yards/3.5tonnes.
The rock place doesn't have a dumper truck small enough to make the turn into the backyard, so he had to dump it on the edge of the alley.
Then Son and I moved it.
2hrs in the sun. 🥵 But we got it done. 💪
Tomorrow at 8AM they will bring 3yards of drain rock and 3yards of pebble. We'll see how much we have to scoop out of the alley.

Put in an hour tonight... practicing my rock stacking technique. The easier one first, around the intake bay. The sides are mostly sloped and there is a terrace where we can plant stuff. Ill bring the rocks up to the terrace to act as a barrier for the pebble to plant in.
#pondlife #poolpond #backyardPrpject #diy #rock #labour

the City just put in Stage 1 restrictions (we're very lucky here that we have abundant water resources, many places on Vancouver Island have restrictions almost immediately every summer)
So the clock is ticking! If we get to Stage 2 and I haven't filled the pond yet, I'll be prohibited from doing so until the rains come! We can only "top up" pools and ponds in Stage 2. And (god forbid) we get into Stage 3 or 4, the pond will have to be left to dry up. (at which point I would probably just use it as a watering source for the gardens)
I don't think we've ever reached Stage 3. The last time we got to Stage 2 was about 5 years ago I think, after the Heat Dome.
I would be surprised if we got to Stage 2 this year. It has been dry, but not excessively hot, so hopefully our resources can hold through August.
The good news is... I'm close to at least filling the intake bay and wetland filter.
Once the rest of the rock/pebble comes tomorrow I'll immediately start moving the rock into those two holes as quickly as I can, and once done, I'll start filling them with water so I can test out the pumps.
I might set up a temporary path for the water to recirculate through the intake bay and filter, avoiding the pond. That way those two parts can start to grow good-bacteria for the filter while I work on the big pond.
#pondlife #poolpond #backyardPrpject #diy #rock #labour

The rock man came at 8:45 and we had the pile shifted from the alley by 10.
🪨 ☀️ 🥵 💪 🪏 🥵 ☀️ 🪨
PS. These tarps brought to you by #bclng #climatechange
#pondlife #poolpond #backyardPrpject #diy #rock #labour

Pond plumbing dilemna. Any plumbers out there?
The pond will have two strong pumps moving water through the bog filter and around the pool.
One pump will be dedicated to the filter (long black pipe).
The 2nd pump will split duty between the filter and providing water for 3 to 5 emitters in the bottom of the pool and around the edges.
The main piping is black 2” flexible pipe plus some PVC Sched40.
Plumbing Question: Should I reduce diameter once (as pictured badly lol) when branching from the mainline and then have valves for each and long runs of smaller 3/4 or 1/2" line to each sprayer.
Or keep it to 2" throughout and reduce at the outlets?
I would rather have the valve controls centralized than have them spread about where the sprayers are (obv not an option for the bottom ones anyway)
#Pond #DIY #Plumbing #PoolPond #PortAlberni #Home #BackyardPond

Another step in the #PoolPond today. Bought the 2 pumps. They are high-efficiency, DC variable speed/power up to 15000L/hr (4000gal/hr) and 105W.
One will be to take water from the pond to the bog filter, and one will do double duty going to the bog filter or to sprayers/jets inside the pond (both decorative and for circulation)
I might get a 3rd pump in time if I find the extra capacity is needed.
#DIY #PondLife #PortAlberni #Pool #Pond #Natural
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0CLB7SJ4Q?psc=1&smid=A7SIQ2Y2T11UM&ref_=chk_typ_imgToDp

and then there is the backyard... lol. The hazelnut tree is doing surprisingly well considering the chaos literally at its feet. The far flower garden with the blueberries and the only rose bush we like is also doing OK especially now that I have battled back against the encroaching blackberry vines.
I didnt capture the new plum, or the rhubarb-amazon, but they're ok too.
We are starting to make real progress on the pond/pool now. The inlets for the wetland filter are in the hole and we started placing the large rocks on the bottom... the first layer.
Many yards of rock and pebble to go! Oh, and I have had to peel back some of the liner
in the pool. I've decided I need to make a landing spot for one pump to live in the back corner of the pool so it can circulate water from the bottom.
Uncovered an anthill in the process! 🐜
#portalberni #yard #diy #poolPond

*tenting fingers*
Excellent.
#freepipe #diy #itPaysToKnowPeople #poolpond #BackyardProject #portAlberni

the plumbing for the bog/wetland filter is nearly complete.
The last item I needed was some 6" PVC pipe for a cleanout. It'll go down through the milk crate so I can send a vaccuum hose down there.
It isn't easy to find this size at stores, but a friend of a friend came through with some free cutoffs. They'll work perfectly. Probably $50 worth of pipe! I only had to buy the plug ($40).
Befriend a tradesperson! 😀
#freepipe #diy #itPaysToKnowPeople #poolpond #BackyardProject #portAlberni

#PondLife #PoolPond #Backyard #DIY #PortAlberni #Home
$CAD1100 is a lot to spend on just a couple items, but I guess in the grand scheme of making a pond/pool that will completely transform our backyard, it's not crazy. This about equals the amount spent ($1200 iirc) to rent the digger last Labour Day weekend. The liner and underlay fabric was another $3000. So we're looking at about $5500 so far for the project as a whole. Still better (including for the ecosystem!) than your average $50,000 in-ground pool install. ;=D
I realized last night that I bought the wrong pumps (DCT vs DCP argh). One of those “oh that's cheaper than I thought it would be” moments... followed by... “oh crap.”
I'll send the previous pumps back immediately upon arrival.
It's ok though, these will be two 20,000L/h variable pumps. The entire pond/pool system should be no more than 23,000L. My biggest rookie mistake with the #pandemicpond in the front yard was too small a pump. I rectified that when I added the bog filters there.
So I'm overbuilding this time. I should be able to run them at low-speed/power for the same amount of flow. Which will be better for pump longevity and power over time.
Also got main piping for the system: 50ft of 2" flexible PVC (Schedule 40). This will move water from the intake bay (behind the tree) to the bog filter (in front of the tree) and connect to smaller diameter piping/valves/fittings for sprayers in the pool.
This should be the end of the big-ticket items. The rest will be a LOT of little stuff: electrical, piping, and a lot of rock. Probably another $1000-$1500 to go, all should be local, and some of it can be put off until next year if needed.
It took a few tries on the Bezos Site, but I managed to find a supplier within Canada to avoid tariffs on any of it because Tariff-flation is definitely a thing! (American .com store essentially doubled the cost!)
So ya, you can hashtag this #tariffs #TariffLife #TheAmericanFascist and #TrumpTariffs

It’s already 25°C and I am dripping with sweat… but a slight modification had to be completed! Made a shelf in the main #poolpond area to hold a milk crate, which will hold one of the pumps.
I decided it was critical to have circulation from the bottom of the pool including taking water from the bottom to send to the filter. But since the main pump area is in the intake bay/skimmer I would have had to bring a pipe up and over the wall and down into pool. (The pumps must be submerged in at least 6” of water at all times)
This would be inefficient and potentially have air lock problems… so I pulled back the three layers of liner and cloth and excavated a little nook in the already semi hidden back corner.
This will have to do. :) the sun was already coming over the house. The rubber liner gets very hot 🥵. Glad it didn’t take too long.
There will be a rock or some sort of wall below and in front of the crate to further support and hide it.
Oh, and now that the liner and stuff is all back, the 🐜 ants can go back to their regularly scheduled ant-ing.
#diy #backyardpond #hot #ants #gardening #homeimprovement #portalberni

I feel like I disrespected the backyard. So here is some backyard blooming and fruiting love! See the hazelnut!?
#bloomscrolling #fruit #grapes #rhubarb #portalberni #yard #diy #poolPond