Water GardeninG and Pond SuPPlieSWater GardeninG and Pond SuPPlieS

(405) 273-83637901 N. KicKapoo • ShawNee, oK 74804

www.poNdproShop.com

LargeSt water gardeN Store iN oKLahomaLargeSt water gardeN Store iN oKLahoma

Build A Disappearing Stream/Waterfall

Build A Disappearing Stream/Waterfall

Sizing your Stream or waterfall reServoir

a good rule of thumb for waterfall reservoirs is to make the reservoir 3 times the volume of the total water in the stream or waterfall.

eXamPle: your stream is 3’ wide and 20’ long and has an average depth of 3”. use the water volume formula to get the total water

volume of the stream and waterfall.

3’ wide x 20’ long x .25’ depth x 7.5 = 112.5 gal. 112.5 x 3 = 337.5

your stream or waterfall basin will need to hold 337.5 gal. of water.

eStimating water volume in gallonSKnowing the amount of water in your water feature helps in determining the correct pond pump, pond filter, fish quantities and water treatments you will need for your koi pond or water garden.

eXamPle: your pond is 10’ wide, 12’ long and 2’ deep at the deepest point. lets place these numbers into the formula.

10 x 12 x 2 = 240 cubic feet 240 x 7.5 = 1800 gallons

your pond holds roughly 1800 gallons of water. you can also use this formula when determining the size of the reservoir for a pondless waterfall.

width x length x Depth = Cubic feetCubic feet x 7.5 = gallons

radius x radius x 3.14 x Depth = Cubic feetCubic feet x 7.5 = gallons

formula for determining water volume for a rectangular pond. formula for determining water volume for a circular pond.

How muCH liner Do you neeD?Sometimes figuring out how much liner you need can be pretty complicated. use this formula to determine the amount of liner you will need for your water feature. always allow an extra 1.5’ of overlap around the pond’s perimeter. include 3’ in length & width.

eXamPle: your pond is 12’ long, 10’ wide and 2’ deep at the deepest point. lets place these numbers into the formula.

12’ + 2’(2) + 3’ = 19’ 10’ +2’(2) + 3’ = 17’

your liner needs to be 19’ long x 17’ wide. you can also use this formula when determining the size liner for the reservoir of a pondless waterfall.

max length + twice the Depth + 3 = liner length max width + twice the Depth + 3 = liner width

formula for determining the liner length formula for determining the liner width

DeCiDing tHe waterfall flow ratethe waterfall flow rate is how much water is flowing over a waterfall or stream to achieve the desired affect. the more water that flows over the waterfall the louder the sound of running water will be.

• light flow = 100 gallons per hour (gph) per inch of spillway• medium flow = 150 gph per inch of spillway• High flow = 200 gph per inch of spillway

width of Spillway x Desired flow rate = total gPH

you will need a pump that will be able to pump this much water at the height of the waterfall after it overcomes the head pressure.

eXamPle: you want your waterfall to have a 24” spillwaylight flow ...........24” Spillway x 100 gph = 2,400 gphmedium flow ......24” Spillway x 150 gph = 3,600 gphHeavy flow .........24” Spillway x 200 gph = 4,800 gph

Sizing a PumP for your waterfall

to determine the size pump you will need for your waterfall, you will need to know the waterfall flow rate, the length of tubing, the height of the waterfall, and the number of elbow & t fittings used.

add 1’ of head for every 10’ of tubing and 1’ of head for every elbow or t fitting used.

eXamPle: your waterfall is 24” wide and requires 3,600 gph and is 4’ above ground level and has 10’ of tubing and 2 elbow fittings.

4’ high + 1’ for tubing + 2’ for fittings = 7’ of head

you will need a pump that provides 3,600 gph at 7’ of head to achieve the desired effect of the waterfall or stream.

waterfall Height + 1’ of head per 10’ of hose + fittingstotal Head Pressure

get tHe rigHt Size tubingonly a certain amount of water can physically fit through any

diameter of tubing. Despite the dimensions of the pumps discharge, tubing must be sized based on the amount of water required

tubing Size 1/2” 3/4” 1” 1 1/4” 1 1/2” 2” 2 1/2” 3” 4”max flow 300 720 1,200 2,000 3,000 4,800 6,000 9,000 12,000

1 Waterfall Filter or Weir - Di�uses the water for a smooth �ow.

2 Tubing - Allows water to �ow from the pump to the Waterfall Filter.

3 Liner Underlay - Protects liner from items that could damage the liner.

4 Pond Liner - Allows water to �ow without soaking into theground and keeps dirt from mixing with water.

5 EcoBlox - Used to open up the waterfall basin so less rocks are used. Each EcoBlox has a 31.5 gallon capacity.

Pump Vault - Used to keep debris from reaching the waterfall pump. Also allows easy access to the waterfall pump.

7

6 Waterfall Pump - Circulates water from the bottom of thewaterfall basin to the waterfall ­lter.

8 Waterfall Reservoir - Stores the water that is pumped to the top of the waterfall

9 Cobblestone - Used to hide the liner in the streambed andthe large stones in the waterfall reservoir.

10 Fieldstone - Used to create small waterfalls and focal points within the waterfall. It’s also used to ­ll in the waterfall reservoir.

1

56

3 4

89

102

7

Some General Rules for Waterfalls:To determine the size of your reservoir, ­rst calculate the volume of the stream with this formula:

Length x Width x .33 x 7.5 = gallons of water in the stream

For example: 12’ long x 2’ wide x .33 x 7.5 = 59.4 gallons of water

The reservoir should be at least 2-3 times stream volume.

59.4 x 3 = 178.2 gallons of water is what your reservoir will need to hold

A reservoir ­lled with rock or blocks, only holds about 40% water and about 80% water with EcoBlox. To calculate the volume of water in the reservoir, use this formula:

Length x Width x Depth x 7.5 x .4 (.8 if using

EcoBlox) = gallons in the reservoir

A 5’ x 5’ x 2.5’ hole with rocks/blocks would yield 187.5 gallons of water.

5 x 5 x 2.5 x 7.5 x .4 = 187.5

A 5’ x 5’ x 2.5’ hole with EcoBlox would yield 375 gallons of water.

5 x 5 x 2.5 x 7.5 x .8 = 375

Disappearing Stream/WaterfallSection View

(405) 273-83637901 N. Kick ap o o • Shawnee, OK 74804

w w w.p ondproshop.com

(405) 273-83637901 N. Kick ap o o • Shawnee, OK 74804

w w w.p ondproshop.com

1

56

3

48

2

7

Disappearing WaterfallPlan View

1 Waterfall Filter or Weir - Di�uses the water for a smooth �ow.

2 Tubing - Allows water to �ow from the pump to the Waterfall Filter.

8 Berm - mound using rocks, blocks, and dirt. This is used to raise the waterfall �lter or weir from ground level causing a slope for the water to run down.

4 EcoBlox - Used to open up the waterfall basin so less rocks are used. Each EcoBlox has a 31.5 gallon capacity.

Pump Vault - Used to keep debris from reaching the waterfall pump. Also allows easy access to the waterfall pump.

3

5 Waterfall Reservoir - Stores the water that is pumped to the top of the waterfall

7 Cobblestone - Used to hide the liner in the streambed and the large stones in the waterfall reservoir.

6 Fieldstone - Used to create small waterfalls and focal points within the waterfall. It’s also used to �ll in the waterfall reservoir.

Some General Rules for Waterfalls:

A 1/2” deep water �ow at the weir (the

part the water falls o of ) requires 100

gallons per hour (gph) per inch of

width. Most residential disappearing

waterfalls are twice that.

To determine pump �ow at the falls,

refer to the manufacturer’s pump

chart. Head pressure may be

calculated using 1 foot of pressure for

each foot of height above water level

and 1 foot of pressure for each 10 foot

of tubing after the �rst 10 foot.

Notes:

Components of a waterfall/streamComponents of a waterfall/stream