When a pond liner gets a hole, it's annoying. In order to seal the pond liner, you have to use different repair methods for different liners. You can read about what you can do with which film and where there may be problems with sealing in our article.
How can you seal a leaking pond liner?
To seal a leaking pond liner, you should first rule out alternative causes and then find the damaged area. Depending on the pond liner (PVC, EPDM, PE or geotextile), use a suitable repair kit to stick on a patch or apply liquid pond liner. After 2 days of drying time, the pond can be filled again.
Leaks in the pond liner
Even the highest quality pond liner can get a hole at some point. This is usually noticed through massive water losses in the pond.
If there is a leak in the film, action must be taken as soon as possible. But first you should rule out alternative causes:
- Leaks in the filter system (especially in the hose area)
- Pond liner not pulled up enough (especially with new ponds, liner must alwaysover the ground protrude)
- strong evaporation due to high edge planting (especially with reeds or sedges)
If alternative causes are ruled out, the first step is to find the damaged area.
Limit the damage area
Finding the leak in the pond is often not that easy. The best way to do this is to use the water level:
Fill the pond completely and mark the water level every day. From the day when the water level begins to fall only slowly, the water level is at the level of the damaged area. You will then need to examine this area in more detail.
First try to find a larger crack or damaged area by feeling it. If this is unsuccessful, you will need to inspect the affected area very carefully until you find the damaged area.
Repair damage
Sealing is done in different ways depending on the type of pond liner. There are special repair kits available in stores for each pond liner (€15.00 at Amazon), depending on which liner is installed in your pond:
- PVC film (the most common and cost-effective alternative)
- EPDM film (a very high quality and durable film with very good environmental properties)
- PE film (slightly better than PVC film)
- special geotextiles
The repair is usually carried out by applying a sufficiently large patch (at least 15 cm overhang). The patch is stuck onto the cleaned and dry damaged area and is best pressed down with a wallpaper roller.
You can also repair EPDM foil with liquid pond foil. This liquid film is very easy to use. It is simply painted over the damaged area in 2 - 3 layers, whereby each layer must dry.
After around 2 days you can refill your garden pond with water.
Tip
With older PVC films (after a few years of use), adhesives often only hold very poorly because the material has changed in the meantime. In many cases, repairs are quite problematic.
