The benefits of a box welded pond liner
So, you have decided you want to build a formal shaped pond in your garden and can’t decide which will be the best way to line your build. Choices include a prefabricated glass fibre pond, a sheet 2-D liner or a box-welded pond liner. Each option has it’s merits as well as features that need some further consideration before making your final decision.
- A pre-formed pond has design limitations – you have to select from a manufacturers selection of shapes and sizes. So if you want to be creative and have the flexibility of adding additional features such as fountain or waterfall then this may not be the right choice for you.
- Flat sheet pond liners are flexible and easy to fit into the contours of any pond design. However, if you are planning a more formal vertically sided pond build then the installation of a flat sheet pond liner will mean folds at the corners for a neat finish. If you are building a pond for Koi then this type of pond liner may not be ideal because debris can collect in the folds and affect the health of pond water. For a formal pond, folds and creases will detract from the over-all look.
- Box-welded pond liners – probably the only limitation if you like is that you need to send in exact dimensions for a perfect fit. But for any formal pond design and for Koi ponds this type of pond liner is ideal.
Today, the most commonly used material for a box-welded pond liner is an Epalyn EP (EPDM) synthetic rubber. This type of pond liner is unaffected by temperature extremes or by UV light and won’t perish or become brittle with age. Epalyn EP is also highly resistant to compressive loads and rodent attack. It has a slightly greater tensile and tear strength than butyl rubber.
The decision as to whether to line your pond with a flat sheet or with a custom-made box welded pond liner is generally based on the design of the pond you are planning to create. For an ornamental or regular-shaped pond your objective should always be to achieve a lining with as few folds and creases as possible, as these will trap debris and are difficult to keep clean. Fish and plant waste can accumulate in these crevices and produce pathogens that will affect the quality of your water and the health of any fish. This is especially true for koi carp which are particularly susceptible to impurities in their water.
The advantage of vertical sides is that dead material won’t get trapped and will fall to the bottom where it can be vacuumed up or where it will slide down a gentle slope towards a bottom drain.
For organically-shaped with sides that slope to the bottom the only realistic option is to use a flat sheet of liner and accept that some folds and creases will be necessary to shape it to the contours of the hole you have excavated.
Using a box welded pond liner doesn’t mean you have to have a square pond. A combination of rounded and square shapes can be combined. Think about each element of the liner and how it will fit together. A circular or oval pond, for example, will have three main elements – a horizontal perimeter which will lie around the edge of the pond, the vertical side, which would be made from a single strip wrapped around the wall of the pond, and the base. So long as a side panel or base, planting shelf or a perimeter can be made from a flat piece of liner without folding or creasing, then your design should be possible.
Box-Welded Pond Liner Experience
Our team has many years’ experience building box welded pond liners, which are cut and weld to the exact shape of your pond. They are always available to give advice on what can be achieved. Some examples of our box-welded pond liners can be seen on our website. The EPDM material we use is Epalyn EP, which is particularly suited to the vulcanisation process used to bond the elements of a liner together and carries a lifetime guarantee on liners up to 100m2.