Please report failures / bottom drains

[mitten]

I was hesitant to spend the money and risk creating a leak when faced with adding a bottom drain to a liner pond. Also, it is very easy to find written opinions that bottom drains are unneccessary and "just for nuts." Reading internet sales sites was how I ended up with gravel, pump in the pond and Bioforce, non of it cheap.

Well, that was a while ago and several installations later, I've never had a bottom drain leak. Some of my "creative" plumbing has leaked but never a bottom drain. And they were simple. They require only a small amount of patience (all I ever have really) and have greatly improved my experiences with my fish. The digging and planning and routing of pipes is easy too. For me, a nut, it's fun.

The three inch drains which I started with, were the easiest. And were/ are the most disappointing in the pond where I used them, 3000g. I would love to have them in a small pond though, maybe 500 to 1,500 gallons. Four inch drains have been no more trouble and are greatly rewarding. It works. Though I prefer to purchase these items ready made others have fabricated their own. Any leaks there?

So, please report failures / bottom drains. Contractors let us know your service problems. Pond owners let's hear the horror stories of the nincompoop installers. D I Y guys, any mishaps?

[Brutuscz]

I personally know someone who had a bottom drain leak. Unfortunately, it was the middle of the winter. The pond completely emptied and all the fish were lost. When it came time to build my new pond..I chickened out and would not install a bottom drain. Since I was doing all the work myself..I KNEW I would screw it up completely. I use a surface skimmer and external pump of 5600gph. Also, a submersible, solids handling pump on the bottom (at a low spot) that handles 4200gph. It allows me to get the garbage on the surface and at the bottom without fear of a bottom drain failure. I sleep a little better at night this way.

[jnorth]

Well Mickey i know you asked about failures....but as you pointed out there are tons of stories about drain failures. I have two ponds. Both I built myself and both are liner. Both ponds have cheapo 4" bottom drains. Never a leak...not once. With that said I wish I had bought drains with some sort of screw on dome instead of these crappy press-ons. I learned the hard way that they can come off and when they do the koi like to go check out the drains. After having to redo all the plumbing to get the dead koi out I fixed the problem by installing a settlement chamber on one of the ponds and a Nexus on the other. Now if for some reason the dome comes off and a koi gets in the drain they will be unharmed as they will end up in a settlement instead of a leaf trap or jammed in a pipe that goes from 4" to 2".

[Seefdro Tvneik]

Bottom Drains are a key function for the koi filter. That being said, like Mick said I have come across stories over the internet about the "BOTOOM DRAIN BOMB" which caused ulitiamte destruction of the pond and death to all of the koi.
When I installed my first bottom drain I was very nervous, I tried to investigate where others went wrong and triple checked all my work during the instalation. I also secured the area with a high strength marine silicon. Which is in my opiinion the best adhesive to use for pond liner application. Extra security measures and better materials should make the difference between long-lasting and short-lived ponds. The bottom drains I prefer to use is a pre-fab. Personally I would be a little nervous about installing a DIY. But to each their own. Perhaps their is someone out there which has spent many hours constructing a DIY bottom drain and has created an amazing design. I'm always a fan of unique creative designs.....

My pond has a spindrifiter bottom drain with an aeration dome, then a 4" pipe feeding into a large vortex....... The only problem I have had is making sure my little koi don't get flushed out when I clean the vortex chamber........ Which has happened. Now when I flush out the vortex I do not open up the drain valve all the way until I check the last bit of water left in the vortex for those little koi. If there is no little koi in there I open up the valve all the way.

[Brutuscz]

#1 rule of koi keeping...keep em wet!!!

[moikoi]

BDs is a must have for koi ponds. i know my waterfall leaks hope not the BD too

[mitten]

Yep, pretty much every waterfall leaks. Yet they are on almost every pond, many ponds with an owner who's saying "bottom drains are too risky."

Could it be because bottom drains aren't seen? Waterfalls are? Is this another "because chicks dig it" thing?

[Brutuscz]

Just to show I'm not a hypocrite...no bottom drain...and no waterfall!!! My last pond had a leaky waterfall all the time. So...hollowed out bamboo pole as a return!!! Since I added the 4200gph submersible pump to act as a bottom drain, I am adding more filtration(oase screenex 12..bought for $130 on ebay!!) and another bamboo return. I also want to add..I vacuum the bottom every 1-2weeks as needed. I also have no trees nearby at all...so no mulm on the bottom, just algae and fish waste. Also have 2 large air pumps with alita air diffusers.
I truthfully want bottom drains...but I'm too chicken to do it. So far..this has been working well.

[Seefdro Tvneik]

The only reason I keep koi are for the chicks.....

[moikoi]

Quote: Originally Posted by Brutuscz Just to show I'm not a hypocrite...no bottom drain...and no waterfall!!! My last pond had a leaky waterfall all the time. So...hollowed out bamboo pole as a return!!! Since I added the 4200gph submersible pump to act as a bottom drain, I am adding more filtration(oase screenex 12..bought for $130 on ebay!!) and another bamboo return. I also want to add..I vacuum the bottom every 1-2weeks as needed. I also have no trees nearby at all...so no mulm on the bottom, just algae and fish waste. Also have 2 large air pumps with alita air diffusers. I truthfully want bottom drains...but I'm too chicken to do it. So far..this has been working well.

your pond is more unbelievable then my friend's at least he has a 3200 gal Jmat bio chamber. how many fish in your pond? if fish can stay alive for three yrs you will shock all the koi experts.