Worried your Oklahoma City water feature might be leaking? Well, you’ve come to the right place! In this post, you can find out the signs your water feature is leaking. You can also find out what we recommend you do to determine where the leak is and how to fix it. It’s the same steps we take during our leak detection and repair service.

Is It A leak?

If you’re losing 2 to 3 inches per week, it’s probably a leak. Now we have to see where the leak is.

Turn off any auto-fill devices and let the pond continue leaking. If you keep losing water after 12 hours, let it continue draining. The point of this is to watch and see where the water level settles. Once it does, we know the leak is somewhere above the water level.

90% of the time the leak is a low liner edge in the stream. Low liners let the water run over it and into your yard. If it isn’t this then it’s likely a leak in the plumbing.

A lot of the time, finding a pond leak takes a lot of work. Our techs are constantly on their hands and knees checking liner, looking around rocks, and checking the plumbing.

The Milk Method To Find A Pond Leak

If you suspect a leak, take some milk or dye and add it to your pond. Watch the path it takes. If there’s a leak, some or all of the milk should go towards it and then out into your yard. It’s efficient but it doesn’t always work.

5 Methods For How To Fix Pond Liner Leaks

Fixing pond liner leaks depends on damage size. Sometimes all you need to do is reposition the liner. Pond leak sealant is great for small repairs. Repair kits are for medium-sized repairs. Joining tape is for adding more liner. If the damage is bad enough you may need a whole new liner.

1. Reposition Your Liner

Sometimes the liner just needs to be put back into place. The ground around it may be settling, the weather may have pushed something out of place, or anything else could’ve happened.

Whatever the reason, the liner isn’t where it should be and it’s swamping your yard. You can just put it back where it’s supposed to be and shore it up with dirt or mulch or gravel.

2. Using Pond Liner Sealant For Small Damages

Basically just like painting except you use heavy coats to build up your waterproof membrane.
1. Drain the water down below to the hole
2. Dry the area around it
3. Clean with scrub pad
4. Lay liner down flat
5. Use the roller to apply sealant, may need multiply coats
6. Wait for it to dry
7. Refill your pond

It’s easy to use, blends in well with existing liner. The downsides are you have to drain the pond, clean and dry the damaged area really good. In addition, these liquid products take multiple coats and take a while to dry.

3. Pond Liner Repair Kit

It’s kind of like sewing a patch onto clothes but without the sewing part. Most repair kits come with a primer, a self-sticking patch, and a roller. They come in 2-by-2 inch squares and go up to 30×30 inch squares.

1. Drain the water down to the hole
2. Dry the area around it
3. Apply the primer
4. Cut the patch into a circle
5. Use the roller to apply the patch
6. Wait a few minutes for it to set
7. Refill your pond

It’s easy to use, blends in well, only takes a few minutes to set, and it comes with everything you need. The downsides are you have to drain the pond and dry the damaged area.

4. Pond Liner Joining Tape

It may just be your pond contractor didn’t leave enough liner around the sides. No need to get a whole new liner if there’s no damage or just a small one. You can use pond liner joining tape (it’s sticky on both sides) and some extra liner.

1. Clean and dry the liner
2. Apply primer
3. Stick the old and new liner together using the double-sided joining tape
4. Wait while it sets
5. Tuck it into place

Pond liner joining tape is great for small damages and resealing skimmer boxes. But the liner needs to be dry to work and it can be hard to prepare.

5. Replacing Your Oklahoma City Pond Liner

When repairing your pond liner costs more than getting a new one, it’s time for the biggest repair method: installing a whole new liner.

1. Drain and clear the pond
2. Remove the old liner
3. Lay down the new liner
4. Put everything back together

Now that you have a few different methods to repair your liner you just need to decide what works best for your situation.