Plug leaking farm pond?

[Caver Dave]

I wouldn’t put a washed stone in there. That’s not really doing anything to stop a leak as it has too many voids to let water percolate through.

Definitely was thinking crushed with lots of cinder...

I’d get some fat clay and mix in some bentonite and pour it in and tamp and repeat as much as possible. The clay and bentonite should work together to seal up any holes. Once the bentonite gets wet and expands, it should fill and small missed voids.

And where would us mortals find such? And based on what I can SEE down the hole, guesstimate quantity?

 

[77GreenMachine]

What about hydraulic Waterstop from Quikrete? Mix it up, pour it in and then vibrate it and pour some more.

 

[TonkaToy]

Chicken Manure works. I had bad cracks in bedrock in the deepest part of my pond. Had a buddy back up and spread a load in it. It finds the cracks or holes and as it absorbs the water it compacts and seals it. Mine has been holding water fine for 3 years now. Since yours is in one end try not to put it throughout the pond. You will get buildup of weeds on the top. Sterile Carp have been able to maintain it since.

GL

 

[R Q]

Chicken Manure works. I had bad cracks in bedrock in the deepest part of my pond. Had a buddy back up and spread a load in it. It finds the cracks or holes and as it absorbs the water it compacts and seals it. Mine has been holding water fine for 3 years now. Since yours is in one end try not to put it throughout the pond. You will get buildup of weeds on the top. Sterile Carp have been able to maintain it since.

GL

I've heard that this works.

 

[Caver Dave]

Spoke to one of the locals that admitted to "pulled a 10' log outta the uphill side many years ago" and indicated that was right where the current hole...

Still hunting a source for "phat clay" & bentonite semi-local... since nobody but @rockcity knows what it is

 

[R Q]

Have you chcked with any well drilling companies? They should have or know where to get that product. They have to seal off old wells sometimes and thats what they use.

 

[rockcity]

Well supply house will have plenty of bentonite. And fat clay is sticky clay. Less sand the better. It’s kind of greasy when you put it in your hand and is really moldable and sticks together and holds its shape really well. Look for a clay with a liquid limit over about 45%. It will swell some when introduced to water. It’s not super stable for a dam but should work well to seal some cracks and piping. Find a borrow pit and tell them you need clay to seal water. They should know what you are talking about.

 

[rockcity]

This is what I would use.

 

[77GreenMachine]

I know what Bentonite is and may have some in stock. I’ll check Monday.


I didn’t speak up because you said it was too costly. I have money other hydrophilic options in stock as well.

We had a new guy one who pulled the order of “bentonite” and mistakenly grabbed betonomit. That was a disaster and we had to pay for the guys retaining wall to be repaired. So the difference is burned in my brain now

 

[Caver Dave]

This is what I would use.

To make sure I understand correctly, the "time-release" part would give me additional "working time" to either pour (vertical) or ram/pack (horizontal) it as far into the hole as possible, allowing more of it to be put further into the hole (better chance of it sealing) before it starts bridging/swelling/sealing?

Where "regular" (uncoated) granulated bentonite would "detonate" (begin bridging/swelling/sealing) as soon as it touches anything wet, too close to the surface?

I know what Bentonite is and may have some in stock. I’ll check Monday.

I didn’t speak up because you said it was too costly.

Not necessarily too costly, just wasn't sure how much I'd need to effectively plug the hole... without ordering a literal TON of it and then only using a tiny bit.

 

[rockcity]

This is correct. You want the TR so you have time to work it. The coating will melt away over time (in this case, “30” means 30 minutes). You can get more time if 30 isn’t enough.

If you didn’t have coated pellets, it would swell immediately and make it much more difficult to work with and much less effective.

 

[Caver Dave]

Despite thinking I should wait for warmer weather... armed with 50# of TR30 pelletized bentonite and some tools, decided yesterday was the day. Used the bar to clear the vertical passage at bottom (trending to horizontal), poured in the pellets, tamped it a bit, and began layers of red clay and crush&run. Fingers crossed it holds longer this time!

 

[Caver Dave]

And after less than 24 hours, we're at "full pond" again! Appears overflow output is once again matching input supply. Will monitor it for a few days to keep the standpipe clear from all the loose stuff (leaves, sticks, grass) that blew in, now beginning to float and circulate that way...