Case Study 2
Adam from Balaclava
Background
Adam is a young professional. He had recently moved into his town house and had a problem with his pond. It was overgrown, he suspected that it might also be losing water and he didn’t want his fish to die. Adam’s pond is the primary feature in his courtyard. It is also viewed through a large window from inside the house and has a 3 metre wide mirror on the wall behind it. This creates the illusion of more space, especially in an inner city courtyard. The gentle splashing of water also takes you away from the sounds of traffic and the hustle and bustle of the world outside. This is his oasis, as well as a place to entertain.
Brief:
Adam wanted us to clean out the pond, find the leak and make it a great environment for his fish.
Solution
Clean the pond
The team @ Oz watergardens drained the pond, caught his fish and set up a temporary holding tank (with an aerating pump) to store them in, while we worked on his pond. The waterlilies and other pond plants were removed, pruned, divided and repotted into fresh soil and stored in the tank with the fish.
Find the leak
Once the pond was thoroughly cleaned out, we were able to find the leak. In this case, the original sealant was flaking away from the concrete.
We reported this to Adam and provided him with a quote to strip back and reseal his pond.
Reseal the pond
The process involved
– Grinding all the pond paint back to the bare concrete
– Cleaning the pond ready for painting.
– Then applying 2 coats of a professional pond sealant.
The mistake that is often made with sealing a pond, is haste. We needed each coat to cure before continuing and we informed Adam of this. We only applied the sealant in weather conditions that were suitable. We monitored the weather and would contact Adam the day before, in order to make arrangements to meet him before he went off to work. Fortunately Adam was patient and there were a few days of dry weather, during our unseasonally wet Summer.
Biological filtration system.
Once all the pond sealant had cured, the pond was thoroughly washed and refilled. We installed a new filter pump and an OASE biological filtration system with an ultraviolet sterilizer. The pond water is pumped through this system every couple of hours and controls green water algae, as well as removing the toxins that build up in the pond from fish waste and other organic debris.
These systems are backed with a Clearwater guarantee.
With the water feature statues put back in place and the fountain pump refitted, we were able to return the plants and fish. A final tidy up and the pond looked pristine again.
Here's what Adam had to say…
“A big thank you to Oz Watergardens for repairing my pond and turning it into a key feature of the backyard.
The finished product exceeds my already high expectations and your professional approach throughout the process was much appreciated. You were able to work around the weather and were considerate of my availability.
I would not hesitate to use Oz Watergardens again for any water garden assistance.
Thanks again.
Kind regards,
Adam.”