How to Repair the Pond Liner

A Guide to Fixing Damaged Lining of Your Pond

Inside your pond, several elements such as debris, rocks, and even tree roots can easily tear off your pond liners. Torn off pond liners can cause gradual leakage which eventually leads to the destruction of the surrounding growing plants, aquatic plants, and even fish. Additionally, pond liners that have not been fixed for a while can again allow debris to penetrate and contaminate the pond water whilst the tree roots cause extra damage to the liner.

However, using a good quality pond liner repair and patch kit will easily solve this problem. Using these quick-to-fix repair kits, your pond will be restored in no time. Yet, for the repair process to successfully restore the pond liner to its fully functioning capacity, you must know how to repair the pond liner. So, check out this step-by-step guideline on how to repair the pond liner to make the process easier and less time-consuming.

How to Repair a Torn Pond Liner

Before you repair the pond liner, you must know how to pick the ideal repair patch kit. Your choice is highly affected by the size of the pond liner and its damage.

Pond Liner Repair Kits

Pond liner repair kits are ideally designed for small to medium-sized tears and holes. The benefit of using this type of repair kit is that it offers a full repair solution in the form of a self-sticking repair patch to cover the holes with – so you don’t need to invest in extra adhesives or cleaning material.

 Additionally, the repair kit is normally waterproof and extremely tough on the adhesive side.  Its included primer fluid allows you to clean around the hole before you add the patch whilst the roller removes air after the patch is added. Using this pond liner repair kit, small to medium-sized holes are extremely easy to fix whilst the patches also easily combine well with the pond’s original liner.

 However, if the pond liner is extensively damaged, this repair kit may not be the best repair option.  Additionally, to fix the pond liner using this repair kit, the pond liner must be dry. For this to happen, you must drain the pond water.

How to Repair the Pond Liner Using a Repair Kit

To repair your pond liner using a repair kit or patch, follow these steps:

Step 1 – Locate the leak on the pond liner and determine the patch size required (patch sizes range from 2 inches long by 2 inches wide to 30 inches by 30 inches wide).

Step 2 – If the hole is smaller, opt to use the larger patches by cutting them to the appropriate size. As a rule of thumb, if you don’t know the exact size required, go for larger patches because you can easily cut them down to the required size.

Always cut the patch in a circular shape for optimal coverage. Additionally, using a circular cut patch prevents the sides from fraying, unlike a rectangular or square shaped one.

Step 3 – To install the reair patch, drain the pond water to the leak location.

Step 4 – Clean the leak area using the included primer fluid and dry it.

Step 5 – Apply the repair patch firmly around the hole and hold it in place.

Step 6 – Roll the patch using the included roller to ensure that it is securely set on the liner and remove any air trapped underneath.

Step 7 – After a few minutes, refill the pond with water and presume usage.

Pond Liner Repair Sealants

Pond liner repair sealants are specially designed for very small liner holes and tears that are around an inch to two in width.  They come with the advantage of being easy to use and extremely inexpensive.  Their only drawback is that  they are only designed for very small holes.  Additionally, they are not as durable as repair patches and take longer to dry and set.

How to Repair the Pond Liner Using a Repair Sealants

To repair your pond liner using a repair sealant, follow these steps:

Step 1 – Drain the pond to the leak level and dry the area around the tear. If the leak is very deep in your liner, transfer the fish in an emergency holding container for the night until the sealant is done curing.

Step 2 – Add the sealant directly to the tear using the attached a screw nozzle atop the sealant’s can.

Step 3 – Leave the sealant to rest on the liner for up to 8 hours. It will eventually cure and expand to seal the hole.

Step 4 – Refill the pond and return the fish (if they were removed). You don’t have to worry about the water or fish because the sealant is extremely safe.

Pond Liner Joining Tape

The third repair option is the pond liner joining tape. This type of repair method is ideally built for fixing leaks caused by the need add for extra pond liner. However, you can use it for small holes and for resealing pond skimmer boxes as well.

 However, pond liner joining tapes are not ideal for sealing larger tears.  Additionally, both sides of these tapes are highly sticky which makes pickup debris easier. Furthermore, their double stickiness makes them difficult to prep.

How to Repair the Pond Liner Using a Joining Tape

To repair your pond liner using a joining tape, follow these steps:

Step 1 – Prime each liner location to be used using a liquid primer and a scrubbing brush.

Step 2 – Join the liners together using the double-sided joining tapes.

Step 3 – Leave the liners to settle for a couple of hours until they have securely set and resume usage with water.

Replacing the Pond Liner

However, sometimes, neither of the three repair methods work. In this case, it is a better idea to replace the pond liner. This is especially necessary for instances where the liner has large and multiple holes. Whilst a good quality pond liner replacement can last you for years, it is still quite expensive and requires you to drain and prep the entire pond.

Additionally, you will have to transfer fish to an emergency holding container until the pond liner installation is complete and the pond water is recycled. To ensure you don’t have to replace your pond liner sooner, invest in a pond liner made from rubber material such as PVC.

How to Locate Leaks in Pond Liners

Even with the explained knowledge on how to repair the pond liners, you must still be asking yourself how you locate leaks in pond liners in the first place.

This allows you to visible spot the area where water is escaping because you will see multiple bubbles.

However, the drawback is that you have to transfer your fish to a holding container to ensure they are safe. After identifying the first leak, keep scouring the liner to ensure there are no extra leaks. The smaller the holes are, the more difficult it may be to locate them.

Alternatively, if you can’t easily locate the leak, refill the pond with little amounts of water just above the tear line. Then,  add few amounts of condensed milk to the water.  Thanks to its heavy density, the clear-to-see condensed milk gets easily drawn towards the hole in the pond liner thus, making it easier to identify the hole.

If leaks, holes, and tears in your pond are not fixed over time, excessive water leakage is not the only problem you will experience. Other effects associated with leaking pond liners include easy penetration of debris such as stones and rocks as well as extra sharp objects such as tree roots. Furthermore, a leaking or torn off pond liner can lead to the contamination of the pond water as well.

Conclusion

Upon identifying the holes, tears, and leaks on your pond liner, the next step is to determine whether you will repair or replace it. As previously reiterated, smaller leaks, holes, and tears are quite easy to repair using any of the mentioned methods above – depending on the needs. However, if you have large and multiple holes or tears, you are better off replacing the pond liner with a new one.

This is especially a good idea if your liner is visibly worn out and regularly leaking. Nevertheless, learning how to repair the pond liner goes a long way. Instead of paying a repair guy or even having to constantly replace the pond liner, you can always repair it yourself to save time and costs.