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This leaflet deals with the construction of a pond shell in
concrete. Aspects of pond design and maintenance such as
watercirculationandfiltrationarenotincludedandthereader
isadvisedtogetspecialistinformationontheseatthedesign
stage.
2.Introduction
Themethoddescribedinthisleafletissuitableforpondswith
adiameterorlengthofuptoabout5metres.
The floor and sides of the pond are formed by a fairly thin
continuous concrete shell which is lightly reinforced. No
additionalwaterproofingmembraneisusedandtheconcrete
shell serves as the water container. The surrounding soil is
reliedontosupporttheshellwhenthepondisfullofwater.
Forthesystemtoworksuccessfullyitisimportantthat:
Thepondisconstructedinundisturbedsubsoilandnotin
filledsoil.
The concrete in the shell is thoroughly compacted to
ensurethatitisfreeofvoids.
Manypondsofthistypehaveinrecentyearsbeenconstructed
successfullybothbyprofessionallandscapersanddoityour
selfenthusiasts.
3.Makingprovisionforrainwaterrunoff
Rainwaterwhichfallsonthegardenorpavingsurroundingthe
pond must not be allowed to run into the pond. The area
immediatelyaroundthepondmustthereforebeslopedaway
fromthepondasshowninFigure1.
4.Edgedetail
Itisadvisabletocreateanearlyhorizontal(butslopingdown
awayfromthepond)rimaroundtheedgeofthepond.This
willservetostrengthentheshell.Therimcanbeleftexposed
but will probably look better if it is covered with bricks or
stoneslaidinmortar.SeeFigure1.
Building
afishpond
Figure1:Detailsofedgeofpond
5.Excavating
Excavateinundisturbedsubsoiltotherequiredsizeandshape
allowingforatotalshellthicknessof40to50mm.Thewater
depthshouldbeatleast450mmbut700mmispreferredfor
fish.Thetransitionbetweensideandbottomshouldbecurved
asshowninFigure1sharpcornersaredifficulttobuildand
areweakerthancurves.
6.Liningtheexcavation
Thisisdonetoensurethatthemeshstayscleanandconcrete
usedforthepondisnotcontaminatedbysoil.
7.Spacerblocks
8.Mesh
Youwillneedatleast16blocksforeverysquaremetreofpond
shellincludingtherim.Makespacerblocksofmortarandplace
the head of a75 mm nail in the centre ofeachblock. Block
sizesshouldbe15mmthickby30mmby30mm.Blockdetails
areshowninFigure2.
Figure2:Detailsofspacerblock
Mortarforspacerblocksshouldconsistofamixtureof1part
of cement, 1 part of coarse sand and just enough water to
produceaplasticconsistence.Aftercastingtheblockscover
themwithplasticsheetingfor24hourstopreventdryingout.
Then cure them by keepingthem under water for at least a
week.Fixspacerblocksabout250mmapartinbothdirections
andbypushingthenailthroughtheplasterliningintothesoil
asshowninFigure3.
Figure3:Plasterliningandspacerblock
Placetwolayersofgalvanizedchickenmesh(25mmopenings)
againstthespacerblockssothatthemeshis15mmclearof
theplasterlining.Thetwistedwiresofthetwolayersshould,
asfaraspossible,beatrightanglestoeachotherasshownin
Figure4.Theedgesofthemeshshouldbeoverlappedbyat
least50mmandlapsstaggeredasfaraspossible.Endsofwires
mustbetwistedunderthemeshandnotbeallowedtostick
out.
Figure4:Orientationofmeshlayers
Fixthemeshinpositionwithhookspushedthroughtheplaster
asshowninFigure5.Thehookscanbemadeof4mmthick
wire.
Figure5:Fixingthemesh
Themeshmustbecontinuedintotherimattheedgeofthe
pond.
9.Mixingtheconcrete
AllcementsoldinSouthAfricamustmeettherequirementsof
SANS50197forCommoncementorSANS50413forMasonry
cementandtheNationalRegulatorforCompulsoryStandards
(NRCS)requirementsasdetailedinNRCSVC9085.Bagsshould
beclearlymarkedwiththestrengthgrade,notationindicating
compositionandaLetterofAuthority(LOA)numberissuedby
theNRCS.AnLOAisissuedforeachcementtypefromeach
source. To verify valid LOA numbers contact the NRCS on
0124285199orwww.nrcs.org.za.
NotethatMasonrycementscomplyingwithSANS50413are
notpermittedtobeusedinconcrete.
Concretefortheshellismixedintheproportions:
TypeCEMIorCEMII:
1bag(50kg)
Coarseconcretesand:
65(1xWheelbarrow)
Finepit(plaster)sand:
20
6mmstone:
65(1xWheelbarrow)
10.Notes:
Batchingofconcretematerialsmustbedoneaccurately.
Donotmixmorethanaonebagbatchatatime.
Mixingmaybedoneinaconcretemixerorbyhandona
concreteslaborsteelplate.
Leveloffthewheelbarrowsofsandandstonebyscraping
aplankacrosstherimofthewheelbarrow.
11.Placingandcuringtheconcrete
It is important to place the entire shell in one continuous
operationtoavoidcreatingjointswhichmaybecomelinesof
weakness.Makesurethereforethatsufficientmaterialsand
labourareavailable.
Beforestartingtoplacetheconcreteremoveanyforeign
objectsordebrissuchasleaves,twigs,soillumps,etc.from
theexcavation.
Concreteplacingshouldbedoneintheshadeifatallpossible.
Usingaplastererstrowelwiththecornersroundedoff,press
the concrete through the mesh, filling up to the mesh and
removingthewirehooksasplacingprogresses.
Coverassoonaspossiblewithplasticsheetingtoensurethat
theconcretecuresinamoiststate.Theplasticsheetingshould
preferablybelightcolouredwhiteorclearbecausedark
colourscancauseheattobuildupintheconcrete.Thepond
canbefilledslowlytwodaysafterplacingtheconcretebutthe
covershouldremaininpositionuntilfillingiscomplete.Parts
oftheconcreteshellabovethewaterlevelshouldbekeptwet
andcoveredfortwoweeks.
Iffillinghastobedelayed,keepthecoverovertheshellforat
least two weeks during which time the concrete should be
keptvisiblywet.
Changethewaterafterithasbeeninthepondforafortnight
before stocking with fish and plants. (Several water changes
arebetter.)
12.Quantitiesofmaterials
Aonebagbatchmixedtotheproportionsgivenaboveshould
besufficienttodoabout3m2ofshell.
13.Repairs
Drainthepondbeforeattemptingrepairs.Cracksintheshell
canberepairedasfollows:
(a) Cutoutabandofconcrete15mmdeepby150mmwide
along the crack so that the crack is in the centre of the
band.Donotcutthroughthemesh.
(d)Primethebackandsidesofthegroovewithamixtureof
cementandwatermadetotheconsistenceofthincream.
Theprimingcoatmustbeappliedinaverythinlayer.Do
notprewettheconcretebeforepriming.
(e)Immediatelyafterwards,beforetheprimingcoatcandry
out,packafairlydrymixtureof1partcementand2parts
sandintothegroove.Thesandshouldbefairlycoarseand
whichhasbeenpassedthrougha2,36mmsieve.Compact
the patch using an orbital sander, fitted with a smooth
steelplateonthesurface,fillinganylowareasandscraping
offhighareas.
(f) Keepthepatchdampuntilthepondisfilled.
14.Additionalwaterproofing
For additional waterproofing, if needed, a two part polymer
modified cementitious waterproofing slurry or bituminous
emulsionmaybeappliedtothesurfaceoftheconcrete.
TheConcreteInstitute
POBox168,HalfwayHouse,1685
BlockD,LoneCreek,WaterfallPark,BekkerRoad,Midrand
T0113150300F0113150315
Email:info@theconcreteinstitute.org.za
Website:www.theconcreteinstitute.org.za
Publishedby:TheConcreteInstitute,Midrand,2016
TheConcreteInstitute