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How To Find And Repair A Hole In A Pond Liner

Aaron Boyd May 14, 2023

If you see that your pond water is getting lower there could be an issue. In fact, you might want to check your outdoor pond liner for holes or leaks.

Leaks in your pond are a common culprit of lost pond water. It is not hard fixing this issue, but you want to have the right information to get the job done right. There are many tools and products that can help seal up and repair holes and leaks.

We will talk about some of the pond repairing products you can use in this post. This way you know how to find and repair a hole in a pond liner!

Sometimes other issues can be causing your problem as well. So it is imperative that you know how to find liner leaks correctly!

Knowing If Your Liner Is Leaking

We will get into the step by step process needed to find holes and leaks. Before this though, you need to consider the cause of your lowered pond water. It’s good to repair your liner if it has a hole in it.

However, you want to make sure that your pond liner actually has a hole. This way you don’t waste time doing repairs on a liner that is not broken.

Sometimes, ponds lose water for other reasons. For example, a gradual loss of water over a long period of time is normal. The outdoor climate leads to water evaporation in ponds. And when the weather turns warmer, pond water can be lost at an even faster rate.

So doing something to your pond liner is not likely to help in this situation. If water is evaporating fast though, and there is a hole, you will want to do some repairs though.

Climate is not the only thing that effects pond water levels. Waterfalls in an outdoor pond can actually increase the evaporation process and cause extra water loss as well. Still, even if this is the case, you should not have a ton of water loss in a single day.

More than two inches of water loss in twenty-four hours can be indicative of a liner leak. That or there is something wrong with the machinery in your pond. Skimmer or pumps can sometimes leak. So check on these devices as well.

Really, think about all of this and make a note of water loss. Do this before you start buying anything to fix a pond leak. This way you do not waste money or time!

How To Find And Repair A Hole In A Pond Liner – Step By Step

Video: “How to Find A Pond Leak “

In this next part of the post, we’ll show you exactly how to find and repair a hole in your pond liner.

With this step by step instruction, your pond liner should be fixed in no time at all.

1

Check Your Liner For Damage

It makes sense, but the first thing you want to do is check your liner for any type of damage. You might see a hole or leak if it is close to the surface of your pond. If you cannot find the damage easily, you should let your pond drain naturally on its own. Once it has leveled out you can see where the water is leaving your liner.

Still, not everyone has the patience for this. If you want, you can remove some of the water yourself. You do not have to take a ton of water out all at once though.

At first, you just want to give yourself a better view of your liner. Slowly let the water out. If the damage isn’t deep, you will find where the water is escaping through.

However, if you lower the water and you still can’t find the spot of leakage move to the next step. You might have to take your pets out of the water, to keep them safe!

2

Take Your Fish Out

If the hole in your pond is deep in the liner you should take your pet out. Have another vessel or tank to store your pet in for the short term. If the leak is near the bottom of your outdoor pond you’ll need to take a lot of water out.

Most pet fish don’t like big changes in the water level while they are in a pond. So move your pet carefully and gently into another container.

Once your pet is secure and safe you can keep draining water out of your pond. Again, you can do this naturally, or remove some yourself. Start looking around your pond. Look where the water is leaving your manmade body of water.

A larger hole is going to be easier to spot of course. But if it is smaller consider adding some dye or even milk to your water. A light color will stand out more and let you find the hole much easier. We recommend using condensed milk if you want to find smaller pond leaks!

Don’t put a ton of it in but just enough to tinge the water a bit.

When you have found the hole in your pond liner, you need to do some assessment. Some pond liner damage is easier to fix than others. You want to decide earlier on whether you are going to seal it or get a new liner.

In some cases, the damage might be too extensive to fix. In particular, if your liner is getting older or just full of leaks it might be beyond saving. If it’s in that bad of shape get a new pond liner. It might cost you some extra money. But having your pond leak all the time is bad for your fish!

However, if the hole is small your probably better off just patching up your liner instead of buying a new one. We’ll talk about some products to use to quickly patch up these less serious leaks later on.

When you choose a repair method, you want to consider the material of your pond liner. The magnitude of the damage should be thought about as well. Some sealant options will be able to fix larger leaks and worse damage so this is important. Really, there are many different types of repair options that can be used.

Pond Repair Kit

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For smaller damage in a liner, a repair kit for liners can be used. Even if you have medium-sized holes this option can be utilized. Usually, repair kits are not too expensive. They are easy to use on ponds, and you can easily paint over your pond patch. This way the damage is less visible.

Kits are great overall because they include a lot of different tools. You get a patch, something to smooth out your liner, and even gloves. However, this is not the best choice if you have a lot of holes or very big holes in your pond liner!

Pond Sealant

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If you don’t want to use a kit though, a sealant is a good alternative method. A sealant takes care of all kinds of holes. Again, this isn’t going to repair old or extensively damaged liner. But it is good for a small fix.

The best part about sealants is that the application of this product is simple and easy. Merely spray this item over your damaged liner and let it dry for a little.

Your pond will be repaired in no time with this!

Pond Sealant Tape

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You can also use sealant tape on leaks, especially for longer leaks. But you need sealant liquid to effectively use this method of repair. Sealant tapes are one of the harder repair methods though.

They can take up a lot of time, and it can be difficult to get the hole completely sealed without a lot of experience. Other methods should be tried first before this.

And if your pond holes are very large, you’ll have to replace your liner. No one wants to do this. But it’s better to replace your liner if it isn’t up to standard. If you have to go with this option, don’t get a cheap liner. Higher quality products last longer in a pond.

So really, it’s in your best interest to invest your money in a better product.

Most pond repair methods require a dry surface to work. If you are not going to replace your liner either drain your water or take the liner out. Again, if the leak isn’t too deep, you can drain part of the pond.

Afterward, wipe down the damaged area well. It needs to be absolutely clean and free of water for the best results. If the damage is near the bottom of the pond you should get all the water out or take the liner out. Then dry the hole or leak well!

Make sure the area around the damage is dry too.

After this, get your tools out and prepare to apply them to your pond liner. If you decide to use a kit or a tape, get you primer out. You will need to apply this liquid before putting on your patch or tape.

This will help keep moisture out and prevent the leak from reopening!

In addition to priming the area of damage, you want to prepare your patch or tape. You want your patch or sealant tape to fit over the hole or leak well.

Get some scissors to cut it to the right size. Also, try cutting the adhesive material in a rounder shape. This helps with longevity and keeps your liner sealed longer!

If you are just using sealant simply spray down the liner area that has a hole. Then let it dry for at least eight hours. Some sealants take less time to dry, and some sealants are even waterproof. Look at the packaging of your product and follow all the directions.

If you have a patch and a seal, you can even spray down your patch with sealant. This isn’t strictly necessary, but it can keep leaks even better protected!

With tape or patches, there is one final step. Just get rid of any air bubbles or creases. This will keep your leak or hole safe and more resilient.

Your kit should have something to smooth over your patch. If not get something hard to smooth out the area of damage.

Once everything is cured and properly dried, you can put your liner back into your pond. At this point, you can also start refilling your pond and get your fish back in too!

Do all of this carefully. You don’t want to create more damage to your liner by being rough with it.

And you don’t want to stress your fish out by dumping them carelessly back into your pond!

Conclusion

It can be hard figuring out how to find and repair a hole in a pond liner. Damage is not always immediately obvious in a pond liner, especially below your water.

This post went over the basics of liner repair. We talked about how you can find pond liner holes and leaks. We also talked about different methods to repair liners. Kits, sealants, and tape are some of the choices available to pond owners.

All of these repair choices can help fix small leaks and holes.

They can even help with medium-sized holes. Still, you want to replace your liner is the damage is too extensive. Not all pond liners can be repaired. So you want to figure out whether a repair or a replacement is right for you.

You should know how to find and repair a hole in a pond liner though. Especially if you choose the repair route!