New Waterfall In the Front Yard...

[Lonnybass]

Good morning -

We decided to add another aquatic element to our backyard setup by installing a waterfall feature in the front, near the front door. The basin capacity is roughly 75 gallons with an 18" emitter installed about five feet above. I'll be using an Aspen pump placed at the bottom of the feature.

Given all I have learned from TFP over the past few years about water chemistry, I'm debating what the best approach should be for keeping the waterfall clean and clear. Especially considering all the various chemicals and additives on the market for waterfalls and water features, I'm a little hesitant to use any of them considering all the gunk that is sold for pools. Are there any commercially available chemicals that are worth using, or should I simply follow the same TFP approach I use to keep my pool chemically balanced? Would love some thoughts - we're about two to three days out from filling the basin for the first time. Thank you!

 

[kimkats]

You tell us about this waterfall but don't share pics??? Pay up!!

Run it like a small pool or spa as far as FC and CYA. Since you have been on TFP for a while you know the falling of the water will push your pH up and fast. I am not sure if you need to worry about it that much. What is the waterfall made of?

 

[Lonnybass]

As requested, here it is!

 

[Newdude]

Hey Lonny !! For 75 gallons I’d take the easiest approach possible and get a little bit of CYA in there and over treat with chlorine. For a few caps of chlorine you can bring it up to SLAM once a week and if it gets out of whack occasionally, drain it for $2 in new water. (I estimated high for San Diego). It would be 2 cents or less for most of us).

Of course, being Californian and mindful of the environment you can repurpose the old water for plants or whatnot so long as it’s not overly chlorinated.

 

[Lonnybass]

You tell us about this waterfall but don't share pics??? Pay up!!

Run it like a small pool or spa as far as FC and CYA. Since you have been on TFP for a while you know the falling of the water will push your pH up and fast. I am not sure if you need to worry about it that much. What is the waterfall made of?

Ok so the waterfall basin poured concrete that was sealed with epoxy yesterday morning, and today is being topcoated with the two-step DuraSeal primer + pool surface paint. The wall surface is porcelain tile. Every pond and waterfall manufacturer appears to be anti-chlorine, probably in a bid to get people to buy their own proprietary bottles of algaecide. But this seems an awful lot like the retail pool model, where the stores exist simply to sell 500 different chemicals that no one really needs.

So basically just set up the waterfall as a 75 gallon pool and treat it otherwise the exact same as I would my actual pool, and test and treat accordingly? The point about pH rise from aeration is a very good one.

 

[yblaser]

With aeration and evaporation scale is going to be the biggest issue. I might consider just using 1" spa tablets as they will help keep the pH down you won't have to manually add chlorine and acid as often. Change out the water monthly to keep the CH and CYA in check. The only concern with the tablet is you do not want it to be sitting directly on the bottom as the local low pH and high chlorine might discolor or damage the surface. Of course I have a small ratty fountain and if I have had something as nice looking as yours I might be willing to spend more time testing and manually adjusting the chemistry.

 

[Lonnybass]

A lot of very good points here. My biggest concerns are around two things:

1) Scale buildup due to our crappy hard water in otherwise lovely San Diego

2) Any chemical damage to the Italian tile, resulting in my wife killing me and rendering me unable to participate in any further TFP discussions.

I don't mind doing the water chemistry adjustments and my Taylor kit + TFP methodology has made it a breeze to manage my pool, so theoretically using the same approach with my new waterfall should be no problem.

Obviously CH and CYA are important, but should I also ensure that pH and TA adjusted as well? Not sure what is necessary since it won't be used for swimming, but I do want to protect the pump and plumbing. Would love any further thoughts - thanks guys!

Lon

 

[mknauss]

75 gallons
Dump it each week. Add a bit of bleach every other day.

 

[Lonnybass]

Good news...the waterfall is finished and it looks beautiful...

Bad news...the contractor failed to seal the block wall under the tile, and water is seeping through to the back. So the tile all needs to be pulled off, the block wall needs to be sealed, and then have replacement tile applied.

 

[kimkats]

ADULT WORD! ANOTHER ADULT WORD!!!! AND ANOTHER ADULT WORD!!! gurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr