Pond Liners: What to Know Before You Buy
Water features, like ponds and waterfalls, transform ordinary landscapes into customized oases. Pond liners ensure that your favorite water feature is maintained for optimal enjoyment. Retain water effectively and easily by choosing from a variety of liners on eBay to suit your specific needs.
Where are pond liners used?PVC is used in many landscaping projects, from gardens to ponds. PVC pond liners are flexible, easy to install, and include UV protection to help prevent sun damage. They may be used in a number of ways, including:
- As water-permeable barriers for ponds and water gardens
- To keep rock gardens from gaining seed banks in the soil
- To create natural bird baths in a landscape
- In rain garden construction
- On the edge of pool patios to prevent overflow
- To create natural swimming or recreation areas
Many pond liners come in pre-formed depressions. However, calculations are necessary if you are buying sheet-style liner material. You will need to measure the depth, width, and length of your pond and multiply to determine the surface area you need to cover. Now you can determine sheet size. Round up instead of down so that you have enough liner to sufficiently overlap.
If you need to connect sheets by seaming, then you will want to have excess. Seaming requires melting one sheet into another to create a single sheet that is strong enough to retain water. A seaming kit is a good tool to have on hand during the installation process. These kits will assist you if your size calculations are off.
How long do liners typically last?Depending on the type of pond and the type of liner, as well as your climate conditions, replacement times may vary. However, as a general rule, plastic pond liners are typically designed to last 10 years on average, unless the specific product offers a longer or shorter lifespan on the product page. Some liners will intentionally last a shorter period and are made of biodegradable plastics. Others may last longer if they are UV-resistant. Thickness, material type, placement and maintenance will all be factors in how long your liners actually last.
What shapes of liners can you find?Liners may come in sheets or they may come as pre-molded forms. Some common shapes for pre-molded liners include:
- Round: Can be large or small and is commonly used for birdbaths and small ponds
- Oval: A common shape used for medium and larger ponds and water gardens
- C-shaped: Can be used to collect water at the base of a bank or cliff; rain gardens use these liners a lot
- Rectangular: Common for more formal French-inspired water gardens or Japanese gardens
- Irregular: "Natural" looking forms with no geometric shape