AWM Water Features
  • Home
  • Services
    • New Installations >
      • Waterfalls
      • Ponds / Water Gardens
      • Recreation / Swim Ponds
      • Decorative
    • Service & Maintenance >
      • Pond Cleanings
      • Seasonal Pond Maintenance
      • Closing/Winterization
    • Repairs & Renovations
    • Pond Enhancements
    • Lake & Pond Management >
      • Algae & Weed Control
      • Fountains / Aeration
      • Vegetation Management
      • Water / Sediment Testing
  • Galleries
    • Ponds
    • Waterfalls
    • Decorative Water Features
    • Wetland Filters
  • Learn
    • The Pond Guy Vlog
    • AWM Blog
    • AWM Vlog
    • Helpful Resources
  • About
    • Our Mission
    • Ecosystem Mindset
    • Meet The Team
    • Events
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Services
    • New Installations >
      • Waterfalls
      • Ponds / Water Gardens
      • Recreation / Swim Ponds
      • Decorative
    • Service & Maintenance >
      • Pond Cleanings
      • Seasonal Pond Maintenance
      • Closing/Winterization
    • Repairs & Renovations
    • Pond Enhancements
    • Lake & Pond Management >
      • Algae & Weed Control
      • Fountains / Aeration
      • Vegetation Management
      • Water / Sediment Testing
  • Galleries
    • Ponds
    • Waterfalls
    • Decorative Water Features
    • Wetland Filters
  • Learn
    • The Pond Guy Vlog
    • AWM Blog
    • AWM Vlog
    • Helpful Resources
  • About
    • Our Mission
    • Ecosystem Mindset
    • Meet The Team
    • Events
  • Contact

In the Know About H2O

Is My Pond Leaking or Just Evaporating?

2/7/2022

0 Comments

 
Figuring out if and then where your water feature is leaking can be a frustrating process. The key is to not despair and approach the problem with a logical process. The first step is to determine if the water loss is actually from a leak or just due to normal evaporation. 
Picture
The calculation below explains how much water loss to expect from evaporation:
1/2% (Shaded, Little Wind) - 1% (Full Sun & Wind) of the Gallons Per Hour (GPH) being pumped / Day
Evaporation can easily cause 1’’ or more of water level drop per week! Here’s an example:​
3,000 GPH Pump after head loss has approx. 2,500 GPH of actual output
2,500 x .005 = 12.5 gallons on the low end
2,500 x .01 = 25 gallons upper end
*This is just the average evaporation rate. The rate will fluctuate throughout a season based on relative humidity, temperature, wind direction and velocity, sunniness, etc.
To turn these numbers into an actual level of water loss on a pond you need to calculate the total square footage of the pond or pondless waterfall.
Example:
11’x16’ pond = 176 sq. ft.
But it’s not a rectangle and it has a rock perimeter, to compensate for this multiply by .8 or .75 for irregular shapes

176 x .8 = 140 sq. ft.
140 x .62(gal/sq. ft. x 1” deep) = 86.8 gallons for the top 1” of water
Back to the evaporation numbers; let's use 1/2% saying it’s shaded and protected from wind
86.8 divided by 12.5 = 6.9 days before the pond loses 1” of water 
If it’s full sun and wind - 1% evaporation:
86.8 divided by 25 = 3.5 days for 1” of water loss 

If you are losing more water than evaporation alone can account for then it very well could be a leak. Check out our leak detection article or contact us to help you fix it!
Picture
Find A Leak
Contact Us
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Write something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview.

    Archives

    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    August 2023
    June 2023
    August 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Picture
AWM Water Features​
​616-460-3966

3357 Brooklyn Ave Grand Rapids, MI 49508
CONNECT WITH US!
Photos from Josh Montague, Axel Bührmann