| Click to Post a New Message!
Page [ 1 ] |
|
|
|
Building pond--need drain valve
I am getting ready to put in my dam for my pond (partial embankment type). I've measured the water flow during a heavy runoff and found that I was getting about 0.8ft^3/s of water, which coincides with a 6" pipe. I'm overengineering the pipe for safety, and using a 10" pipe which can handle about 4x the flow.
Anyway, I am running the pipe through the dam and into a T that will be anchored in a concrete block. From that T, I will have a stand-pipe for the main drain, and a valve for draining the pond if required.
I am trying to find a valve that will fit at the T inside the pond. The valve should be 6" minimum. I looked at cast gate valves that are used in city water, but they start at $600. I am thinking that an irrigation valve might work, but haven't located one yet. A plastic valve might also work.
Any ideas? Looking for an inexpensive solution. Thanks...
|
|
 Add Photo
Bookmarks: |
|
| |
|
Building pond--need drain valve
Meta, when we do the drain pipes on the ponds in golf courses we try to keep it all as simple and low-tech as possible.
If the valve is strictly to drain the pond, and you don't aticipate using it to lower the water level, I would suggest making up a gate valve.
This need not be anything fancy at all. A piece of pipe welded into the end of a slightly larger steel box with a track for the gate to slide in, a simple rubber gasket on the pipe side will seal quite well once the weight of the water is against it. The gate is operated by means of a lever which hinges up above, like the trap doors in the back of a dump truck. This also gives you a good visual check of the position of the valve.
BTW, if the control for the valve is at the top of the stand-pipe it discourages anyone from tampering with who doesn't have a boat or doesn't want to swim out to it.
Best of luck.
|
|
Add Photo
Bookmarks: |
|
| |
|
Building pond--need drain valve
I had the same dilemma a few years ago for my own pond. All the old timer pond guys kept saying STAND PIPE. Well we had one for years growing up and yes it was a bit too small 6 inches. The water flow was not the problem. It was the clogs. Sticks, algae, rocks from vandals, a constant problem.
|
|
Add Photo
Bookmarks: |
|
| |
|
Building pond--need drain valve
For my pond, I wanted to over engineer, so I ran a 12 inch straight through at the max level I wanted, sloping down hill, hard to clog a straight shot and will handle flood extra. I also wanted to have adjustability in level and drain potential, so I used 8 inch sewer pipe.
|
|
Add Photo
Bookmarks: |
|
| |
|
Building pond--need drain valve
The 8 inch went about 3-4 feet down in the pond bank. Sewer uses a rubber gasket at the joints, so a 90 and a 3 foot stand pipe to the top. Now I can adjust the angle of the 90 to get any level I want and the tight gasket holds it in position very well, I really have to push it to move it. that should drain about 75 percent of the water if needed and a manure pump could be used to empty the rest.
|
|
Add Photo
Bookmarks: |
|
| |
|
Building pond--need drain valve
I didn't put it all the way down because of the clog issue and yes it has been clogged already, by muscrats, they even got the 12 inch half clogged. Easily flushed out since it was only 3 feet down. would have been much harder to adjust the angle of a 6 foot stand pipe, and boyancy may have been too much.
|
|
Add Photo
Bookmarks: |
|
| |
|
Building pond--need drain valve
The drain valve is a requirement in my region. I like Murf's idea of going simple and low-tech. I don't have any plans to use it to control water level.
We have a problem with beaver and nutrea up here, so I am planning on putting a course grate on both ends to keep them out. I like the idea of an adjustable max-height.
Thanks for the tips!
|
|
Add Photo
Bookmarks: |
|
| |
|
Building pond--need drain valve
If you live in an area populated by beavers, there are some special precautions you need to take.
First, of all, merely screening an opening won't work. The grate must extend at least 3' away from the point where the water escapes, in EVERY direction, including below the surface.
Likewise, the outfall must be protected from being plugged, by a barrier at least 3' clear of the opening.
The cheapest and easiest product to use to make the grate is re-bar, it is soft enough to be shaped by hand, and is very easily welded into a cage after shaping. If welding is not an option, the same place that sells re-bar will have the heavy metal wire designed to tie it together when using it in concrete.
Finally, if you can arrange to have a hard, solid bank (boulders work well) of at least 2' in height, rising absolutely vertically from the water the beavers will have no easy way to climb out and will not find the pond a suitable home site.
Best of luck.
|
|
Add Photo
Bookmarks: |
|
| |
|
Building pond--need drain valve
check out agridrain, they have some really cool stuff for ponds. I got my rodent guards from them and tile tape. http://www.agridrain.com/ With the adjustable max height, at times when a really heavy rain is predicted, I drop the level 6 inches to give me a buffer from overflow. I have about a 40 acre watershed that drains to the pond and there was no way around it.
Link:
|
|
Add Photo
Bookmarks: |
|
| |
|
Building pond--need drain valve
We built an automatic adjustable drain valve for a pond that was subject to huge volumes of incoming rain water during storm season.
It was basically a telscopic section of tube that went over the stand-pipe, a pivoting lever mechanism actuated the sliding section, at the outboard end of the lever was float. When the water level rose it moved the float end of the pivoting lever up, which caused the sliding section of stand-pipe to lower, thus allowing more water to drain faster. As the water level came down, the float did too, causing the slide to come back up to the normal position.
In that case they were afraid that if the pond wasn't drained fast enough it would top it's banks. In a worst case that could cause a bank to collapse, but at the least it would flood the course and close it till it could be dried out.
Best of luck.
|
|
Add Photo
Bookmarks: |
|
| |
|
Page [ 1 ] | Thread 114373 Filter by Poster:
5 | 2 | 3 |
|
()
Picture of the Day
DennisCTB
Unanswered Questions
Active Subjects
Hot Topics
Featured Suppliers
|
Gas Generator Weather Protecti
08-04-2005, 18:20 
Digg It 
Del.icio.us 
