The average lifespan of a preformed pond liner is ten years, whereas a flexible liner will last for decades. Not only is it more difficult to remove a preformed pond liner, but it’s also required much more frequently. A large preformed pond liner can be too heavy and cumbersome for one person to lift without equipment however, a flexible liner is easily cut into small manageable pieces and removed without difficulty. When it becomes necessary to replace a liner that has reached the end of its lifespan, there is a major difference between flexible liners vs. Fish and plant safe patches are readily available for flexible liners, making patches to flexible liners much safer for fish than preformed pond liners. Though damage to flexible liners is rare, especially when using a quality RPE liner such as AquaArmor, repairs are easily accomplished using heat sealing equipment or adhesives and sheets of material. Even worse, the chemicals in them release toxins and contaminants into the water, thereby, poisoning the fish. Both have problems forming a watertight seal, however, and often fail. If you manage to locate the leak, you could use a fiberglass patching kit for fiberglass preformed liners or sealants/tapes for plastic preformed liners. When preformed pond liners have leaks, the typical recommendation is to replace it. You could remove the liner and test it above ground, but this can potentially damage the preformed liner and weaken its integrity since it requires support when filled. Once the leak is noticed, there’s not a reliable way to locate the leak when the pond is in the ground. This spells death for fishes and plants before you even realize there’s a problem. Unfortunately, because most preformed ponds are small, when a leak occurs, the pond can empty quickly and sometimes even overnight. When leaks occur, the pond may begin to slowly lose water. It’s not uncommon for someone to buy another preformed pond to replace the leaky one, only to experience the same problem with the replacement pond. Finding the leak can be close to impossible, and if you can’t find it, you can’t fix it. They also develop small, unnoticeable pinholes in areas where the material is thinnest and weakest with no visible change in the material. Preformed ponds are made of rigid materials that are prone to cracking, especially in cold weather. Tearing out the entire pond to replace a faulty liner is difficult, wasteful, and expensive. Should a leak develop, however, it can be much more difficult to diagnose and repair when the wrong type of liner is used. With careful construction techniques and the right choice in liners, you will create a worry-free pond that won’t develop leaks for decades.
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