Water Loss?

what is a acceptable amount of water loss--due to evaporation etc?
Trying to figure out if I have a leak....

Pond is in So Cal, where we get hot days over 98 and cold nights below
70, so the ponds goes through some big temp swings. ANyway

the pond has a 3 to 4ft waterfall into a 5 by 4 2ft deep pond that
drops into a 5 ft, few inch deep stream. the water then ends in the
final pond about 11ft by 8, witha depth from 2ft to a bog shelf around
9 inches deep! anyway windering how much water people loss and how
often they top off their pond? It seems I have to do it every other
day, as I lose about a inch or so in that time in the bottom pond only!

bbrown9506 wrote:
what is a acceptable amount of water loss--due to evaporation etc?
Trying to figure out if I have a leak....

Pond is in So Cal, where we get hot days over 98 and cold nights below
70, so the ponds goes through some big temp swings. ANyway

the pond has a 3 to 4ft waterfall into a 5 by 4 2ft deep pond that
drops into a 5 ft, few inch deep stream. the water then ends in the
final pond about 11ft by 8, witha depth from 2ft to a bog shelf around
9 inches deep! anyway windering how much water people loss and how
often they top off their pond? It seems I have to do it every other
day, as I lose about a inch or so in that time in the bottom pond only!

My pond is way smaller than yours - three half whiskey barrels connected
with spillways. However, I'm also in So Cal so maybe what I'm seeing
will help. Temps here are in the upper 80s during the day (I'm probably
a bit more coastal), and it's quite dry. I'm losing a little over an
inch a day from my bottom barrel, and topping off about 4" every 3 days.

--
Elaine T __
http://eethomp.com/fish.html '__
rec.aquaria.* FAQ http://faq.thekrib.com

My wife also has a three half barrel setup with spillway connections,
and without any splashing out of the barrels, it also drops about an
inch a day a day or 3 or 4 inches needed for tops twice a week or
so......Its in the high 90's here and humid, little to no
wind........From varous universtiy websites I have read that upwards
of 2" or so a week is not really considered a lot of water loss with
just average temps and breezes etc......A lot depends on how breezes
and winds flow, humidity, dew point, and temps........


If your water is pulled from the bottom pond and pumped to the upper
section for waterfall use, it will stay full as long as the pump is
running, and it will always be the source pond that will get
low.......be it from a leak or natural evaporation. Can yoou top it
off, and shut off flow to top pond and water fall........if it still
drops, an equal or close to equal amount on both ponds it would be
normal evaporation. If the botom drops faster and more than the top
or visa versa it would be a definate leak.....

I read somewhere it does not matter much to surface area in most cases
as to a smaller pond loosing more water than a larger pond, as its
mainly dependant on how much water can be held by the process of
evaporation and its not dependant on surface area..........However yu
have to compute the amoaunt of drop on a small and large different,
but evaporation would be the same.........
On Tue, 19 Jul 2005 21:14:22 GMT, Elaine T
wrote:

===bbrown9506 wrote:
=== what is a acceptable amount of water loss--due to evaporation etc?
=== Trying to figure out if I have a leak....
===
=== Pond is in So Cal, where we get hot days over 98 and cold nights below
=== 70, so the ponds goes through some big temp swings. ANyway
===
=== the pond has a 3 to 4ft waterfall into a 5 by 4 2ft deep pond that
=== drops into a 5 ft, few inch deep stream. the water then ends in the
=== final pond about 11ft by 8, witha depth from 2ft to a bog shelf around
=== 9 inches deep! anyway windering how much water people loss and how
=== often they top off their pond? It seems I have to do it every other
=== day, as I lose about a inch or so in that time in the bottom pond only!
===
===My pond is way smaller than yours - three half whiskey barrels connected
===with spillways. However, I'm also in So Cal so maybe what I'm seeing
===will help. Temps here are in the upper 80s during the day (I'm probably
===a bit more coastal), and it's quite dry. I'm losing a little over an
===inch a day from my bottom barrel, and topping off about 4" every 3 days.


==============================================
Put some color in your cheeks...garden naked!
"The original frugal ponder"
~~~~ }((((o ~~~~~~ }{{{{o ~~~~~~~ }(((((o

On 19 Jul 2005 12:24:35 -0700, "bbrown9506" wrote:

what is a acceptable amount of water loss--due to evaporation etc?
Trying to figure out if I have a leak....

Pond is in So Cal, where we get hot days over 98 and cold nights below
70, so the ponds goes through some big temp swings. ANyway

the pond has a 3 to 4ft waterfall into a 5 by 4 2ft deep pond that
drops into a 5 ft, few inch deep stream. the water then ends in the
final pond about 11ft by 8, witha depth from 2ft to a bog shelf around
9 inches deep! anyway windering how much water people loss and how
often they top off their pond? It seems I have to do it every other
day, as I lose about a inch or so in that time in the bottom pond only!

Sounds normal to me, considering you waterfalls & streams. A still pool can
lose anywhere up to 1/4-1/2" per day, more when heavily planted. ~ jan

That have-to completed.
~Power to the Porg, Flow On!~

"bbrown9506" wrote in message
ups.com...
what is a acceptable amount of water loss--due to evaporation etc?
Trying to figure out if I have a leak....
============================
Under sunny, breezy dry conditions my ponds can lose an inch or more of
water a day.
--
McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
EVERYONE: "Please check people's headers for forgeries
before flushing." NAMES ARE BEING FORGED.
My Pond Page http://tinyurl.com/cuq5b
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o

~ janj JJsPond.us wrote:

On 19 Jul 2005 12:24:35 -0700, "bbrown9506" wrote:

what is a acceptable amount of water loss--due to evaporation etc?
Trying to figure out if I have a leak....

Pond is in So Cal, where we get hot days over 98 and cold nights below
70, so the ponds goes through some big temp swings. ANyway

the pond has a 3 to 4ft waterfall into a 5 by 4 2ft deep pond that
drops into a 5 ft, few inch deep stream. the water then ends in the
final pond about 11ft by 8, witha depth from 2ft to a bog shelf around
9 inches deep! anyway windering how much water people loss and how
often they top off their pond? It seems I have to do it every other
day, as I lose about a inch or so in that time in the bottom pond only!

Sounds normal to me, considering you waterfalls & streams. A still pool
can
lose anywhere up to 1/4-1/2" per day, more when heavily planted. ~ jan

I agree it's normal - and you always only lose it from the bottom pond
because the upper pond is always going to be filled to the level of its
overflow.
--
derek