The TotalPond pond skins Pond Liner is the best pond liner you can get for the value it provides.
The pond makes your garden look great.
But it’s tough to maintain. Water seems to be leaching through the soil. And your fish seem to be dying quite often.
What’s the problem you wonder?
It’s quite possible that all your pond needs is the right pond liner to get it in the best condition.
Let’s take a look at the best pond liner you can buy that lowers maintenance while improving the quality of your pond.
What is a pond liner?
A pond liner is a tarp-like structure that can be used to cover the bottom of your pond. It’s made with water-tight material that prevents water from seeping out into the earth.
It helps the pond hold water, gives it structural integrity, and improves the aesthetics.
What are the different types of pond liner?
There are different types of pond liners available based on your needs.
Pre-formed pond liner
If you want a small pond and don’t want to spend a lot of effort on the work, a pre-formed plastic liner is available.
This is made from a mould of plastic or fiberglass in the shape of a pond. It’s suitable for a small pond with shallow depth.
You need to dig a hole of the same shape as the pre-formed liner to hold it in place.
The drawback of using this type of liner is that you don’t get to be creative or customize it as per your needs. And it’s suitable only for a small pond.
Flexible pond liner
These are the more commonly used pond liner that can be placed in a pond of any shape.
They are available either as plastic or rubber material that can be cut and fit for any sized pond. They can be expensive or cheap based on the material. And the material also determines the durability and flexibility of the pond liner.
Do you need a pond liner?
If you have a pond, you’re going to need a pond liner. Otherwise, you’ll be troubled by problems like loss of water and erosion of the pond.
If you have fish and plant life in the pond, the liner will help keep them protected and thriving.
How to choose the best pond liner
The pond liner can differ based on the type of material used. But there are also several other factors that you can use to choose the best pond liner for your pond.
Durability
The pond liner will be exposed to the sunlight, ozone, water pressure, and fluctuations in temperature.
All these factors place lots of stress on the pond liner. So you need to pick one that gives you good durability and lasts a long time without need for replacing.
Thickness
The thickness of the pond liner impacts the durability. But the thicker the pond liner the heavier it can get. And it can also be difficult to install.
The thickness of the pond liner is measured in mils. One mil equals one thousandth of an inch.
Material
The most influential factor of your pond liner is the material used to construct it. The durability, thickness, and cost are dependent on the material.
PVC
PVC stand for polyvinyl chloride. This is the lightest pond liner material you can find. It’s inexpensive and easy to install in your pond.
But it’s quite thin measuring just 20 mils. This means it’s not very durable and has a short lifespan. It could be punctured by rocks, roots, animals, or when working in the pond.
You also need to be careful not to pick PVC that contains arsenic or other harmful chemicals. These can affect the animal and plant life in the pond.
LDPE
LDPE stands for low density polyethylene. This is the material you find being used as tarps in agriculture and construction.
It is quite flexible even though it has a good thickness of 40 mils. It’s better than PVC but it has its drawbacks.
It’s not very strong and durable compared to some other types of pond liner material.
EPDM
EPDM stands for Ethylene propylene diene monomer. This is a synthetic rubber material that you find used in roofing material or automobiles.
This is the best pond liner material you can get because it’s very durable. It’s puncture resistant and UV stabilized. The thickness of this material is about 45 mils.
It’s also quite safe for the fish and plants in your pond.
This material has a good warranty of 20 years or more which tells you about it’s durability. This does make the material expensive compared to the others. But you get high-quality in exchange.
It’s quite thick which makes it heavy and difficult to install compared to the others.
Size
The size of the pond liner is determined by the size of your pond. You can get a pond liner from 5×5 feet to 35×35 feet based on your needs.
Environment-friendly
Check that the pond liner has material that is good for the environment. It should not contain harmful chemicals that can impact plants and fish in your pond.
Some material like PVC might contain traces of arsenic that could be harmful.
Flexibility
The benefit of using a pond liner is you can help shape it as per your pond. That’s why pick a material that makes it easy to adjust it to your pond and crevices.
Protection from the sun
You need to choose a pond liner that has durable material. This includes protection from the UV radiation and ozone.
Warranty
A company that is confident of its products provides a good warranty. You could get pond liners that come with a 10, 25 year or longer warranty.
Do remember to read the fine print of what is covered before buying the pond liner. Some will protect you in case the liner material gets ripped or starts to leak.
Precautions when using a pond liner
You should not use the pond liner directly on the base of your pond. Use a underlayment on the base instead.
This underlayment acts as a protective layer between the pond liner and the ground. This underlayment could be sand, an old carpet, or a layer of newspaper.
This material prevents roots from penetrating through the ground and protects damage from the rocks. It also gives protection when animals move in the pond. Or when you’re doing some work in it.
When you’re placing the pond liner, make sure the area is smooth and there are no sharp objects on the surface. Lift the pond liner and place it gently instead of dragging it across the ground. That increases the risk of puncturing the liner.
If the pond liner is heavy and you’re struggling, you can get the help of more people to place it right.
How to use a pond liner
Before using the pond liner, you should find out how much area of the pond needs to be covered. You can either dig the pond and then find out the measurements or just do it on paper beforehand..
You need to know the length, width, and depth of your pond to calculate the size of the pond liner you need.
The length of the pond liner = Length of the pond + 2 x (Depth of the pond) + 2
The width of the pond liner = Width of the pond + 2 x (Depth of the pond) + 2
This calculation will give you enough pond liner to cover the pond and overlap the sides as well.
If you have a small pond or a tight budget, it’s OK to go for a pond liner with PVC material. But if you have a large pond, EPDM is the best material you can go with.
You should place the liner over the base of the pond and keep it in place with round stones. Then fill the pond with water and smooth out any wrinkles in the liner. You can also place colorful rocks along the outside of the liner to secure it.
It’s important to have the right installation of the pond liner otherwise you risk issues like soil erosion. Or leaching of the water into the ground.
Maintaining your pond liner
Once you’ve set up the pond liner, it’ll keep your pond and fishes comfortable for a long time. But you do need to sometimes do some maintenance on it.
The best time to do this maintenance would be spring where you can clean the pond and the liner. Then it’ll be ready for a good looking pond by summer.
You should clean up the pond and liner of debris that may have fallen in the pond. Do clean up the dirt and algae that may have grown in the pond. You could use a pond vac or a net to get rid of these.
During summer, the water level of the pond would reduce due to the heat. It’s good to keep it filled up as this reduces the exposure to the sun and UV radiation.
Reviews
- Ideal for small ponds (3 ft. x 6 ft. x 1.5 ft.); up to 200 gallons of water
- Lightweight, ultra-durable, and easy to handle
- 14.5 mil thickness
Last update on 2023-12-05 // Source: Amazon Affiliates
The TotalPond pond liner is made from PVC material suitable for small ponds that can hold up to 200 gallons of water.
It measures 7×10 feet and is lightweight, durable, and easy to handle. The thickness of this pond liner is 14.5 mils.
This pond liner is UV and puncture resistant thanks to its inner polyester weave between layers of PVC. It’s suitable for plants and fish in the pond because it’s environmentally safe and non-toxic.
The surface of the TotalPond pond liner is textured which helps promote bacterial growth.
The only drawback of this pond liner is that it’s a bit thin and might be a little hard to move around.
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- The 13 x 20 ft. PVC Pond Liner is ideal for large ponds up to 1,200 gallons, approximately 9 x 16 x 1.5 ft.
- The 14.5-mil PVC Pond Liner is lightweight, ultra-durable, and easy to handle.
- Our PVC liners are UV and puncture resistant, ensuring many years of continued use.
Last update on 2023-12-05 // Source: Amazon Affiliates
The Aquanique pond liner measures about 13×20 feet which makes it suitable to cover large ponds that can have up to 1200 gallons.
It’s made from PVC that gives it a thickness of 14.5 mils. This makes it lightweight, ultra-durable, and easy to handle.
The pond liner is UV and puncture resistant which means it’ll last a long time before you need to replace it. This pond liner is durable because there’s a strong polyester weave placed between the layers of PVC.
The textured surface of this pond liner helps promote the growth of bacteria which is good for a balanced habitat.
The only drawback of this pond liner is that it’s a little thin and may be hard to get the wrinkles out.
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- 45 mil thickness provides superior durability while maintaining the ability to stretch
- Exceptional resistance to solar UV, ozone, and oxidation
- Great for use in ponds, Pondless Waterfalls, and other water features; safe for fish and plants
Last update on 2023-12-05 // Source: Amazon Affiliates
The Aquascape 85009 EPDM pond liner is suitable for large ponds, waterfalls, and other water features.
The EPDM material gives it a 45 mils thickness which means great durability while still having the ability to stretch.
THE EPDM material means this pond liner is very resistant to solar UV, ozone, and oxidation.
It’s easy to install this pond liner and you get a 20-year guarantee which vouches for its quality.
It comes in a variety of different sizes ranging from 8×10 feet to 20×25 feet based on your needs.
The package that this pond liner comes with is not the best. You need to be careful when taking it out without risking cutting up the liner.
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- 20 oz. per sq. yd. - 22 mil thickness
- 3-ply vinyl, UV protected, Tear-resistant
- 100% waterproof, fish-safe, great for ponds of all kinds
Last update on 2023-12-05 // Source: Amazon Affiliates
The Vinyl Pond liner is a heavy-duty tarp that has a 3-ply coated vinyl. This gives it UV protection, anti-mildew, and tear-resistance.
The pond liner is 100% waterproof and safe for the fish in your pond. The thickness of this pond liner is 22 mils.
You can trim this pond liner without the problem of fraying. This pond liner is available in a variety of sizes ranging from 10×10 feet to 30×30 feet.
One benefit of using this tarp as a pond liner is that it’s inexpensive. The only drawback is that it’s thin compared to some other material available. This means it may not last as long as some other pond liners.
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- 20 Year Limited Manufacturers Warranty
- 45 Mil (1.14 mm) (0.045") EPDM
- 75 Year Life Expectancy
Last update on 2023-12-05 // Source: Amazon Affiliates
The Firestone is a EPDM based pond liner suitable for large ponds. It comes with a 20 year manufacturer’s warranty which vouches for its quality.
The thickness of this pond liner is 45 mils which makes it very thick and durable. It’s safe for the fish in your pond and environment friendly.
The life expectancy of the EPDM material is 75 years.
The only drawback of this pond liner is that it’s heavy and takes a little effort to install.
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Our recommendation
We think the TotalPond pond skins Pond LinerTotalPond pond skins Pond Liner is the best choice you can make for your pond liner when it’s a small pond.
It’s made from PVC material that is lightweight, durable, and easy to handle. You get material that is resistant to UV radiation and punctures.
And it’s environment friendly and safe for the plants and fish in the pond.
Fact Checked, Written, and Published by Kevin Rodrigues
Kevin is the founder of Gardening Mentor, a website that aims to teach people to grow their own food in a limited space. As a self-taught gardener, Kevin has spent several years growing plants and creating gardening content on the website. He is certified in Home Horticulture and Organic Gardening from Oregon State University. He has a Post Graduate Diploma in Horticulture and Landscape Gardening from Mumbai University.
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