We recently had a water feature installed using a 40 mil thick EPDM liner. The water feature has been leaking from the beginning. Pond capacity is approximately 600-800 gallons. We've cut off the pump to isolate the streams and have confirmed the leak is somewhere in the liner and not with the plumbing, pump etc. We haven't removed the rocks to see how big of a tear there is and is not practible as alot of cement was used to permanently lock the rocks in place. The pond goes down about 10 inches, or about a third of its 600-800 gallon capacity in 24 hours and then stops leaking. My water feature builder, John, has contacted your sales staff to discuss the use of your product and has been told it should work in this type of application. I am willing to give a try but want to do my own research as well. My questions are; is it reasonable to expect the ESS-13 to stop a leak in a 40 mil EPDM liner? There is a protective ground cloth used between the liner and ground. The ground is your normal NC clay dirt below the ground cloth. Will the ESS-13 leave a noticable film on the rocks in the water feature after it has settled therebye making the rocks no longer look natural? I understand why Seepage Control would not state that ESS-13 would stop a leak 100% but if used with an EPDM liner can I expect nearly a perfect fix like a radiator stop-leak? Thanks, Steve

Thank you for your question.

I will try to answer your questions to help you make your decision. The short answer is yes. ESS-13 is effective in reducing seepage where a synthetic liner is in place. ESS-13 would migrate through the liner (tears, voids, holes etc) to make contact with the soil. The use of ground cloth is not a hindrance as it would seem that the source of your leak penetrates both the liner and the cloth. ESS-13 is veritable oil based and thus one should expect that an oily residue will adhere to all surfaces. In the case of decorative rock, the residue can be easily removed by spraying the rock with water or in small/tight areas the use of a brush may be necessary. We have a good deal of experience in these types of repairs and will be more than happy to work with your contractor to address every concern on the project. ESS-13 Waterborne formulation is a seepage reducer and therefore we can not tell you that it will in fact "repair" the leak, But based on the information we have and our extensive knowledge, we can tell you that this is a reasonable step to take.

Please let me know if you have any additional questions or share them with your contractor so that we can all work together to have the best possible results.

Vince

Thanks Vince for the information and I will share with my contractor. One other question I have is will the ESS-13 do any damage to the submersible pump? It is your typical 3600 gph pump. I assume no damage but a question I should have asked. For several reasons it is not going to be easy to remove the pump unless absolutely necessary.
Regards, Steve

Steve,

ESS-13 is completely harmless to pumps, aeration systems or other mechanical features within the pond. I would suggest that while treating your pond, you turn off pumps and such in order to contain the product to the area being treated.

Vince