Pond Liner Calculator

 

Tips on measuring up your pond

POND LINER PRICE CALCULATOR

It is important to get the exact dimensions of the hole dug for your garden pond. The accuracy will help reduce pond liner wastage or finding that you haven't bought enough pond liner and protective pond underlay to line your pond, including enough for the overlay.

The size of pond liner overlay required depends on how you plan to finish your pond edging. If you are going to use earth to hold the pond liner in place, add a 50cm overlap to the pond liner size calculations. If you are going to use paving slabs or bricks to hold the pond liner in place then a 30cm overlap needs to be added to the pond liner calculator.

Measuring the dimensions of a pond is a straightforward process irrespective of whether the pond is kidney, square, rectangular or circular in shape.  The following steps should be followed:
•    Measure the longest length of the pond,
•    Measure the widest width,  
•    Take measurement for the deepest depth,
•    Now, add one side (Length or Width) to two times the depth plus amount needed for the overlap.  It is two times the depth of the pond because the pond liner and protective pond underlay needs to go down one side of the pond and back up the other side.  
•    Once you have one side (Length or Width), you then need to do the other.  The pond liner calculation will look like this:

Length + (2 x Depth) +2” = Total Length of Liner
Width + (2 x Depth) + 2” = Total Width of Liner
Occasionally you may need to round the dimensions up or down because pond liners maybe cut in 'off a role' of fixed increments.

The size of pond liner required can be calculated as: Maximum length + (2 x maximum depth of pond) x maximum width + (2 x maximum depth)

A second suggestion  for calculating the correct pond liner size is to use string (and tent pegs to secure the string in place and a couple of able bodies). The hole for the pond must dug to completion for this method to work accurately .  Take one side of the string and place it six inches to a foot away from the start of the pond hole (at its longest or widest side).  Uncoil the string over the pond ledge, down the side, over the bottom, back up the other side and out another six inches to a foot.  Cut the string and follow the same procedure for the widest width or longest length, dependent on which was done first.  Measure each string using a tape measure.  The lengths of each piece of string will be the length and width multiplied together for the pond liner size required.

The third method is for unique shaped ponds, ones that may be in an L or U shape or similar where pond liner dimensions would need careful measurement to reduce wastage.  In these circumstances, divide the pond into two or more sections and follow the same process as before.  For instance an L shaped pond would be divided into two rectangular parts.  The only one difference would be that the depth for the side (Length OR Width) of the pond where the two liners meet only needs to be measured once.  This is because the liners will be joined together on the ground.  I suggest adding an extra foot or two when doing this type of calculation for the overhang and in case of small errors.  Liner Seam Tape should then be used to seam the liners together.

There are many different pond liners available on the market today.  Rubber liners are the most common liners in the industry.  They have been trusted for many many years and come with a 20 year guarantee.