I am on my fourth summer with my 1700 plus gallon pond. I too got carried away digging - actually I dug until I knew I was maxed out on what my liner would cover. I went to Menards (similar to Home Depot) and ordered a roll of roofing liner. The size in stock for around $50 I think would be big enough for your pond. I think I paid a bit under $100 for the size I needed with some liner to spare. Then I went around to carpet stores and asked if they had any padding they were trashing. I told them exactly what I wanted it for. The first place had just had their dumpster dumped, but the second place I could have padded 5-6 ponds my size with what they were trashing. Hey, all they could of said was no. Free Padding was the best find until a past co-worker of ours said to come out with a trailer and get any rock/boulders that I wanted from his rock pile out in a field. I figure by the time we were done making, 4, trips I had over $2000 worth of rock (I had had a bid from a landscaping place on a load). I had enough rocks that averaged in size of a 5 gal bucket (some smaller and bigger) to edge the pond, a hosta garden, etc. I am going back again this coming spring to get another load for a flower garden. Of course I knew I owed him big time, and because he wouldn't accept nothing, I mailed him and his wife each a gift certificate to their favorite stores.

What I saved on my liner, padding, and rocks, the other half spent on a very nice external pump, bio-filter, UV light, etc. So we were able to do the pond up good.

The pond is in sun from sunrise till about 3 pm and so far the liner is in just as good shape as when we installed.

There are lots of arguments about roofing liner being bad for the pond ecology and fish life. That being said I too will probably use an EPDM (or is it EDPM)roofing liner in my next pond.

Nomadh - I read and read, and read about using roofing liner for my pond. Like anything, you will get those in favor and not in favor. The thing I found that everyone recommended doing was to wash it off good before installing. That was a job in itself, since my liner was big. I laid it out on the yard and we power rinsed it, no soap, just elbow grease (it has a white chalky look before rinsing so that is what you want to get off. I have 7 large Koi in the pond and plants that are all doing good.

The roofing rubber has talcum powder on it I think this is to keep it from sticking to itself.

Still roofing rubber was VERY expensive when I looked into it. The liner from bendtarp and liner was cheaper.

Plastic won't work for me we have super HOT SUN and I have 3 Dogs whick would tear it up.

Find a roofing company near you, they throw this stuff away all the time when they redo a roof.

All my ponds are lined with this and I've gotten it from a roofing company's dumpster that gave me permission.

When it has already been used the talc is no longer there. I just have to hose off any dirt. I don't understand roofing, but my husband talked to them and they said they give the used pieces away all the time to people who use it for garden ponds. Two of my ponds that are lined with the used roofing liner have fish in them also. This liner is made to withstand sun, beings it's on a roof.

YOU CAN'T BEAT THE PRICE OF FREE!

lbmoore - yes FREE is one of the best things. I too checked with a few roofing places, but because of the size of my pond, I couldn't get a scrap big enough and since I was going big as my first pond, I didn't want to chance gluing seams, etc. without knowing what I was doing. Joe - keep checking around! Maybe up here in the north country roofing is cheaper, for I figured I save well over a hundred dollars. Good luck

I know it has been a very long time since anyone has posted on this subject but hope someone will answer.
I have the opportunity to get for free up to half a million square feet of EPDM roofing and was wondering if anyone still thinks it is safe to use for fish? I want to use it to make long narrow trough like ponds for aquaculture connected to our greenhouse to grow food fish in. I would really appreciate any input from any point of view.
Thanks
Brad

I check with the pool companies around me and get their liners that they bring back. I doubled on last year as it was a Olympic sized one. My first one has been in for over 10 years now with no leaks.

I'm taking down a 12 ft pond we build 3 years ago. Have a 20' x 30' rubber pond liner, a 700 gph pump with filter, and dozens of perimeter rocks--all ready to repurpose and reuse. Located in Birch Bay, Washington

where is birch bay? And I am starting my first pond and it is going to be in the same area that my deep end above ground pool was years ago.

Yes the hole is still there.It was a 18 by 33 yet I could conform it to a smaller one., I'm interested in your liner and filter etc.

kivy777@gmail.com

Interesting discussion. New to this and have a 75x50 with 15 feet deep pond hole. I'm in Florida (sand) and plan to use it for irrigation with a well connected to it and small water fall for aeration. Would this roofing material be the most cost effective or the pond liner? Right now it just looks like a sink hole wanna be. I plan on rock formation surrounding the edges too. Any info or connections would be appreciated. Thanx.

Best, You might want to read some old threads on the pond forum. There has always been an unproven worry that something may be added to roof liner that perhaps is intentionally left out for pond product liner, but I doubt it. In any case, it probably wouldn't be an issue for irrigation anyway. My theory is that all liner is the same and that if there were things that could leach out, that one could always rinse it off with an initial filling that could be pumped out with other crud that you might want to get rid of anyway due to the construction, foot traffic etc.

I started laying old quilts and blankets, that friends and myself no longer need for a bottom layer. The toss up is the rolled roofing or the thick mil poly, would I have to glue it ,wouldn't there be a seem that would cause leakage?Would cold weather and water temps make either of those to cause either to be brittle and crack or break?Just trying to be cautious so I don't have to replace it all the time and for that size what a hassle that would be.