Using an online Pond Liner Calculator to work out your Pond Liner Requirements

Ponds are a great addition to a home garden and can be made in a variety of ways to suit both your tastes and the surrounding environment. Many people choose dig our own pond as this gives them a lot of flexibility in designing the shape and size of the pond. These ponds need to be sealed and a pond liner is usually the easiest and cheapest choice.

When ordering your pond liner, you obviously want to make sure you have enough! Luckily to calculate the amount required is quite simple. It is just the maximum size of the pond with the depth and edges added on. Also when installing the pond liner, it should never be stretched, so it doesn’t hurt to allow for a little extra.

For this example, lets assume our pond will end up being 3 metres long and 2 metres wide, and we want to have a maximum depth of 500 mm. We will allow an extra 300 mm along each edge. This gives us enough material to bury and conceal with rocks or paves and helps secure the pond liner in place. The edging will also prevent water from going over the top and running back in behind the pond liner. Using an online Pond Liner Calculator to work out your Pond Liner Requirements

Calculating Maximum Lengths for the Pond

To work out the total length take the pond length, add twice the maximum depth you want to have plus twice the amount of edging you want to use.

In our example of a 3m long x 2m wide pond at a maximum depth of 500 mm and with 300 mm edging the calculation becomes:

3m + 2 x 0.5m + 2 x 0.3m = 4.6m

Likewise for the width,

2m + 2 x 0.5m + 2 x 0.3m = 3.6m

So of a 3m x 2m pond, you should order a flat sheet at least 4.6 m x 3.6 m if you want to go to a maximum depth of 0.5 metres, with about 300 mm edging all the way around.

Even better, many pond suppliers offer a pond liner calculator, such as this one from Fabric Solutions (this is where the link should be http://www.fabricsolutions.com.au/pond-liner-calculator-page/) making it a simple as plugging in the numbers.

Lastly, before you make your pond, check with local council or authorities on any restrictions or requirements before you order.