www.gardenparadise.net Wooden Koi/Octagonal Pond Instruction Manual
Introduction Please take time to read these instructions prior to installing your pond. This will help you understand the product and prevent mistakes being made. Recommendations for Storage and Delivery Do not store the wood in direct sunlight or under a black cover as this will cause distortion which will make installation extremely difficult. Assemble the structure as soon as possible after receipt. Assemble the structure in one go, preferably in the morning while the temperature is cool. If the pool must be stored then use a cool wellventilated place, sheltered from sun and rain. Components that are damaged, cracked or distorted due to bad storage and/or handling on site are not covered by warranty. Please ensure the liner is kept in a warm environment until installation. In the pre-assembly period the wood is sensitive to variations in temperature and humidity. It is therefore necessary that you take the following precautions immediately after delivery. Wood is a living material and once cut the appearance of cracks, slight movements or changes in colour are normal and the planks (except in extreme circumstances) do not need replacing. The planks will have been recently treated and may be delivered to you still moist. In case of a rapid change in temperature; these planks can dry very rapidly and lose 1 or 2mm of height. This might give you the impression that they are lifting up while they are actually shrinking. Whilst in cooler wet conditions the wood may expand back to its original size. This is completely normal. Kit Contents As you unpack your pond make sure that you have all parts required and that their condition is satisfactory. Contact your dealer if you believe parts are missing or damaged. General Safety Precautions Never leave children unattended around the pond when completed or at any stage of construction. ~ 2 ~
Required Tools There are no specialist tools required but in addition to regular hand tools the following will be useful. Hammer or mallet for assembling walls. Large spirit level. Battery drill with screw driver bits. Large scissors for cutting underlay felt. Shovel or spade. Sliding bevel (angle finder) would be useful though not essential. Tape measure Panel saw or hacksaw Suitable length garden hose Knocking block (supplied) At every point of manufacturing this product care has been taken to provide quality and satisfaction to our customers. If any part of this kit is missing or damaged then you must contact our support team at gardenparadise.net before proceeding with assembly of this product. ~ 3 ~
Preparation of the Base OPTION I: Subsoil Base Although the recommended base is concrete (see Option II below) you may choose to construct your pool on undisturbed ground. You must satisfy yourself that your site conditions are suitable. If your site is wet and prone to ground water or flooding use a concrete base. Never construct your pool on made up ground, always dig down to undisturbed soil. Clear an area at least the size of the pond. Ensure that the cleared area is flat, level and smooth and that all vegetation has been removed. Ensure that all stones, sharp objects and roots are removed. Failure to prepare the ground may result in a damaged liner. Any damage caused to the liner by not preparing a suitable base area is excluded from any warranty. Prepare the ground OPTION II: Concrete Base The recommended minimum base is a 100mm (4 ) thick concrete pad. Using a steel reinforcing grid in the concrete will greatly increase its strength and is recommended. Every site is different so give due consideration to increasing this specification if you have unstable ground or any other concerns. If in doubt seek the advice of a ground working contractor or a civil engineer. Never construct your pool on made up ground, always dig down to undisturbed subsoil. The minimum size concrete base needs to be approximately 300mm larger than the outside dimension of the pond walls. Ensure that your finished concrete is absolutely level over the whole pond area. If your base is not level the water level will show this after filling. Ensure that your finished concrete is completely flat over the whole pond area. Ensure that your finished concrete is absolutely smooth. Rough concrete can damage the pool liner. Allow your concrete to cure before assembling your pool. ~ 4 ~
Building the Walls A B To start building the walls you have to use a bottom half plank. There are four of these planks (these have flat bottoms and two tongues on top Fig A.) Lay these four half planks down first, then using the standard planks (these have two tongues on top and two grooves on bottom Fig B.) Interlock standard planks over the bottom planks to form an outline of your pond. Bottom Half Plank & Standard Plank Once you have levelled the ground and laid down the first layer of planks check the diagonal measurements with a tape measure from corner to corner across the four diagonals of the pond. The measurements should all be the same to ensure your pond is square. This makes it easier to fit the linerlock and top shelving later on. Ensure pond is square Once you are sure the outline of your pond is level and square, continue to lay standard planks using the knocking block provided. Start fitting standard planks ~ 5 ~
It is easier to place your planks in the middle of the pond, working your way around the walls one layer at a time. Ensure you locate the planks properly using the knocking block. Work around pond, 4 planks at a time If you struggle to locate a plank properly try swopping it with another one and move the problematic plank to another location where it may be a better fit. Ensure all planks are located properly When you reach a point that you have run out of standard planks your pond should look like this picture. The quantity of standard planks supplied will vary depending on the height of the product you ordered. Last layer of standard planks C D The planks used to finish the walls are as follows: Top Plank which has a flat top and two grooves at the bottom (Fig.C) Top Half Plank with flat tops and a groove at the bottom (Fig.D) but are approx half the width of the Top Plank described above. Top Plank and Top Half Plank ~ 6 ~
The second to last planks to fit on the walls are the top planks (Fig.C) There are four of these. Fitting the top planks The last planks to fit are the four top half planks. Avoid hitting half planks over the notched area with your mallet/hammer as these are the weakest points. Fitting the Top Half Planks 27mm Thickness Models Only At this stage you need to fit 8x top shelving supports. You may need to trim these to fit using a hand saw. If your pond is smaller than 6ft octagonal, you will not need shelving supports Top view of Shelving Support in place Fit from inside of pond using Stainless Steel Screws provided. 5x 70mm approx. Fitting the Shelving Support ~ 7 ~
Fitting the Linerlock If you have a sliding bevel/angle finder set it to the angle of the top shelving as shown. This will give you the correct angle to cut your Linerlock. Alternatively you could cut out a piece of card or paper as a template if you don t have a sliding bevel. Set the bevel to angle Mark the Linerlock at one end and cut angle. Note: the slotted face on the Linerlock is the top front edge. Mark Linerlock at same bevel as Top Shelving Measure along the pond wall from corner to corner. Mark and cut the other end of Linerlock. Cut Linerlock to fit Walls ~ 8 ~
Pre-drill the Linerlock and use the stainless steel screws provided to fit. When fitting ensure the Linerlock is flush around the top of the pond and that the slots on the front of the Linerlock line up with each other where they join. Pre-drill & screw Finish Linerlock installation. Continue Linerlock Fit the Felt (if provided) Some ponds are supplied with felt. If you have felt lay it down on the floor and cut to shape with a sharp pair of scissors. It doesn t matter if the felt is a couple of inches bigger than the pond floor. Just tidy it up and press it against the wall. Cutting the Felt ~ 9 ~
Fit the liner We advise you to remove your shoes for the next stage. It is best to hang the liner on a warm day as the material becomes more supple and easier to work with. If it is really cold it will be less flexible and take longer for any creases to come out. Unwrap the liner in the pool on top of the felt. Unwrap the Liner Open up the Liner and locate a corner in the Liner at the floor weld. Using this corner, offer it into the pond wall corner, feeding the top edge of the liner into the Linerlock. Ensure you are pulling at 90 degrees from the floor. Locate all the corners into the Linerlock and work your way around the pond securely fitting the Liner into the Linerlock. Feed Liner into Linerlock If you need to adjust the liner position, just unhook the top of the Liner from the Linerlock and move it around until you are satisfied. Your Liner may look small at the bottom but this will stretch to form a good fit. Creases in the floor can be smoothed out with your feet from the centre of the floor to the outside walls. Work the corners into place When you are satisfied with the Liner, fit the Linerlock Wedge (provided) in the Linerlock around the circumference of the pond. This will ensure your liner cannot come out of the Linerlock. You will need to squeeze it in with your thumbs securely. We have demonstrated with a white Linerlock Wedge for ease of viewing in the photo. In each corner it is possible to put a small cut on the back of the Linerlock Wedge to enable a more taylored fit. Be careful not to damage the liner. Fitting the Linerlock Wedge ~ 10 ~
Fill The Pond Take your time to locate the top shelving around the pond. Make sure you have an even overhang over the Linerlock and the outside of the Walls. Locate top shelving in best position Once you are satisfied with the position of the top shelving, secure using self-drilling/countersink screws (provided). Fix the top shelving to the timber walls using two screws on each plank in the corners of the pond as shown in the picture. Then at least one screw in the middle of each top shelf, making sure it screws into the wall (rather than the Liner). Fit screws Before filling you may want to let the Liner hang in position. If it is a warm day this will help remove any creases caused by the packing of this product. Once you are happy start filling the pond. This will take a while. Fill the Pond Please ensure you have adequate filtration for keeping Koi or your chosen fish. It is also important that all the chlorine within tap water has dispersed before introducing any livestock. Secured Top Shelf ~ 11 ~
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