HOW TO SEAL A LEAKING DAM OR POND~ Amazing Results!

[@saltriverorchards4190]

Thanks for posting and for inserting the year after update. So many people post things like this and never update or you can’t find the update in the channel

[@BIGALTX]

Glad it was helpful... but... Since then (actually this year) I have experience a hole in the dam. I've tried to plug it with some locally sourced material, but time will tell how well it works. The hole was too big to use this Polymer product on, I think. When summer comes, I'm going to have someone redo the dam and take out the "bad places" where there is a lot of internal erosion. This Polymer DID do a great job of sealing off the bottom leakage in my pond and in my neighbor's pond, but just wasn't enough to plug the big hole that developed. Hope that helps. alan

[@wookiee1807]

What about Bentonite? You can get that shipped from Texas, and it has a similar effect. It swells and creates a sticky gel layer when hydrated.

[@BIGALTX]

Well... I actually put a ton (literally 2000 lbs) of Bentonite in the pond shortly after it was dug. Didn't really help much if any. Might help now after a couple of decades... but not sure

[@wookiee1807]

@@BIGALTX wow... thanks for the feedback on that. We have a small pond on our property that the retaining levee has gotten overgrown. There's a massive pine shooting a taproot right down the middle of it. I'm looking for a less labor-intensive method for getting it to hold water again. Looks like I need to rent a bulldozer and push it all down and rebuild the levee. Do you have any ideas for that? It's a very rocky/hilly area with a creek acting as a natural storm for us and our neighbors. Someone just dammed it off at the property line.

[@BIGALTX]

The tree roots need to go. That's probably where it started leaking from Here's what I did: Part 1: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p3WXpISpo5qabpo Part 2: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pJ6uZpSGjr9gqa8 Cost about $7 grand

[@tambrasmith9707]

You are one of my go to channels if I need help

[@BIGALTX]

Thanks so much, Tambra!

[@willkinnison2029]

Matthew McConaughey's dad has been very helpful! Great video! thanks

[@BIGALTX]

Hahaha... Glad it was helpful!

[@ramirezjorge91]

I’m having the same issue as your neighbor. My pond won’t stay full. Only when it rains it fills to the top then drops a couple feet after some days. But you can’t visually see the leaks.

[@BIGALTX]

It's seeping from the bottom. This product sealed my neighbor's pond real well. He is pleased. I didn't get enough product (expensive) to do my whole pond, but I could tell it helped some

[@conservativejones3537]

I am about to use another AU product. Called Damit. A polymer very similar.

[@BIGALTX]

I’ve watched a lot of videos on that product. Seems like it works, by most accounts, and it’s cheaper. Let me know how it works for you.

[@conservativejones3537]

I am in Wyoming. Reworking two ponds on my mountain cabin property. I am bringing in 100ton of mine run bentonite. This will be a little more than 4 pounds per ft2. Subsoil is combo decomposed granite and silt. Trying to make ready for spring snow melt.

[@BIGALTX]

@@conservativejones3537 That much Bentonite might work really well. Let us know how it goes. alan

[@kirstenwhitworth8079]

💖💖💖 - so happy it worked for you!

[@urbancarpet]

I bought one box, about $300 bucks worth of the polymer product and have treated one area of my leaking pond along the dam but so far, it still leaks...I haven't used up the whole box yet so I'll get back out there and try it again....

[@bunrein1]

I believe Soil Floc is a US product that will do the same. I am not sure where you can get it. I used to be on pond boss forum a lot and there are a handful of guys that could get you hooked up. That is if you are still leaking after all these years.

[@BIGALTX]

Thanks. And yes, I’ve looked at Soilfloc. I’ve considered getting some, but have not yet done that yet. All of it is very expensive.

[@brisheden]

If you can stand the smell, pigs will seal a pond for sure. I've seen many ponds sealed by pinning pigs up around it.

[@JJconcrete]

How do pigs fill up a pond I have two of them are you saying that I shoveled their poop inside the pond just wondering

[@cygnus1965]

It’s a combination of their hooves packing the clay/soil as their poop forming a a bacterial liner. The bacteria isn’t bad for you as it forms it’s turned into a good bacteria as the plants use the bad stuff for fertilizer and release a good bacteria to line it.

[@Stephen_Strange]

Activated Starch is an alternative to polyacrylamide (active ingredient in product) .

[@BIGALTX]

Hmmmm Thanks for the info!

[@simplekindofman7417]

Just bought 2.5 acres and want to put a small fishing hole out back. Forgive my ignorance, I've never done anything like this before. But I'm wondering if I should dig, add a layer of this stuff, pack it all in, then fill. What would you recommend?

[@BIGALTX]

This is really for sealing a pond that is leaking. It uses the water leak to pull the material down into the crack or hole. Contact the guys at that company. They are happy to help.

[@simplekindofman7417]

@@BIGALTX thank you!

[@jessehansen10]

Shalex makes a pretty good dam sealer as well

[@BIGALTX]

Yep, I think it's called Damit. I haven't tried it but have watched videos on it

[@baniagojherwinjohn4765]

Got me laughing my ass out at "coated with snot" 😂

[@BIGALTX]

Hahaha… that’s what it FELT like! 👍🏻😎

[@hilltopacres5737]

Looks a great fix, and a product available close to home with Singleton NSW being only 60kms away. Understand your issue with postage, same for us getting stuff out of the states - exchange rate makes it even worse. Thanks for the link

[@SouthWestIron]

I've got the same issue with my pond. Had no idea a product like this existed. Sure hope its available somewhere in the U.S.

[@polyinn]

We ship our products to the U.S. Just contact us for more details - www.polymerinnovations.com.au/contact/

[@advoempower]

Is there a US based distributor?

[@nodoubt46able]

@@advoempower same question

[@michaelvoorhees5978]

​@@nodoubt46ableno help

[@olsonlr]

It is now Jan 23, still holding well?

[@BIGALTX]

The dam developed a huge hole over time I had to do repairs on the dam in 2021 Here's the repairs: kzbin.info/aero/PLutBw50GI1zygVxr0nFwYAito81uI4qu6

[@tcitci4320]

Hello, just saw your video…..do you know is this stuff safe for fish, frogs, etc?

[@BIGALTX]

Their website says "yes" it is Website link is under the video

[@wendellrountree4899]

Thanks for the info!

[@BIGALTX]

You bet 👍

[@georgeshotrodbarn2113]

You need to check with Hoss tools to see if they have it

[@BIGALTX]

Hahaha... I don't think they do.

[@djc7039]

What product did you use?

[@BIGALTX]

This is what I used. Expensive... especially shipping! www.polymerinnovations.com.au/

[@olsonlr]

What about bentonite clay?

[@BIGALTX]

I put 2000 lbs of bentonite in it many years ago. Didn't help at all. Even used "hole plug" ... a bentonite product about the size of gravel to plug the big holes I showed. Did not work

[@olsonlr]

Wow, so been tonight clay didn't work at all. I'm surprised. Good to know that. Pity this product is so expensive. Maybe you should become a distributor?

[@JAdotNET]

Going to buy this today!!!! I’ve done a dye test to find the leak with a drone so I know there’s a small one but where??? Oh boy that’s another story because there’s capped concrete around the spillway

[@BIGALTX]

It ain't cheap. There are products that is cheaper, but I haven't tried them, so you'll need to do your own research as to it's worth shalex.com.au/damit-dam-sealer/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwxb2XBhDBARIsAOjDZ363i6NVoazetl-nlPClQvQd6NwPeN0JvDCbNJSkRdmDBJkA5mb4ffkaAmNsEALw_wcB www.thepondreport.com/store/pond-sealant-soilfloc-usa

[@peterjones5589]

Hi there, it may be worth buying a couple of bags of Bentonite to put in the pond around the spillway ,that should work

[@JAdotNET]

@@peterjones5589 tried it several months ago but it’s still leaking. I believe it’s the original spillway I built on top of to enlarge the pond

[@ljcook3566]

use bentonite you should be able to get it there its called hole plug it will work.

[@BIGALTX]

I used "hole plug" twice... with no success. Also put a full ton of Bentonite in it years ago... made no difference. This stuff seems to have worked... not completely... but it's made a huge difference.

[@anduma3]

Howdy neighbor! I live near Winona and about to purchase polymer innovations pond sealer. Was wondering if you are still satisfied with the product 5 years later? Hope this finds you doing well.

[@BIGALTX]

I didn't use enough to seal my whole pond, so it still leaks My next door neighbor DID and he is very satisfied

[@michaelvoorhees5978]

What's the price

[@BIGALTX]

Depends on how large the pond is and how much product you need Nine was about $900 but I'm sure it has gone up since then. Shipping is a big hit Here's the website with products and prices: www.polymerinnovations.com.au/earthen-dam-pond-sealers.html

[@maustank8864]

Mix lime and bentonite together wall off the side leaking pump that area behind the walled off are and apply the mixture

[@RobBeene]

Any updates on this? I have a leaking pond also.

[@BIGALTX]

I think it worked very well on the area I treated. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough to treat the entire pond. It plugged some large holes and slowed down the leakage through my dam. But I couldn't treat the "floor" of the pond completely and it still seeps through there. My neighbor treated his entire pond and his results were amazing. His pond is still almost full and we are in a severe drought.

[@elimishieldhunt609]

@@BIGALTX I doesn't harm the fish? It seems like that would really be a problem for the fish in regards to their gills as well as bedding. No?

[@cdot716]

@@BIGALTX what is this product called I would like to order it

[@BIGALTX]

It's Watersave PL Here: www.polymerinnovations.com.au/ Expensive to ship :(

[@jonathanpesavento1025]

Was your pond stocked. Was wondering if this killed any fish. My grandfather has used about as much bentonite as you have. With no luck. This might be our last resort.

[@BIGALTX]

The pond's level fluctuates so much that no large fish were in it... but they say it does not harm fish.

[@jonathanpesavento1025]

@@BIGALTX thank you friend

[@frugalmillionaire5828]

If you say your pond used to go practically dry every year, how did you refill your pond? AND how do the fish survive?

[@BIGALTX]

Frugal Millionaire The fish didn’t survive. For a refill, I would just have to wait for fall/winter rains.

[@mitubogoogle]

Great video and info. Another viewer asked if the fish survived, but it was not clear if you meant that the fish did not survive after the pond was drained because of the leak every year OR because this product is TOXIC to FISH?

[@BIGALTX]

Thanks for the kind words. The product states that it is not toxic to fish.

[@charmainemontgomery582]

Wow! That’s amazing 😃

[@jasonhatfield4747]

If your pond drains nearly empty each year, why not just re-line it and be done with it? I know it’s pricey but you would be fixing it once and for all with a proper liner.

[@BIGALTX]

I'm afraid the cows would step through the liner and bust it

[@advoempower]

I was going to ask you about the cows... I am up north of dallas... the cows are always walking in and drinking out of the pond....

[@dimaur3697]

people said duck poop can seal leaking pond?

[@BIGALTX]

Yep. I’ve heard about that, seen videos on that and I wish I had 100 ducks out there to seal it up. Ha ha ha.

[@PatrosinioVega]

U should add clay to the backside

[@BIGALTX]

I put a full ton of bentonite clay in it when I first had it dug. Did not seem to help. About two years ago I went ahead and had the dam completely redone. It had gotten very bad, and looked like it could breach. Looks really good now

[@jimzone100]

Can we do fish culture after using that leak proof chemical..?

[@BIGALTX]

Their website says there is no harm to fish, but do your own research :)

[@Sqeptick]

Great video. I just bought a similar product from a company called Natural Waterscapes. Hoping to have good results like you did.

[@michaelcordes4050]

Did you have good results?

[@joshblick]

Just get some ducks lol

[@mikemorrison281]

I’ve heard that putting ducks year round on your pond will stop leaking.

[@BIGALTX]

Me too. I've been thinking about getting some, but KEEPING them around seems to be a problem. they like to leave...

[@suger10001]

@@BIGALTX If you put in duck make it so you can pen them there when small. I raised some in one of my chicken pens and when grown tried to put them in. They kept walking all the way back to the chicken pen. One had a bad foot and she would get so pissed and cuss me out when she had to foot it home.

[@josephtacosyt]

FLeX sEal

[@SKANK_HUNT49]

😆

[@jeremyblalack]

try to find Bentonite it's used to seal leaks and ponds and you should be able to find it locally

[@BIGALTX]

Like I said in the video, I put 2000 lbs of bentonite in it many years ago. Didn't help at all. Even used "hole plug" ... a bentonite product about the size of gravel to plug the big holes I showed. Did not work

[@bumper52]

@@BIGALTX With bentonite clay, it's all in how it's applied. To be most effective, it needs to be mixed in with the soil it's intended to seal. This means sprinkling on the water to spread it is going to be sub-optimal.

[@dewaynecurry]

Saw a video once that claimed that ducks pooping in the pond would seal it.

[@BIGALTX]

Saw that too. I may get some one day.

[@richardhawkins2248]

I think the term is glaying a pond. We have Muscovy ducks, but not turning them loose just yet.

[@Kfcng60]

Bentonite will work if it is done correctly. Only $8 per 50 lbs.

[@BIGALTX]

Didn't work for me... I put 2000 LBS of Bentonite on this pond a couple of decades ago with no results 🙁

[@theresalarson9416]

@@BIGALTX Do you know whether you used Calcium Bentonite or Sodium Bentonite in pond application that didn’t work? Vastly different absorption properties. 1:1-5 on Calcium B. vs 1:15-20 on Sodium B. A bit confusing as both often just called bentonite, without the qualifier. I’m thinking of trying Sodium Bentonite out, (using a screen & som pex pipe to make a short, open cylinder as a form), in bottom & up 5” sides of my Root Pouch grow bags to create a reservoir for self wicking tubs instead of greenhouse fabric used in Leons pots. The trailer park well breaks often & we aren’t allowed to connect to city water. With 10” annual rainfall… & hot Montana summers - that’s a problem solver’s garden challenge! We share well faucets with neighbors, so can’t install drip. Leon’s design, and your upgrades, could put scalable driveway gardening in reach for alot of seniors. And bentonite is super cheap. Calcium Bentonite, wouldn’t absorb enough water to form seal. On other hand, Sodium Bentonite might absorb too much, making too thick of a barrier, when expanded, for a pot. Your videos give me courage to experiment. To try. I’ve read where the sodium bentonite is mixed with sand in smelting industries. When wetted, combo gets molded into forms for melted metal. No way that could work if it leaked,, right? Moulton mess everywhere! So maybe I can figure out a gardening play-dough with sand & Sodium B. for my grow bag Leon pots. Spoiler alert… The useless-for-ponds kind, Calcium Bentonite, is actually very useful as a garden soil amendment. Holds water & nutrients at 1:1 to 1:5 ratio, (so not horribly water logging), has hundred of thousands of times more surface area than sand, hold water & nutrients, (less nutrient loss when watering) & releases both easily. Massive internal area makes a great home for beneficial microbes, adds aeration, (not for clay soils though), or so the research goes. Just ONE heaping teaspoons of calcium bentonite has same internal area as a football field. (Really! I have the math geek links), but you can google Calcium B + football field area & find math geek data). Sodium Bentonite, on other hand, not good soil amendment, as swells 1:15-20 & doesn’t release water & nut’s that well. Two loves - pond & garden. Don’t give up! Bentonite, the right one, might still be an answer for you. And hopefully, for me too. Will let you know how the grow bag experiment goes. Thx for all the great content- i love your deep respect for Leon, but your willingness to make it your own, with upgraded versions for your own application, scale & budget. Those blackberries? They’re my inspiration?

[@onlyjesussaves9892]

As long as shipping, order a pallet. Resale the extra to make profit filling a need. You wouldn't be only one thinking a thousand spent is better than two or more on contract.

[@GEO-vc1pc]

Greedy Christian

[@crossborn6375]

@@GEO-vc1pc To hate is murder

[@GEO-vc1pc]

@@crossborn6375 right you're right you have all the answers through that garbage make believe stuff 👌

[@Trivit30]

Looks like you need some Dozer work done on dam to smooth it up... wouldn't take much

[@BIGALTX]

I could do it myself, but the back of the dam is so steep... I just can't do it. The big holes you see are from big rocks that were removed, or old tree stumps that have rotted out over the years.

[@Trivit30]

TexasPrepper2 I got ya....maybe a excavator.... nothing is too steep for one of those

[@Trivit30]

TexasPrepper2 my old man r.i.p. would drive a dozer anywhere lol seen him go off the back of a dam one time almost at a 90° angle...the owner was standing beside him... turned towards me and said...hes crazy

[@asdfjklasdfjkl1988]

Is it harmful to fish down stream or in the pond? Can livestock/ dogs still drink it?

[@jmoe6253]

Bentonite

[@BIGALTX]

I put a full ton of bennonite. Clay in this pond shortly after we dug it. Did not do anything. I wish it would have because it is a lot cheaper than this stuff was. I still have leakage because I did not put enough of this sealer in it. Way too expensive.

[@jessel.greenjr.avariety6883]

Brother, I have an idea. If you think you have another twenty or more years in you, drain the damn thing. Let it dry. Dig it out as big as you want. Line it with an appropriate liner and done. PROBLEM SOLVED!

[@emac6057]

Put some drilling mud or some drilling gel

[@BIGALTX]

I put 2000 lbs of bentonite in it many years ago. Didn't help at all. Even used "hole plug" ... a bentonite product about the size of gravel to plug the big holes I showed. Did not work. Not familiar with drilling "gel". It may be a polymer product like this... not sure

[@tgreen2406]

Damit....... free shipping US

[@BIGALTX]

I've looked at that product... thanks for the info!

[@cd1168]

You can’t be serious to tell us this is a legitimate solution for a failing key way and dam.

[@BIGALTX]

This seals seepage

[@falcon02012]

carboxymethyl cellulose

[@YourDadVR]

falcon02012 is that the actual chemical being used

[@joelhenderson5526]

Put bentonite in it!

[@BIGALTX]

As I said in the video... I put 2000 lbs of bentonite in it many years ago. Didn't help at all.

[@Trivit30]

TexasPrepper2 wow really? We dug a 1 acre pond in sand for a customer... he ordered bentonite from Texas in 1 ton bags....we spread it about 2" thick and worked great

[@BIGALTX]

I didn't spread it anywhere NEAR 2" thick.

[@Trivit30]

TexasPrepper2 how thick did you go buddy?

[@BIGALTX]

Trivit30 One ton over an area about 3/4 of an acre only left a modest dusting. No thickness at all. Would have to have used several times that much to get it “thick”.

[@thehallhobbyfarmsusaandphi4457]

Didn't work for me. Waste of money.

[@BIGALTX]

What didn't work... applying polymer or having dirt work done?