Archive for June 2nd, 2010
A garden is generally a very individualized space and the size and plan of a garden are a matter of individualized choice. While some people might be content with a small lawn adjoining their property, there are others for whom extensive gardens are a way of life. No matter what your tastes run into there is no denying the fact that outdoor garden fountains can add charisma to all kinds of gardens. Outdoor garden fountains can add immense visual appeal to any garden, but that is not their only advantage. The sound of flowing water in your backyard can be very resting and can calm frayed nerves.
Outdoor garden fountains come in varying shapes and sizes. Some people might like these to be the centerpiece of their garden creating an ambience for the rest of the space. However, there are others who like outdoor garden fountains with subtle designs that can integrated with the rest of the elements of the garden. Such small garden fountains can add immense character to your garden and wage a very soothing effect.
Outdoor garden fountains are prefabricated of various materials. Wood, sandstone, granite, cast stone and quite a few other varieties can be easily found in the market. All of these have their own charm and can suit the various individual tastes. However, cast stone fountains are one of the most favourite outdoor garden fountains. These come in very massive sizes as well as relatively smaller ones. For those of you looking for elegance combined with utility cast stone fountains are the obvious choice. These come in really classy designs and can wage your garden with a very stately appearance.
If you are planning to make your garden fountain the main focus of the entire garden then opting for a massive cast stone fountain is a great idea. Cast stone fountains can impart a very upscale feel to the most average of gardens. These have the added advantage of being extremely durable and resilient to weather changes. Cast stone fountains are not mere garden equipment which can be purchased lightly, these are pieces of art which will be in your family for years to come. It is important to do your home work before investing in cast stone fountains. The scope of individualizing these fountains is endless, for the art lovers out there intricately carved cast stone fountains can appease both their artistic as well as aesthetic appetite.
Outdoor garden fountains come in various shapes. Multi tiered fountains are great for the more conservative people out there while the neo twin bowl and other such funky designs are great for the more contemporary tastes.
Lastly installing these pieces of art in your garden can be an amazingly fulfilling exercise. With an hour of effort the modern fountains can be up and running. Cast stone fountains generally come with a book of instructions which makes it doable for the most novice gardener to install them on their own. However, it has to be remembered that like each other aspect of gardening the installation of fountains is also an exercise that is ideal accomplished with creativity and patience.
Source
People enjoy Asian gardens for different reasons. For the gardeners, there is a definite design they are creating with the elements of the garden, whether it is a formal or informal type of garden. For visitors, the garden is a place to relax, stroll and quietly reflect on the beautiful landscape that has been created.
Source Rokuon-ji Temple gardens
Japanese gardens can be designed in different styles. They can be an open, park-like setting, or a secluded moss and bamboo shade garden. The garden can also be a dry or pebble garden with minimal plantings, often referred to as a zen garden.
Source Zen garden, Ginkakuji, Kyoto
Most Asian gardens contain certain elements that give it a Asian feel. Usually there is a water feature of some type to bring movement and reflection to the garden. This can be a babbling brook, a calm pond, or just a small fountain near the entrance, symbolically put to grant visitors to wash their hands.
Source Asian garden, Portland, Oregon
Japanese gardens also make extensive use of rocks. The rocks counterbalance the softness of delicate bamboo or Asian maple leaves, and give the garden some structure. They can also be put to symbolize distant mountains. In a zen garden, they can be put to symbolize a turtle or a crane.
Source Palermo Park Asian garden
Many Asian gardens also incorporate a small tea home prefabricated of bamboo timbers or dark wood, where tea ceremonies can be performed. There are also gates and railings used to add structure and help lead a visitor through the garden.
Source Tea House, Golden Gate Park
One of the elements that most people associate with the Asian garden is a decorative stone lantern. These stone lanterns are prefabricated in different styles for different purposes. Some are meant to be put overlooking water, or as a massive focal point. Some are prefabricated with wide overhangs on top to protect their light from Winter snow.
Source Kotoji-toro lantern, Kenroku-en
The garden is meant to be beautiful in all seasons, Winter included. For this reason, the plantings are sculpted and much use is prefabricated of evergreens. Overall, a Asian garden is an evolving work of art that changes through the seasons and the years.
Source Asian garden, Horsforth
I hope this short article and beautiful photos help you see the beauty of Asian gardens. If you get a chance to visit one, you won’t regret it.
You can get paid to write short articles like this one. Join me at Bukisa to learn how.
Read more of my articles here.
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INTRODUCTION:
This Article is written to be a guide in the construction and maintenance of natural stone waterfalls. The intent is to make your water feature look as though it has been there for millions of years. If the final project looks man-made or if key elements are not in place then you won’t be as satisfied with the final product. I want you to be healthy to sit in front of your newly finished water garden and be at complete assist and have a massive sense of accomplishment.
To do this takes a lot of hard work and a few tricks along the way but, if you follow the steps in this Article you can be sure that the outcome will be nothing short of spectacular.
BENEFITS OF A WATER FEATURE :
The amazing sound that falling water produces has a absolutely mesmerizing effect on people.
You can sit in front of a water feature and absolutely forget about all of your problems, and in today’s hectic world – everyone can spend a couple of minutes to get that peace.
One of the most important benefits of a properly installed waterfall is water conservation. A 6’ x 9’ area of grass will take up to 120 gallons[120 gallons x 3.79=454.8 litres] of water to maintain, while a pond of similar dimension takes 50 to 60 gallons of water to maintain its optimum level.
This Article has been split into three main parts,
Design and budget,MaterialSelection,Feature Construction, Maintenance/Trouble Shooting.
Design and budget:
Before you begin bulding your water feature, Give yourself a consultation. Grab a notebook, a tape measure, and a camera, and go to work. Ask yourself these questions:
What do I want to accomplish from my water feature?
Are you looking at having a massive amount of fish, or a massive amount of water falling from great heights, or both?
What is my budget?
Set a budget for yourself. If you end up spending more for your feature than originally anticipated you could have a sour taste in your mouth for a long time to come.As long as you keep the basic ideas of designing a water feature in mind you can decide to add on next month or next year.
Where would I be enjoying the feature from the most?
If you spend most of your time in the kitchen, and there are windows to your yard, direct the most exciting pieces of the feature toward those windows. If you spend a lot of time in your garden, you should
incorporate part of the feature within that garden. The water feature is going to be one of the favorite spots for you and your family so why not integrate it into where you already spend most of your time?
What future problems could I have by building the water feature here?
Are there any utilities or easements that would make construction impossible? Is there good access to bring in the materials to the site? Is there ground water directly under where the liner will be placed? While most of these problems can be overcome with additional grading and or retaining walls, they will add to your budget, so find the ideal spot for keeping all of the above questions in check.
COPYING NATURE:
If you want to build a truly spectacular water feature, then spend some time with Nature (I’m not speaking about being “one”with nature… that is a absolutely different book,and one that I would not be healthy to write!) Spend some time looking at the randomness of a stream, and how it all makes sense. Look to see how larger rocks break the water, and how the water has carved out the rocks over millions of years.Most of the stones at the bottom of a river are smooth or rounded, and how the water tends to get deeper after a fall.you watch a very small section of a stream and try to picture what the rocks look like underneath the water. What is making the water move that way? If you can picture it in your head, then try to recreate that in your own stream or pond.
Before you begin the project,keep it in your mind, If you were to build a pond with all of the largest stones on one side, and all of the small stones on the other side, it would look a tiny uncomfortable at best. For one thing it wouldn’t look natural, and it wouldn’t be a good design. When you place rocks on and around the waterfall, take a step back once in a while, and look at what you are doing.
There are five distinctive parts to a Water feature. They are
pedestal areas,
catch basins,
streams and falls, shelves,
the pond.
There is nothing mystical about any of these areas if you know how to build them, and know what they accomplish.
pedestal area:
Pedestal areas are a flat excavated section of soil at the head of the feature that is lined, usually about 8 to 12 inches deep. A pedestal area can hold waterfall stones or feature rock settings; they also can be used for bog areas (a shallow area of water that is ideal for growing bog plants.).The basic intent of a pedestal is to extend the liner under all of those rocks you will pile so that any errant water is collected and returned to the pond.
2.catch basins:
A catch basin is a place where falling water is caught. They can be excavated to accent any place where water will travel vertically. A catch basin has two main purposes.
The first purpose is to cut down on splash. When water splashes onto dry rocks, the water evaporates much faster and you end up using more water, which causes you to spend more money than you planned in maintenance costs.
The second purpose of the catch basin is to enhance the sound of the falling water. When water falls into deeper water, the sound is much more robust. It has more bass, which in turn travels through walls and bushes and trees allowing you to enjoy the sound of your creation through more areas of your garden or home.The dimensions of a catch basin are determined by two factors; the amount of water falling and the distance the water will be falling from.
3.Streams, falls and Shelves:
streams are channels that connect catch basins to the pond.Streams and falls can be the
most aggravating aspects to a water feature. If they are not done right you can run into all kinds of problems,
like water running off the liner, water running under all of your rocks and water falling onto unlined surfaces.
Shelves are flat sections of excavated soil that will hold rocks underneath the surface of your pond. They separate the deepest parts of your pond from the shallower areas. They make the slope of a pond easier to cover because they create a stopping point for the rocks that will be placed,preventing them from sliding all the way to the bottom of the pond. Shelves can also be prefabricated larger in areas to hold larger stones. This will
make the pond look more natural and give it more visual interest.
4. pond:
The pond is much more than just a hole in the ground with water in it. It is the home for an ecosystem, the soothing reflection pool, and the water supply for your whole system. The pond is where the skimmer is placed,
water lilies dance, and fish swim.
2.material Selection:
BIO-FILTERS AND SKIMMER BOXES:
Skimmers are located near your pump and are primarily a mechanical filter. Skimmers pull debris off the top layer of the water and place it in a extractable net or basket. This keeps the debris from falling to the bottom of the pond and decaying. When choosing a skimmer, look at the accessibility of the net or basket. Find one that has filter media included. Look at the durability of the sides. It is very frustrating to have the sides of
a skimmer collapse to the point where you can't pull the basket out, or have the filter media stuck after a few months in the ground. You also want to size the skimmer for the size of the pond you have. If you have a
2000 congius pond, you should get a skimmer that is healthy to filter that much water. This is also determined by the size of the pump you are going to use. The intent is to turn the capacity of the pond over at least once an
hour for proper filtration. For instance, if you have a 2,000 congius pond, you should get a minimum of a 2,000
congius an hour pump for your waterfall or stream, then size the skimmer to the pumping capacity of the pump. Keep in mind that this is a minimum;we have built waterfalls that turn the water over apiece 6 minutes. We believe that when you build a waterfall you really should see “water fall”.
Biological filters actually filter the water on a molecular level. They introduce beneficial bacteria that change nitrates to nitrites, which plants use as a source of food. The most common filter is called a Bio Falls. This
is a black plastic box that houses filter media (a fine woven pad that is home for bacteria), bags of lava rock, and usually an imitation rock ledge that water can begin over.It is an effective way to filter your water and bring the water to the surface.
The type of filter I would advocate is an in-line, pressurized filter. This filter is easily cleaned by just a turn of a knob and houses all of the bacteria in a plastic chamber which can be buried away from the waterfall as not to take your eyes off of your masterpiece.
LINERS AND UNDERLINERS:
If you want your water feature to be a success, you need to use a liner. I advocate PVC or a rubber liner.
PVC is a plastic based liner that usually is not UV protected. This means that if you leave it exposed to the sun, it will start to deteriorate and become brittle. Good pond installations do not have liner exposed to the sun anyway, but this is the greatest fault with PVC liners.
Rubber liners first came out as a roof liner but couldn’t find a market so Firestone started to make pond liners. These liners are usually 45-mil in thickness and UV protected. The downside to these liners is that they are
very heavy and the puncture strength to weight ratio is not as good as some PVC liners. We will be using the rubber liners (EPDM) for the features outlined in this article, but you can alternative for another kind.
PUMPS AND BUBBLERS:
A pump is used to circulate the water in your water feature. This creates your waterfall(s) and produces oxygen in the water. Algae does not thrive in water where oxygen levels are high, so pumps are vital to the health of your pond.
To achieve the right amount of water movement, you need to know how many gallons of water your pond will hold.
There are several factors to think about when buying a water pump.waterfall pumps range in size anywhere from 90 gallons an hour to 500 gallons a minute (30,000 gallons an hour). In order to move more water, you’ll have to purchase a more costly pump. You’ll also have a higher electric bill. With a larger pump you create more splash, and have more evaporation loss. As you can see, there is a trade off for a pump that makes your waterfall look like a violent river, compared to a trickle.
The brand and type of pump you use makes a difference on the amount of electricity it pulls. When it comes to waterfall pumps you basically have two choices; in-line pumps and submersible pumps. In-line pumps are typically more efficient and are easier to access than submersibles, but they have a tendency to be louder and are harder to hide. Submersibles are either place in the pond or in a skimmer. These types of pumps are very quiet and are already hidden.
If you have shopped around for pumps, you will notice that certain pumps are more costly than others for the same amount of pumping capacity.The reasons for this could be a number of things like warranty, efficiency, and the material the pump is prefabricated from. All of these factors should play a part in your decision, but if you have a budget in mind, don’t spend all of your money on a pump and end up leaving liner exposed because you
couldn’t afford any more rocks!
For an outdoor waterfall with a pond, I would not advocate anything smaller than a 1,800 congius an hour pump. If you already have a pump and don’t know if it will be huge enough, make sure that the hose that you use will also accommodate a larger pump. That way if you need more water down the road, all you have to do is exchange the pump and you will not have to tear up your hose and your waterfall.
HOSES:
Hoses are simply, the piping that caries the water from the pump to the filter or to the top of the waterfall. There really isn’t much to say here except to make sure you get the right size for the amount of water you are trying to pump. The hose size that you will need should be included with the pump information.
If you are pumping a long distance or up great heights use a larger diameter hose. Try to refrain using 90-degree angles, as this too will drop the amount of water you will see at the other end. The type of hose we usually use is a PVC flexible hose. This type of hose is very durable and glues directly into PVC fittings, which eliminates the use of barbed fittings,which are extremely difficult to press into a hose. Especially on massive diameter hoses.
3.Feature Construction:
The general layout of the example water feature we will be creating is 13’ x 13’ with a maximum depth of three feet.
Using the dimensions of the longest width by the longest length we need to find a general size of the liner needed and how many gallons of water our pond will hold so we can compute pump and skimmer size. Even though these calculations are good to have planned, we advocate that you do not actually purchase the liner and geo until the digging is complete and you re-calculate the ponds size.
Liner Size Calculation:
Liner and Geo Size in Feet = (Greatest Width x Greatest Length) + (2 x Depth) + 1 foot.
Note: The additional foot is for an overhang of 6” on both the geo and liner for anchoring purposes.
Pump Size Calculation :
To compute the pump size we first need to know how much water our pond will actually hold. In calculating our pond size, we have broken it down into two separate areas:
• The pedestal area
• The general pond area.
With the calculations below, our pond size comes out to be about 1300 –1400 gallons.
Pond Gallons Calculation:
Pond Size = Average Length x Average Width x Average Depth x 7.48.
Now that we have the approximate volume of our pond, we can compute the size of pump that we will need. As mentioned before, we want to move the water in the pond at least once an hour.
For this pond we will be using a 2,400 GPH (Gallon per Hour) pump with 20 feet of 1 ½” PVC Flex hose. Our liner and geo size will be 20’x 20’.
Note: 1 1/2” ID will give a slower, fuller flow out of the waterfall stone. Using small diameter hoses will give a higher pressure water release, and will result in a restriction of water volume.
MARKING AND LEVELING TECHNIQUES:
MARKING:
You’ll want to mark the outline of your future water feature before you ever break ground.Let’s go over some swift marking techniques that will save many a headache.
First off, we advocate that you use a water hose or rope, and outline the rough shape of your future water feature.Lay the hose out on the ground and visualize the finished features’ location, outlining shape, and size.
Once you’ve got your dimensions how you want them, proceed to mark the perimeter with marking paint. Be sure you use only spray paint that will work upside down and contrast with the dirt color for clear visibility. If
you plan to use a backhoe for the rough dig then unclear markings will cause some frustration in this area.
LEVELING
Leveling will be an important part in the design of our pond, and several different methods can be used depending on what we want to level.
String Leveling
One method that we use when a transit is not acquirable is called the “string level”. It’s a easy design of two stakes, a string, and a level. This works well for generally leveling a massive area. Pound both stakes at the ends of your leveling area. Tighten the string to the same height on both stakes and a level can be used to find the slope of this area. This technique comes in handy during the process of the initial leveling where the water feature will be place and when digging the pedestal.
2 x 4 Leveling
By using a roughly straight 2 x 4, massive areas can be checked for flatness without much hassle. You can also “pull” loose soil to make a level area. Another good use for the ‘ole 2 x 4 is in leveling the shelf area. An 8-foot
long 2 x 4 can be place in-between covering shelf areas in conjunction with a level to compare heights without pounding in stakes.
Transit Leveling
For those not familiar with the term, a transit is a device with a spinning laser on the top of it. It shines the laser in a perfectly straight circle. The device usually has a leveler on it since it must be absolutely level to get an accurate reading. It also includes a measuring stick with a device attached to it, which gives a tone when it intersects the transit’s laser. This tool will pay for its rental cost by the time you are done digging. It comes in handy during any part of the pond’s dig and with a tiny experience, this will cut a good deal of time off your leveling calculations
vs. the other methods.
THE ROUGH DIG
LEVELING THE AREA
In many cases, the first dig is actually moving dirt to your pond area in order to make it absolutely level. Mark off the basic outline of the water feature with your hose or string, (as discussed above) then add at least another foot in area-width to the parameter before marking the area with paint.we want this area to be completely level. If a pond is not level you will have areas where the water is at the top of the pond and areas where it looks shallow or not filled all the way. The ideal looking ponds have water close to the top so you can see the plants and fish from a distance and not feel like you have to peek over the edge to see anything. A transit is the ideal in this situation but if you do not have one available, the string leveling method will work fine.
MAKING THE PEDESTAL
Once the area is level, we want to begin excavating the shallowest area,the pedestal. After marking the pedestal we want to dig the whole space to a depth of 6” – 8” inches. The edge of this dig should be sloped at a slight angle. This will make the rocks more stable and easier to place.
CUTTING IN THE SHELVES
The next step is to dig to the depth of the shelf. Mark the edge of the pond (if you don’t have it already marked.) Begin digging the pond downward from the line at a slope down to the depth of the shelf. The shelf depth depends on the plant life that you want to sustain. The shelf gives your pond character and depth, so be creative. You can add massive areas for accent rocks, or create shallow areas for a beach effect. You are the artist. Make it what you feel!
THE POND’S BOTTOM
The next dig will be to the greatest depth in our pond. We want to keep the shelf around 12” – 18” crossways in order to give ample surface area for the finishing stone that will line it. So once again, we need to move in one foot for the edge just cut for the shelf and mark a new outline. Inside of it we need to dig another 12” to 18” inches down to the bottom of the pond. On this dig, cut the edges to be right angles (go straight down from the shelf to the pond bottom). A good way to keep the edges sharp right angles, is to dig a couple inches away from the line that you painted, then carefully cut straight down after the depth has been excavated.
FINISHING THE SHELVES
In order to finish the shelves, we first need to cut in the boulder placements. In the rough dig, we will cut back the edges to a right angle at the pond edge, giving the most area doable for various shapes of rock that could be placed. This level area should be around 3’ to 4’ feet in width and length to leave enough room for apiece boulder, and remember these shelves only have to be huge enough for your rocks.
AFTERTHOUGHTS
We will be digging out the skimmer box and hose lines as part of the final dig, so don’t worry too much about them for now. After all the rough digging for the pond is complete, it is a good time to find your lowest edge around the pond. This will be a crucial spot in the depth of the skimmer box that will finally determine the level of water in your pond. For the greatest effect we would like to keep the water line in-between 2”-3” inches from the edge of the pond. Since our pedestal/bog area is only cut to 8” inches deep we need to make sure to have around 4”-5” of water in this area for planting. Now is a good time to check and re-check all of these depths and dimensions before we finalize everything.
In the rough dig phase, we stated to dig the shelf to a level slope. Now, we are going to ask you to change the slope slightly. For stability reasons,the flat rock that we will be placing on this shelf must be tilted slightly backward – toward the edge (lip) of the pond.
While doing this, it’s also a good intent to go through the rest of the pond and dig all corners to sharp angles. After we place the liner and fill it with water, the liner will suck into all the pond crevices. Having all lines and intersections defined will add beauty to both water feature types, formal and informal.
DIGGING THE SKIMMER BOX PLACEMENT
Lastly, we are going to dig in the skimmer box. First, we need to make sure that it’s place opposite of the waterfall stone.
The skimmer’s placement can affect our total water movement just as much as the waterfall stone. Try to envision how the water will move through the pond area and place the skimmer box where the greatest water movement is created. This not only adds extra life to the water feature but also helps in keeping it clean.
More important than where along the edge of the pond the skimmer is place is – how far it is place into the pond. We will over exaggerate the area we dig for the skimmer to help make sure it is place correctly. In the final set of the skimmer box we want the lowest point of the skimmer’s overflow piping to be around 2”-3” below the lowest edge of the pond. We advocate digging the skimmers hole around 6” wider on all sides. Just as we are going to do with the accent stones, we will backfill the skimmer box in.
INSTALLING THE LINER AND SKIMMER BOX
SETTING THE PAPER UNDERLAY
Our first line of endorsement is going to be a three or four page thick layer of newspaper. This layer is helpful in several ways. First off, it will add some stability to the pond’s form to help hold walls and corners to their shape
until the time the pond is actually filled with water. Its second purpose will be to repel underground activity around the area of the liner, such as root growth.
SETTING THE GEO-PAD
This layer is like your normal apiece day landscaping fabric, but it’s stronger and protects the underside of the liner. Get this layer down as fast as doable to shield the layer of newspaper. Don’t worry too much about wrinkles in this layer, because the watertight liner hides it.
SETTING THE WATER TIGHT LINER
Again, we’ll give you one last call for caution while handling the liner. After setting it, please check the entire surface area for rips or tears. The very last thing that anyone wants to do is remove all the rocks from a feature to
try and find a leak.
Carry the liner over to a side of the pond that will have adequate room for unfolding it. We usually place the liner in its folded say right at the edge of center of the longest side of the water feature. Unfolding it there will, in
most cases place half of the liner in the pond, so it is drug as tiny distance as possible.
Once you have the liner covering the whole pond area, kick off your shoes and head into the middle and begin smoothing out the wrinkles. While thinning the folds in the liner, it is nice to have at least two people. We want to remove as many folds as possible. Begin actuation the liner into all corners and carry any necessary folds all the way to the top.
SETTING THE SKIMMER BOX
Now that you have the liner in, we can get the skimmer box in its final placement. In its final placement, the liner should be healthy to sit flat crossways the opening of the skimmer’s front face, with plenty of slack at the bottom, and fold over the top of the skimmer box.
Your skimmer box should have detailed instructions on how the liner is actually attached to its front face, and how any hoses run through it. We’ll describe the general process below.
RUNNING THE WATER RETURN AND OVERFLOW HOSES
You should already have a trench dug for the water return hose, as described above.
When running the return water hose, leave enough extra hose in the skimmer box to reach the bottom for good measure. While running the hose through the trench, be on the watch for any kinks that might reduce your water flow.
As the hose reaches the pedestal area and it surfaces, try and keep it as close to the contour of the ground as possible, making it easier to cover when we lay the rocks.
When the return water line crosses over onto the liner, and in the pedestal, you can use glue fittings to keep with the contour of the slope, but keep in mind that any fittings that you add, as far as elbows and tees will decrease the flow rate of the water.
Leave this line long enough to reach the other side of the pedestal for good measure, and try to cover the end of the hose to prevent dirt from getting in it until you are ready to connect it to the waterfall stone.
FASTENING THE LINER TO THE SKIMMER BOX
The most used method of fastening the liner to the skimmer box is a faceplate that bolts the liner in-between it, and the skimmer box. To do this, remove the faceplate from the skimmer box, and then place the liner onto the front of the skimmer box. The liner should be smooth crossways the front of the skimmer box, and overhang the top by at least a foot. Mark the liner where the faceplate would near through the liner, and into the skimmer. Cut that opening with rounded corners, this will help prevent the opening from tearing at the edges. Push the faceplate through the liner, and up against the skimmer, making sure all of the creases are eliminated.
Next, use a screwdriver smaller than the holes for the screws and puncture the liner in the corner screw holes. Begin apiece screw, before tightening them. Tighten the screws in a diagonal pattern – the same way you would tighten the wheel on your automobile when you replace a flat tire. Keep in mind that different skimmers are installed differently, so check your instruction manual.
Any excess liner hanging inside the top of the skimmer can be cut so it is accessible.
INSTALLING THE PUMP AND FILTERS
When installing the pump and water filters, the ideal recommendation we can give you is to follow the directions that come with your skimmer box. There are as many different skimmer box styles as there are ways to skin a cat.
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