Cover for pond filter enclosure

[AJB Temple]

I have a home laid (not a great bricklayer) brick built enclosure (it’s the bit on the right in the picture) about (guessing) 1.2m square and 80cm high, adjacent to a partially above ground Koi pond. It contains UV lights, water and air pumps, and one of the filter units, hence “wet” electrical.

It needs to be covered for aesthetic and especially noise reasons. When I built this as part of our new Japanese style garden area a couple of years ago, I made an almost horizontal hinged “temporary” lid out of regular plywood (which I had to hand), painted both sides with bitumen paint and with oak feather board originally nailed but now screwed on top. I meant it tp last a few months before doing something permanent. However, this is now its third winter and needs to be the last as it is absolutely sodden, is really heavy to lift, and the ply is delaminating. It needs to be accessed twice a week and must be light enough for my wife to lift and prop open. And it needs to look good and in keeping with this small Koi pond.

My ideal is some sort of board that is completely rigid and waterproof, and strong enough to fix thin oak planks to, or anything in keeping really, and support some quite large bonsai trees in pots during the summer. Any bright ideas?

Adrian

 

[Blackswanwood]

I would expect that as long as you have a flat lid that water doesn’t run off you will be prone to issues.

Is it possible to put a slight incline on the lid so water runs off? You could still put plants on it in summer by making a wedge shaped support or batons cut to the same incline but reversed that the pots sit on.

Marine ply is the obvious timber solution?

A bit more radical might be to explore whether getting something made out of GRP would work albeit I have no idea whether that would end up looking naff.

I do like a Japanese garden and you have done a splendid job making that one.

 

[AndyT]

There's a sort of board which is ideal, called Buffalo Board. It's widely used on boats and also on children's playground equipment. It's a high grade plywood with a synthetic facing. You will need to seal the cut edges. I'm told that either marine grade silicone (Sikaflex) or bitumastic paint or a mixture of the two will work ok.

Pretty sure Buffalo Board is the original brand name, but similar alternatives exist.

 

[AJB Temple]

Thanks Andy. I will hunt around. I know the glue on marine ply is waterproof, but the wood itself still rots. I accept I need to seal the edges, but also must penetrate it in numerous places for fixing hinges, prop, and decorative boards on top. Rot will get in that way I suppose.

 

[jimmy s]

You could possibly use Medite Tricoya MDF. Its supposed to be waterproof and dimensionally stable.

I've got some to try for facia boards on the house. It needs stainless fixings like Acoya but if you are using oak and its external thats probably a given.

 

[Lurker]

Think about big hinges and gas struts.
Car breakers for both maybe?

Then the weight is of no significance.

 

[AJB Temple]

I want this to be cheap, quick and simple. It's only a fish filter cover in the end. So I've been thinking heretical thoughts. Whisper this.....PLASTIC. There is a thing called Stokboard, which I have never seen, that is made from recycled plastic into rigid sheets and used for hoarding. It's not super cheap and I am struggling to find it except on eBay. But it should not warp or rot and I could put it in a frame if necessary.

I vaguely recall looking into this before and getting nowhere.

 

[jimmy s]

I'd agree in that case - plastic's the way to go if you can source something.

 

[MattS]

I looked into sheet products like this a little while ago at work, there are other people who make recycled plastic sheets, had my hands on a sample of this and we actually used it for the project. We didn’t use it flat though and it has a foamy core so I don’t know if it would sag? It was pretty cheap and we only needed a few sheets which they would do.

http://www.ecosheetuk.co.uk

Another alternative which had been around a while is Richlite, compressed paper and used for skate parks so would work well. Think it’s fairly pricey and don’t know what supply for retail is like.

https://richlite.co.uk/

 

[MattS]

Another alternative search foamex or foamex pvc board it’s standard sign board and easy to find.

 

[AJB Temple]

ecosheet, apparently called eco ply now looks very similar. Finding it in a sheet or half sheet is the challenge.
Foamex won't be strong enough. People sit or stand on that lid.

 

[RogerS]

Resin using carbon fibre ? Readily available. https://www.ecfibreglasssupplies.co.uk/ ... rbon-fibre

 

[AJB Temple]

Medite Tricoya extreme (thanks for that suggestion) looks durable enough if I can source it.

Thanks Roger. Fibreglass is not in my skill set.

 

[RogerS]

Medite Tricoya extreme (thanks for that suggestion) looks durable enough if I can source it.

Here you go https://www.cnccreations.co.uk/product/ ... icoya-mdf/

Still think carbon-fibre is the way to go

Carbon-fibre-glassing is very easy. Even I can do it

 

[AJB Temple]

Thanks. I just found it at Fulham Timber as well, at.......£290.40 a sheet. No chance of me paying anything like that.

 

[AJB Temple]

OK Roger, I will have a look at the CF stuff. It had better be dead easy as well as cheap!

 

[MattS]

ecosheet, apparently called eco ply now looks very similar. Finding it in a sheet or half sheet is the challenge.
Foamex won't be strong enough. People sit or stand on that lid.

Contact them direct about the eco ply they definitely sell by the sheet but not sure what delivery is like. Seem to remember when we used it the signage company ended up collecting it.

 

[RogerS]

OK Roger, I will have a look at the CF stuff. It had better be dead easy as well as cheap!

The East Coast guys are very helpful. Lots of How To on their website

 

[AJB Temple]

Thank you Roger. I assume though I have to put it over some suitable ply or other supporting surface. I will ring them up today, but I a worried that I will still need to penetrate it and allow water in. I need to fix heavy duty hinges on, and the oak capping is best screwed on from experience. I will ask them. I have never used glass fibre though I've seen it done (by my dad, so it is a while ago!).

Help from all here is appreciated. At present the cover is propped open in the hope it will dry off a bit. It os minus 2 outside and everything is frozen. The pumps etc still work fine as so much water is shifted it won't freeze.

Adrian

 

[RogerS]

I was thinking that if you used carbon fibre then you'd not need any supporting ply. I know it will flex but it is carbon fibre !

Alternatively after doing any fixings you could fibre-glass over those.

I do like your garden.

 

[AndyP]

Does this fit the bill

https://www.recycledplasticbuildingmate ... -wood.html

Your garden does look as if someone spends a lot of time in it.

 

[AJB Temple]

Thanks Roger. That small part of the garden is directly in front of the wide glazed sliding doors in the new kitchen I have been building. I had to deal with a significant change of level (almost a metre). The small pond in front of the kitchen (there is a much larger and deeper one behind it) is filtered for Koi and if I had my time again I would make it twice as wide and maybe a foot deeper. It's about 6 metres long but only 1.2 metres wide.

We are not "fish keepers" or enthusiasts particularly and although there are five pond areas in total, one of them has two kinds of orfe in it and the nature pond which is much further back has green tench, some bream (or something I forget) and a lot of sticklebacks. Plus a vast amount of common and crested newts, that get everywhere - it is incredible how they breed. Plus a pair of live in Moorhens and a secretive pair of wild mallard who appear to be bed and breakfasters. I saw the male Tawny owl sitting on the pond cover (the Koi pond is covered in insulation through the worst of winter) shrouded in steam as the frost burnt off in the sunlight. annoyingly my camera was on my desk elsewhere in the house. First time I have seen him in full daylight.