So, this year I finally decided to break down and cover the pond, which will hopefully keep it from freezing with anything more than a thin layer of ice, and (assuming it works) will mean I don’t have to stress out all winter over a de-icer potentially catching fire, or shorting out and leaving my pond to freeze over because I didn’t happen to walk over and look at it that day.

So…I got 1″ PVC pipe from Lowe’s, and P picked it up for me on Friday. First thing I noticed was that I had got the wrong size cross fittings. I’d entered, “cross fitting 1″ PVC” in the search on Lowe’s site, and bought the first result…which turned out to be 1/2″ PVC cross fittings. Well, fuck. CHC had them, though, and since I’d also got 10′ wide plastic, and knew it wouldn’t be wide enough, I also got another roll of 10′ wide 6mil plastic at CHC. This was not an inexpensive project, but I paid for peace of mind, I guess.

First, I pressure washed the rocks, cleaned out the leaves, or at least most of them, but it was windy, so I kept getting more. Fuck it–there are certainly enough on the bottom already. I rinsed the gunk off the filter bag, then pulled the filter up so it’s about 1′ deep in the water.

Initially, my plan was to put it together, then carry it over and place it atop the pond, then P and I would lift each bow and slide the ends over the rebar. This turned out to be a less-than-perfect idea, since we had to put so much pressure on the bows to lift them over the rebar that they popped out of the cross connectors.

Plan B. After thinking about it for a few minutes, and swearing a lot, I thought of our big ladder. P and I carried it over, and he found two plywood scraps, which was good, since I’d already resigned myself to falling in the pond. I didn’t, though; the plywood made a nice, stable surface. Since I could be in the center, and push down as he put the pipe over the rebar, everything stayed in place. Then, I wrapped the joint with enough white Gorilla tape to choke a…gorilla.

My assistant, on break. Damn unions.

Frame complete!

It was almost dark by the time we’d finished, and I’m not happy about the seam, but I overlapped about 18″, and taped both sides with Gorilla tape. I was glad for the big front room in our house because it was way too windy to do this outside. If this doesn’t survive, though, I’ll have to pony up the big bucks for 20′ wide plastic, though I’ll have to buy 100′. Anyway, we’ll see how it goes, and I’m definitely happy to look over and see our “geodome” instead of worrying about ice and freeze/thaw damage to that very expensive pond liner!