Do I need a bottom drain for my Minnesota pond?

Find out if your Edina, Plymouth, Minnetonka, or Twin Cities pond needs a bottom drain.

The quick answer is that you probably​ don't need one for your backyard pond.  Most Minnesota ponds are small or shallow enough so installing a bottom drain would be a waste of money.  There are some instances where a bottom drain is beneficial though. To help you decide if a bottom drain is right for your pond, read below.

What is a bottom drain?
Bottom drains are installed at the lowest part of your pond.  Tubing runs from the actual opening in the rubber through pipes under the pond rubber to filters.  The goal is to remove sunken debris and junk from the pond bottom using gravity, hence the lowest point.  The tubing must be placed before any liner, rocks, or other pond parts are installed.  Often, ponds with bottom drains do not have gravel or rock on the rubber.  

Benefits of a bottom drain:

• Bottom drains collect waste and sunken debris. This is one method to deal with autumn leaves dropping in your pond.
• Bottom drains help circulate the water bringing more oxygen into the system.
• Some people prefer to clean their ponds by using the drain, especially if they do not have gravel on the pond bottom.  A bottom drain may make cleaning easier. Clean, clear water is the goal for most pond owners.

Dissadvantages of bottom drains:

• Higher installation costs at pond construction time.
• If the piping cracks, the entire pond, including the liner, will have to be removed to fix the leak or replace the pipe. This can be costly.
• Most ponds under 4 ft deep can be  easily cleaned without the bottom drain.
• Sunken debris can be removed with other methods like aerators, jets, or skimmers (which move surface debris before it becomes waterlogged and sinks to the bottom).

How does Minnesota Waterscapes build ponds?
Our goal is to produce ponds with clean, clear water. Our experience building ponds gives you a product simple and easy to maintain. We build ponds to mimic the natural ecosystem.
There is no "correct way" to build a backyard pond in Minnesota but some methods do make pond maintenace easier! To keep things simple to maintain and repair ,even with Minnesota freeze/thaw cycles, and to save some installation costs, we don't typically install bottom drains.  

Occationally, we do install drain tubing under a pond.  This is not to be confused with a bottom drain. Instead, it drains water running under the pond from other sources.  When that happens, the pond liner can lift and "bubble".  Drain tubes remove the excess water.

For further information, please contact us.  A technicion would be happy to talk about your pond to find the best, possible solution!