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Posts: 138
Location: FEMA District III - Appalachia
82
9
duck forest garden foraging chicken bee homestead
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Approved submission
It was time to add another little pond* so that the ducks [and the frogs] could have some more space.

This did way better then I thought it was going to, it help water for over a week, even during breezy and warmish weather, it fills up nicely when it rains, and the ducks love it.

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New Place
New Place
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digging it
digging it
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quick perk test, water left within 5 mins
quick perk test, water left within 5 mins
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Duck wondering where water has gone?
Duck wondering where water has gone?
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compacting the bottom and sides
compacting the bottom and sides
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Water with compactor in to see water level drop
Water with compactor in to see water level drop
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more then 24 hours later and still holds water
more then 24 hours later and still holds water
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Staff note (gir bot) :

Someone flagged this submission as an edge case BB.
BBV price: 0
Note: Please do the toothpick thing and show the times and water level after waiting 30 min.

Staff note (gir bot) :

Mike Haasl approved this submission.

 
Justyn Mavis
Posts: 138
Location: FEMA District III - Appalachia
82
9
duck forest garden foraging chicken bee homestead
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updated pictures with screwdriver as toothpick trick
 
Posts: 146
159
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Edge case submission
Here’s my sealed pond test. It took about half an hour for the whole thing to drain after first digging the hole, before compaction. I had to compact it twice. For the first compaction I used a wooden mallet, a smooth rock and my fists. After an hour though, it dropped about an inch and a half. For the second compaction, I used the top of a long, heavy metal digging stick with a mushroomed head to compact the earth. Then it held 1/2” in one hour.
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28in wide
28in wide
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16” deep
16” deep
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After filling with water
After filling with water
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Emptied
Emptied
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First compaction
First compaction
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Second compaction
Second compaction
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Start
Start
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After 1 hour
After 1 hour
Staff note (gir bot) :

Mike Barkley approved this submission.

Staff note (gir bot) :

Mike Barkley flagged this submission as an edge case BB.
BBV price: 0
Note: Sorry Pierre, this requires 2 sticks to clearly show less than 1/2 inch of drainage. The final pic looks like about an inch.

 
Posts: 17
Location: California
15
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Approved submission
Sealed Pond Testy Time!

I got creative with the soil compacting and used a combination of a lovely log and the hand smear method to smooth around the clay found in the pit, there seemed to be a bit more on the one side of the pond- I was only able to tell by touching it!!

Thank you to wheaton labs for the space to dig this precious pond and perform this experiment!

So here we go:


1. the new hole         2. hole filled


3. show how long it took to drain 5 gallons- it fully drained by 10am!


show the compaction process!! mmm some good hand smoothing and pounding



- show the new 5 gallon with the green straw at the mark


- show another toothpick marking the waterline five minutes later


here is the water after an hour!


mmm that measurement though- just about half an inch give or take!


using what i have from the land instead of storebought toothpicks....

What an adventure!

Staff note (gir bot) :

Someone approved this submission.

 
pollinator
Posts: 142
Location: San Diego, California | Zone 10a Drylands (11" precip.)
99
2
cat urban chicken food preservation cooking bike
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Edge case submission
Made a hole that held water for more
Than an hour!
140ED33C-5EB1-435B-A724-4DDA83F3BB62.jpeg
The new hole
The new hole
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Hole filled at 908am
Hole filled at 908am
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Hole empty at 1003am
Hole empty at 1003am
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Compaction using smooth rocks
Compaction using smooth rocks
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New 5 gallons in
New 5 gallons in
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Water line marked with stick. Note time
Water line marked with stick. Note time
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After more than an hour, less than an inch less.
After more than an hour, less than an inch less.
Staff note (gir bot) :

Someone flagged this submission as an edge case BB.
BBV price: 0
Note: It needs 2 sticks (or similar markers) to clearly show less than 1/2 inch.

 
steward
Posts: 15505
Location: Northern WI (zone 4)
4846
7
hunting trees books food preservation solar woodworking
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Approved submission
I did this three times, I failed twice in Arakis and the success was on the shelf to the west of Arakis.

It took about 45 minutes to drain the initial hole.  The "toothpicks" are little sticks that arrows point at in the last photo.  The starting toothpick is on the right, 5 min toothpick is in the middle and one hour one is on the left.

Edit:  I added the last picture showing the tape measure against the toothpicks this morning.  That's why the hole is dry.  The right toothpick is angled up and you can easily see the end of it but the point where it enters the side of the pond is lower down.  The 1 hour toothpick is hard to see but it enters the side of the pond right by the end of the tape measure.
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Added photo of the toothpicks (red is initial, orange is 5 min, yellow is after an hour)
Added photo of the toothpicks (red is initial, orange is 5 min, yellow is after an hour)
Staff note (gir bot) :

Someone approved this submission.
Note: I hereby certify this badge bit complete.

 
pioneer
Posts: 261
Location: SF Bay, California Zone 10b
136
4
forest garden fungi foraging cooking
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Approved submission
I made a mini sealed pond. I started the sealing by stomping on it with my boots and hitting it with a rock. My first attempt unfortunately drained a full inch within the allotted time, thus failing. For my second attempt, I used a sledge to whack it down nice and compact. After that it worked!
finaldrainage.jpg
Final water level after sealing.
Final water level after sealing.
waterin.jpg
Adding water
Adding water
sledge.jpg
Compacting with sledge
Compacting with sledge
stomping.jpg
Stomping on it!
Stomping on it!
depth.jpg
Depth of hole
Depth of hole
width.jpg
Width of hole
Width of hole
finaldrain.JPG
Final water level with timestamp
Final water level with timestamp
secondstick.JPG
Second stick inserted into side of hole at top of photo
Second stick inserted into side of hole at top of photo
firststick.JPG
First stick inserted into side of hole at top of photo
First stick inserted into side of hole at top of photo
initialdrain.JPG
Initial drainage occurred within 40 minutes
Initial drainage occurred within 40 minutes
initialfill.JPG
Unsealed hole filled with water
Unsealed hole filled with water
Staff note (gir bot) :

Mike Haasl approved this submission.

 
gardener
Posts: 1569
Location: Washington State
985
6
forest garden trees rabbit earthworks composting toilet fiber arts sheep wood heat woodworking rocket stoves homestead
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Approved submission
Here is my submission for the Earthworks - Sand - Seal a Tiny Pond BB.

To document the completion of the BB, I have provided the following:
- show the new hole
- show how long it took to drain 5 gallons
- show the compaction process
- show the new 5 gallons going in
- show a toothpick marking the water line once the water is in
- show another toothpick marking the waterline five minutes later
- show that the water level has not dropped more than a half-inch in an hour
1.JPG
newly dug hold for my pond
newly dug hold for my pond
2.JPG
adding 5 gallons
adding 5 gallons
3.JPG
9:56 am starting test
9:56 am starting test
4.JPG
10:55 pond is empty
10:55 pond is empty
5.JPG
compacting
compacting
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Test started at 9:58 - added 5 gallons from water jug
Test started at 9:58 - added 5 gallons from water jug
7-five-minute-mark.JPG
adding 5 minute mark - initial mark is about two inches to the right
adding 5 minute mark - initial mark is about two inches to the right
8.JPG
all three sticks - one hour mark is in center
all three sticks - one hour mark is in center
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measuring - pond dropped 1/2-inch in an hour
measuring - pond dropped 1/2-inch in an hour
Staff note (gir bot) :

Mike Haasl approved this submission.

 
Posts: 60
31
food preservation woodworking homestead
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Approved submission
Here is my submission for seal a tiny pond - earthworks.sand.pond PEP BB:

Requirements:
Make a hole in the ground that is 2 feet in diameter and at least a foot deep.
   - Pour in 5 gallons of water and prove that the water is gone in less than 60 minutes
   - Compact the soil (probably with different kinds of digging bars, or a piece of rebar stabbed into the hole a hundred times)
   - Repeat the 5 gallon test with water remaining for at least an hour

To get certified for this BB, I am posting the following as pictures:
   - The new hole
   - How long it took to drain 5 gallons
   - The compaction process
   - The new 5 gallons going in
   - A toothpick marking the water line once the water is in
   - Showing that the water level has not dropped more than a half inch in an hour

seal_a_tiny_pond_0225.JPG
the new hole to spec
the new hole to spec
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the new hole to spec
the new hole to spec
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5 gal for first pour
5 gal for first pour
seal_a_tiny_pond_0231.JPG
poured at 8:47am
poured at 8:47am
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fully drained upon 1 hour check
fully drained upon 1 hour check
seal_a_tiny_pond_0242.JPG
compaction process
compaction process
seal_a_tiny_pond_0244.JPG
compaction process
compaction process
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new 5 gallons going in
new 5 gallons going in
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seal_a_tiny_pond_0247.JPG
Time: 10:06am
Time: 10:06am
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seal_a_tiny_pond_0248.JPG
A toothpick marking the water line once the water is in
A toothpick marking the water line once the water is in
seal_a_tiny_pond_0251.JPG
Showing that the water level has not dropped more than a half inch in an hour
Showing that the water level has not dropped more than a half inch in an hour
Staff note (gir bot) :

Malek Beitinjan approved this submission.
Note: Good job!

 
pollinator
Posts: 196
Location: In the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains
118
homeschooling cat personal care foraging trees hunting books food preservation fiber arts medical herbs writing
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Submission flagged incomplete

I used this method on a larger scale in a glorified puddle for our water birds. Without sealing, the puddle mostly drained in 24 hours. I went back, pounded the bottom with an old hoe handle (Because that is what was there), and scooped wet clay from the bottom to slap on the sides. The water level has barely gone down 2 inches in the past 48 hours. I am so happy!
IMG_0120.jpg
Bird pen and chosen pond place
Bird pen and chosen pond place
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Glorified Puddle dug
Glorified Puddle dug
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Filling and an ungrateful goose fussing that I put him in *sigh*
Filling and an ungrateful goose fussing that I put him in *sigh*
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Drained and pounded
Drained and pounded
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Filled again, the two sticks on the right sides mark the level
Filled again, the two sticks on the right sides mark the level
DSCN1458.JPG
24 hours later my hand is on one of the sticks
24 hours later my hand is on one of the sticks
Staff note (gir bot) :

Someone flagged this submission as not complete.
BBV price: 1
Note: The unsealed pond needs to drain in an hour or less, sorry

 
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