Puddled clay pond
Puddled clay pond, what is it, how is it done?
Puddled clay is the name given to the process of
puddling clay, all you really do is refine the clay (check and remove any
non clay objects) then lay the clay down in thin layers, but each layer
must be whacked (or puddled) to prevent any air pockets as these can dry
out and collapse later.
A puddled clay pond must be thick, at least 20 cm all
over. This is to prevent the clay from cracking due to natural ground
movement. If you have no clay you can buy clay for puddling, the clay
itself is not that expensive, how ever transporting it is.
The clay must never be allowed to dry out, as if it does
it will crack and leak, but this also applies during construction
Puddled clay ponds take a lot of effort to construct,
need a lot of maintenance and the transport costs of the clay are
expensive too, it is for these reasons you do not see many puddled clay
ponds, and if you consider puddled clay pond cost against a butyl liner
pond the butyl lined pond is often cheaper and needs no where near as much
maintenance.
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