Lee Calladine's video: PVC or Rubber Liner

PVC or Rubber. Hi it's Lee from the Japanese Water Gardens. Let's talk about choosing a liner for your pond. Do you go PVC or do you go Rubber. What are the pros and cons of each type and which is best choice for you. Well keep watching and I will explain. There are several types of liner in common use. PVC and Rubber liners are the by far the most popular types. PVC liners are affordable and widely available. They are lightweight and very easy to install, but somewhat lacking in flexibility and durability. PVC liners will tend to form folds and creases in the corners and around the contours of a pond. Extra care must be taken with PVC liners not to put them under too much strain when trying to pull out folds. PVC liners will tear rather than stretch. Rubber liners are significantly more expensive than PVC, often costing double the price. They are extremely durable and are capable of taking on the shape of the pond with minimal folds and creases. Rubber liners can stretch and give allowing them to flow around the contours and shelves. A good quality rubber liner will have a 25 year or longer guarantee. PVC liners generally come with only 10 to 15 years. It's important that you understand the terms of a pond liner guarantee. They don't cover accidental punctures. They are only guaranteeing that the material will not become brittle or porous. Punctures are definitely more of an issue with a PVC liner. Rubber has the ability to stretch and absorb impacts and punctures are rare. Both PVC Rubber liners can be repaired if the puncture can be located but it usually involves a lot of effort. Replacing a liner is a time consuming task. You will have to drain the pond, move the fish into a holding tank, you might need to lift all the edging stones, chip of old mortar, fit new liner, cement down the edging stones, fill and empty the pond to clean out fallen mortar and so on. So what's the verdict. For me it's rubber all the way. If finance's permit rubber has to be the best choice. PVC will do the job but potentially there will be issues. On a small pond the extra cost for rubber probably will not be a deal breaker. On a large pond the amount of effort involved in replacing or repairing a damaged liner is massive. Do remember that whatever liner you choose a good underlay material is still vital. I hope you found this video interesting please consider subscribing to the channel, post any questions in the comments below. Bye for now from Lee at the Japanese Water Gardens.