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  1. #1

    Minimal practical hight for a window

    I'm struggling trying to get my pond layout worked out, originally I was going for a proper half in ground half out pond with a great big window, then started to consider a pond at ground level and with everything like rockery bridge and even a viewing tower.

    The tower ideas been chucked now though, so I'm wondering about a quite low walled pond as an alternative, but there must be a limit to how low the wall can go if wishing to include a window, my question is how practically low can a window be ?



  2. #2
    Moderator Rank = Supreme Champion Feline's Avatar
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    I think anything less than 40cm high for a window would not work that well. You have to allow for the water not coming right up to the top of the window too. Pond windows are quite peculiar in that they seem huge when you are building them and the glass looks enormous, but when the pond is full you suddenly look at it and think it's quite small. Mine is 2m wide and 70cm tall (viewable area) and I now look at it and think it's not really that big

  3. #3
    I know the phenomena you describe Feline, my wife teaches children, she often constructs displays and projects and stuff here at home, its part of the job, when she askes my advice I'm always saying "when its in that great big room at work its going to look tiny, so make it BIGGER" this directly relates to the question I asked.

    My gardens really flat, so a pond wall will have to go all the way around the at the same height, if there was some ups and downs I could have tried slotting a window in at the lowest point, but there's no low points

    I don't want start raising whole areas of the garden to try to make parts higher so there's lower ones for a fish pond window.

    Its my dilemma.

  4. #4
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    I know the phenomena you describe Feline, my wife teaches children, she often constructs displays and projects and stuff here at home, its part of the job, when she askes my advice I'm always saying "when its in that great big room at work its going to look tiny, so make it BIGGER" this directly relates to the question I asked.

    My gardens really flat, so a pond wall will have to go all the way around the at the same height, if there was some ups and downs I could have tried slotting a window in at the lowest point, but there's no low points

    I don't want start raising whole areas of the garden to try to make parts higher so there's lower ones for a fish pond window.

    Its my dilemma.

  5. #5
    Senior Member Rank = Grand Champion andikoi's Avatar
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    one thing i dont know if youve considered but are you having a bottom drain and feeding filters by gravity,if so then your pond wall will be as high as your filter,i have a 3ft in and 3 1/2ft out pond,i only have a small 1m x 50cm window which is set roughly 12" from top of wall,but its in a frame,are you having a frame or wanting the infinity frameless look,you need to decide if your having a raised pond or a half and half,if you put it in a frame then you can put window almost to bottom of wall,if not then you will need to put the window higher up as the water will want to push out from bottom of pond and window would be a weak point,hope you understand all that,think i confused myself haha,andi

  6. #6
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Mature Champion pip895's Avatar
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    Just a thought but if you are digging out a pond and filter pit (if you are looking to gravity feed) you are going to end up with a big pile of earth - how about using that to form raised areas/beds around the rear of the pond. It would potentially increase costs e.g retaining walls etc. but you would save on muck away costs which can be quite high and you might end up with the look you are after.
    6000g in ground koi pond
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    JBR boichamber->Blue eco 500 pump ->below surface return.
    Blue Eco 240 -> Large MB -> Waterfall -> Planted Anoxic pond (25 baskets)

  7. #7
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Nanasai Rog.G's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Loadbragle View Post
    I'm struggling trying to get my pond layout worked out, originally I was going for a proper half in ground half out pond with a great big window, then started to consider a pond at ground level and with everything like rockery bridge and even a viewing tower.

    The tower ideas been chucked now though, so I'm wondering about a quite low walled pond as an alternative, but there must be a limit to how low the wall can go if wishing to include a window, my question is how practically low can a window be ?
    Any particular reason why you want to keep the wall so low?

  8. #8
    Good info on stress forces on the window andikoi "the water will want to push out from bottom of pond and window would be a weak point" yes, it stands to reason that a window that's in close proximity to any change the structure of the pond will be under extra stress.

    Initially I was going for a half in half out Koi pond with anoxic filtration with a big window: but from these forums I learn that its quite intensive and needing lots of dedication caring for Koi, I wasn't so sure that this was what I wanted.

    I looked at alternative styles of pond, and a big natural sort of pond at ground level that can be left to its own devices a little more might be more suitable for me, with rockery waterfall and even a bridge it would look lovely I'm sure, but unless your outside you cant actually see the fish, big downer this defeats the point.

    I thought why not a low wall 450mm high a window at same height and water level 100mm lower, and as shown in the drawing most of the boundary of the pond is the banked up part with rocks or soil and the retaining wall at the back of the pond adjacent the fence. I have seen pics of designs like this and to me they look good. I'm still thinking about trying to incorporate anoxic filtration in to this sort of pond, would include a BD and sieve too.

    Thinking on it would it not be possible to extend the window even below ground level maybe 6 inches or so?



    www.jpgground level.jpglow wall.jpg

  9. #9
    Moderator Rank = Supreme Champion Feline's Avatar
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    You can certainly put the window down to ground level if you want, although any window below ground would be a bit of a waste of window
    There is someone on here who built the patio up to the bottom of his window and it looked very nice. Can't remember which pond build thread it is on now though.

    I considered having the bottom of my window at patio level, but decided against it and went for a slightly raised window sill in the recess because I was concerned about the possibility of grandson riding bikes etc. into the window, or garden furniture hitting it in high winds etc. It would also make it harder to keep the bottom of the glass clean. If you are having lawn up to the window you have the additional risk of stones flying from your mower and hitting the window.

  10. #10
    Member Rank = Tosai j1m's Avatar
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    what sort of pond,

    if you have young kids or grand children a raised pond is perhaps safer, you can teach kids not to climb up and over into the pond but an accidental fall in to a pond is a bit more challenging to avert.

    raised ponds are easier to have the filters in a lockable shed along with what chemicals you might need.
    maintenace is a big thing you have to do your maintenace and its better in a shed than under ground in dark wet hole.
    with a raised pond and a window you have somthing to look at from the house 365 days a year and with lights on it as well can look good
    easier to clean the filters in the dark and in the cold and wet. a natural low pond the filters would be below ground level.
    ground level pond no point to have window.

    very much easier to have accidents with a ground level pond, may look nice but kids are the thing. they dont always do what you think they ought to do.

    But always remember to cover the glass with a board when mowing or doing any thing that might damage it or even brake it

    my pond aug 2006 030.jpg

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  12. #11
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Jussai RJW2012's Avatar
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    Minimal practical hight for a window

    The large MK III pond detailed in 2016 #3 (Nishikigoi Yearbook) used a submerged window. Well three windows, one of them fully submerged facing into the Filter House.

    The first time I’d seen it and thinking about it, there are probably various options, I.e. building the window into the end wall of a conservatory/extension.

    In fact want there or isn’t there a build Thread where one of the Members was incorporating the koi pond into his conservatory; half in/ half out.

    So if your keen to be up close and personal 24/7 there are also other ways you could achieve that.

    Rob.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
    Last edited by RJW2012; 21-11-2017 at 09:32 PM.

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  14. #12
    Dropping the window below ground- level seems to work, as shown in the two drawings below: it looks too easy to fall over that low wall though, just 430mm to top of coping stone, but the windows 600mm high with 500 under water. The shallow ponds only 500 deep and looks a bit safer, its still water deep enough to drown in.

    Looking at the drawings makes me think of other questions: what's the practical maximum distance looking at fish through a window? I bet at 6 or 7 meters its getting a bit far. Don't suppose one could get to close, people have saved fish by benefit of close inspection through a window.Low window.jpgLow window 2.jpg

 

 

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