Yes all down to 4 foot and as for the thread title, all will be explained, I'm nearly done on the filtration write up.
The estimate for the hole dig was at least a month or two and now with the slight extension included, I'm really just over 1/2 way through, although the landscaping has been now done so it's a straight dig, if someone told me a week ago that I would be where I'm at now I'd still be on the patio.
I start back at work block tomorrow so nothing else will be done for a few days
I'm sure you've all read and seen about the progress made which I'm more than pleased with but this comes at a cost, my budget doesn't really allow much room for progress but I'm going to go over and I'll recover a bit after.
The main problem is the filters, not cheap although I've I've found vortex units for sale new, not fibreglassed but plastic much cheaper than I was expecting. I have to install at least one to do a proper job, I'm going to have two bottom drains as it's so long and in an ideal world I would have two vortexes linked to two filter chambers but cash won't allow me to do it. I have to go vortex because it's a really good way of doing things and the guy who pioneered them in the 80's(showing my age) over here used to run his warehouse near me
Here is the plan, link both bottom drains to one vortex linked directly into another with a media grill and jap matting, link that(heavily modded) to the old from my dad's old pond(I paid for it many years back). It's basically a large platic container with a spray bar above, mod that and fill the majority of it with bio balls/K1/K3 media and then link that to another chamber(the round tub pictured before) that will house the pump return. Sounds easy when put like that
The sesond drain return would then be concreted in as if it was going to a seperate unit but linked to the one system allowing me the flexibility of installing a completely new filtration system on that pipe next year or so if needed
Sounds great but the problem is I decided early on not the fill in the old pond as it could house the filters, the old pond at max is 24 inch deep, the vortexes are 42 inch deep which means hole 2.0 will have to be built underneath the old pond and if I decide to install another system then I will have to dig another 18 inch down to get it in, the original pond will house enough filtration for system one but still needs to get down that much
Not to mention the four inch pipe that need to be dug under the existing deck, this may take a long time
Thanks Mike, and work is a blessing at the moment, one day in and two nights sleep have almost stopped all the aches andpains.
Heavy rain last night woke up and the hole is very full. Not wanting the standing water to compromise the side walls I decided to pump it out. We have a main drain in the garden which I alway thought was a pain when we first purchased the house but it's turned out to be a blessing.
9000 litre an hour pump, ran it for twenty minutes and just got down to where it started sucking on air so stopped it to save the pump burning out. That's 3000 litres pumped out of rain water plus drainage into the hole in one night and there it's still two inch deep
First the good news, I've upgraded to 3.0 on this one and everything is fine againmust be something with 2.0.0.15
Very tired today but still been working away, did an hour or so and then my dad arrived and we did a few hours, then he went and I did another hour.
Wheelbarrow number one laid down it's life for the project so I went and got an even bigger one to replace it, it was not really built for the job but the new one really is, a lot better, bigger capacity and easier to move.
Pegged out around the pond and leveled up to the flags, apparently I'm not as good digging a hole by eye as I am at laying a patio, big overhangs on both sides in the middle, I've took the one down on the rightwhich was huge but the one on the left will have to wait,this is where problems occurred, the old stream was leaking water straight in to the hole so a wall was dug out to contain it which slowed progress as dig removing plants from the right hand side that had to come before anything else got dug in case it threatened the integrity of the walls. Add to that Mrs Y came home from work to say 'I thought it was going to longer'(towards the back) I don't mind the bigger the better but It does mean more digging.
So the plan was for a 15 foot by 8 foot by 4 foot pond, this has now changed to an 18 foot by 7 foot 2 by 4 foot:
Coupleof days left to work and then I'm off again, dry weather forecast so I should be able to get the main hole dug out at least. It'd almost dried out fully by the time I got back from work today
Once that's done then there's only: the drains and pipework to buy and dig in, dig the angles out for the drains, dig channels for the pipes, valves to fit on the pipes, space for the filters to live to be dug out, filters to buy/diy/mod and fit, design the return system and waterfall, buy stuff for and build the waterfall, buy and fit the liner to the drains(after adding the concrete collar to the hole which I missed out), buy the slabs to go around the pond and concrete them in, switch it all on and sit back and have a beer.
and as for the thread title, all will be explained, I'm nearly done on the filtration write up. 
on the patio. 
