Water Wheel, Pond Completes Backyard Retreat
Text and photos courtesy of Tropical Water Gardens
 “Captain Rodney” Thompson, founder of Dixie Crossroads Seafood Restaurant in Titusville, Fla., always dreamed of owning a water wheel. He and his wife, Mary Jean, ordered an 8-foot water wheel from Sullivan’s Water Wheels in Landrum, S.C. It was going to be placed in their backyard, which already included a butterfly garden and a large gazebo where family cookouts take place.
Once the water wheel was delivered and assembled, the couple needed a water feature to showcase their new purchase. The Thompsons scheduled a consultation with Kathy Smith, a Certified Aquascape Contractor and owner of Tropical Water Gardens in Deland, Fla., and hired her for the project.
They decided to install a 2-foot-deep pond measuring 11-feet by 16-feet with 4-foot-high double waterfalls. The pond would overflow into a negative-edge, 1,050 gallon basin, making the water feature self-sustaining.
Construction began on a very hot Florida summer day. On the first day of construction, Smith met the couple’s energetic 6-year-old great grandson, who was eager to explore the finished pond. The design included a shallow “beachy” area for children to interact with the pond.
Digging on this project went very smooth because of the Florida sand. It was the smoothest installation for Tropical Water Gardens to date because there were no tree roots or electric mains running through the job site.
Bob, the carpenter, install the water wheel. He and his crew built a trough and arbor area behind the water wheel. They also constructed a swing and seating area to allow the family to enjoy the entire water feature.
Two pumps supplied water to the waterfalls. An Aquasurge 4000 went to the biofalls filter and an Aquasurge 5000 pump supplied water to the spillway waterfall and was split off to go to the waterfall 9 feet up in the air.
When it was time to turn on the water flow to the water wheel, the crew learned an important lesson: Water seeks the path of least resistance. Because the spillway was at 4 feet, all of the water went to the waterfall.
They installed a ball valve on the back of the spillway, which diverted water up to the trough to turn the water wheel. Smith figured the main splash from the water wheel would be in the front of the wheel. The opposite was true, so they added liner to allow for splash behind the wheel as water fell out of the chamber on the wheel.
After the pond ran for two weeks to allow the bacteria to get established, fish were added.
Mary Jean and Rodney Thompson said, “Kathy, our new heaven on earth is beyond words! Thank you for orchestrating such a lovely and serene hideaway. What a 61st anniversary event! Thanks for adopting us into your pond family. We are extremely happy adoptees! God bless you as you continue to spread joy and beauty to your extended network of family and friends. Our thanks to your whole crew. It was awesome to work with all of you.”
|
Specifications
Designer/Installer: Kathy Smith, owner of Tropical Water Gardens and a Certified Aquascape Contractor
Contact information: Deland, Fla., 386-943-8724, kathy@tropicalwatergardens.com, www.tropicalwatergardens.com
Project location: Titusville, Fla.
Size of completed feature: a 2-feet-deep, 11-foot by 16-foot pond; 4-foot-high double waterfalls; a 20-foot-long stream; a 1,050-gallon negative-edge basin; and an 8-foot water wheel.
Equipment and accessories used: Aquascape Signature Series Biofalls and Spillway, Pondless Vault & three extensions, 32 large Aquablox, Aquasurge 4000 and 5000 pumps, a 20-foot by 50-foot roll of liner and underlayment, 8.5 tons of Tennessee River Rounds, 4.6 tons of Tennessee Fieldstone, 2.7 tons of River Jacks Gravel, six Aquascape 3-watt LED Lights, eight 1-watt LED waterfall lights, and an 8-foot water wheel from Sullivans Water Wheels.
Time to complete: 14 days
Crew size: 2-3 per day
Buyer’s cost: $19,500 for the water feature and $7,500 for the water wheel and woodwork |
 Give us your opinion on
Water Wheel, Pond Completes Backyard Retreat
Industry Professional Site: Comments from non-industry professionals will be removed.
|