Thank you very mush your fix for your pond works great I had a hole about the size of a base ball put the bag in 7 day ago we have had over 10 in of rain her in Mansfield arkanas. pond is now holding water and full this works grate thank you
Hole pluggers might also consider a combination of mowerdog's cement bag approach and an approach that has worked well for us. We open the hole up a little from the top if necessary and begin filling with pea gravel from a 5 gallon bucket. The idea is to not completely stop the exit of the water, but to form a structure of gravel that will support a upper sand or dirt mixture. This would not prevent the Muskrats from digging the hole out, which the cement bags might. I call this method my basement sink method after observing that debris in the basement laundry sink would hold water for days.
THANK YOU!! I have been waiting for an easy fix like this, I have similar problems with rabbit holes here in Australia and will now try this. I will reply again if it works for me, Adam, Australia
We also have a 30 yr pond with many muskrat tunnels. I quit trapping muskrats when we found a mink in our live trap. I have hand dug, collapsed and refilled the channels with soil and rocks for years, and they often form mazes that are hard to believe. What I am contemplating is a way to pump mud back into the holes. Some fabricator could probably come up with a way, maybe using a wood splitter for the muscle, and a plunger run by it via linkage that would force mud down a pipe, then into a hose. I took my tiller over the top of a new area and the tunnels fell in over the winter about 60% of the total runs, which then get hand dug. Then carting dirt to fill the hole, it's back breaking work.
How about expanding foam filler, injected with a hose or tubing? Closed cell foam needs moisture to cure, and is waterproof. I don't have a pond, rats, or a leak, but I do have some building experience.
@@musician1000 Well, structurally, it would probably be great. Maybe a little pricey for the cubic foot volume involved, but my biggest problem is that it's "not natural". I know it probably sounds a little too "hippie" and all, but in my head I imagine something shredding it all out and the fish eating it, it gets sucked into my pump intakes, and on and on. lol It's a good application for something like that foam, that would fill up all the little crannies.....If I wasn't such a tree hugger. lol A person could develop a mix that would meet this need, maybe involving bentonite clay, and they would have business.
My pond had a hole about the same size as the one in the video. The hole was at the shallow end of pond on the bottom. I haven't seen any muskrats around but maybe thats how the hole came to be. We have very heavy clay soil here so i thought if I can get the flow to stop, the clay would seal up the rest. I stuck a log in there just about the same size as the hole and it's been holding for about a year, though I suspect that it's seeping a little. My hope is that the hole will collapse and seal itself before the log rots away. I'm gonna try your method if a hole comes back.
Hi, our bags are only 20kg here in AU, and my hole become larger once dug out. I was able to dam the dug out hole from water running in with the clay dug out. I then just opened the bags, and in one hole poured in 4 bags. We will see how this goes, i will post back here. I also did one smaller hole with your method to compare.
Very interesting. I have a culvert that is leaking on a Levee. I'll try your process. Only question I have is do I just pack the concrete around the bottom of the culvert or do I try lifting the culvert, pack in the concrete then push the culvert back down?
If you can dig down to the pipe I would dig around the pipe and form a doughnut in the soil. Meaning dig out around the pipe 4 to 6 inches wide and out at least 12 inches. Then use some wood to continue that form up and around the pipe. Then mix and pour the concrete around the pipe making a collar. Then tamp the soil back tight.
Yes. But I have others in that Dam for over 5 years. Probably 8 to 10 repairs that are all holding. Even though my Muskrats all suffered from trapping and Lead poisoning. Old tunnels would just start leaking. I can't believe just how much a Muskrat can ruin.
The only thing about this idea is that depending on the situation on the hole is as to where your fish are, is that the cement or mortor mix is toxic to fish, so dead fish is a possibility.. same as chlorine. But if barricaded off till cured is a good plan.
If mortar and cement were toxic to the fish, our 4 ( 10, 10 1/2, 11, and 9lb mounted bass) would have not faulted well, or the way too many pound size in there now, when the cement grates holders were put in, in 1979. The lime in the mortar actually helps the ph.
