Upon completion of repairs, an old cast-iron bathtub often remains in the house. Of course, you can get rid of it, but there is no need to rush - there is such a thing. From the old bath you can successfully build a mini garden pond.
First you need to decide where the future pond will be located. After that, dig a pit according to the size of the bath. It is necessary to fill its bottom with a layer of crushed stone or gravel of 10-20 cm, and then cover it with a layer of sand of 20 cm. In the place where the drain is located in the bathroom, deepen the drainage layer. This will, if desired, leave a drain hole and drain water from the reservoir for the winter. High-quality drainage is capable of absorbing the entire small volume of water without residue. The second drain should be cemented.
The bath is installed on the bricks laid in the corners of the foundation pit. Then the earth is added, which is gradually tamped and watered. The edge of the bath should rise slightly above the surface of the soil.
The edges of the pond are decorated with flagstone. To do this, pour a layer of crushed stone around the bathtub with a thickness of 20-30 cm, on which we put flagstone on the cement mortar. It is as if we were "planting" stones behind the walls of the bath, masking its edges. So that the pond does not have the shape of a bath, we put stones at the edges of the bath and go beyond it. It is necessary to put at least 3-4 layers of limestone.
In most cases, the bathtubs are white or light, this color is not suitable for the reservoir. The inside of the bath is covered with a black film, and they do this before starting work with the stone. The edge of the film is embedded under a stone.
If desired, the bath can be painted, but with enamel the paint will lag over time. Before painting, the enamel surface can be cleaned so that the paint holds better. This is done using a grinder with a nozzle, on which a wire nozzle or an emery wheel is fixed. The type of paint will be recommended by a consultant at any hardware store. The color is better to choose a dark gray. The bottom of the reservoir can be covered with pebbles.
Fill the water - and the pond itself is ready. Now you can engage in the selection of surrounding plants, planting them around the former bath to your liking. Near the pond hosts, incense, irises look beautiful.It’s good to place water plants in containers inside the reservoir, maybe even run the fish so that they eat mosquito larvae.
It is not necessary to release water for the winter, if a biological environment forms in the reservoir, it will try to survive. Nevertheless, the bathtub is buried in the ground, and in most regions it should not freeze to the bottom. Snow can be thrown over the ice, which will serve as an excellent insulation. And so that freezing does not damage the bath itself, you can put several plastic bottles in the water. The formed ice, instead of pressing on the walls of the bathroom, will squeeze the bottles.
However, in any case, the fish will have to be caught from the reservoir for the winter.
A little imagination, a little free time, a minimum of investment in materials - and a mini-pond will delight you and your loved ones throughout the summer.
