Blue Thumb PB1250 User manual

For use with

14”, 22” and 30” Elite Waterfall Kits

#PB1250, #PB1267, #PB1276,

#PBE1621K, #PBE2126K

Water Garden

Elite Pond Kits

Installation Manual

Included in Your

Elite Pond Kit:

• Fish-friendlyRubberLiner

• ProtectiveUnderliner

• EliteMechanicalSkimmer

• EliteBiologicalWaterfall

• SolidsHandlingPump

• CheckValveAssembly

• BlackPVCFlexPipe

• LED3-LightKitwith

Transformer

• InstallationkitwithBlack

Foamandadhesives

• PondMaintenanceKit—

Enoughtotreatthepond

fortheentirerstseason!

Biological Waterfall Boxes

Filters harmful waste and toxins from water,

keeping your pond clean and clear. Provides

excellent surface area for benecial

bacteria growth while making a simple and

artistic way of creating a waterfall. Easy

to camouage-especially when using the

Landscape Lid.

Black PVC Flex Hose

Carries water from skimmer box up to the

biological waterfall box. Much easier to

install than rigid PVC.

Aquatic Plants

Add beauty to any pond! Plants can be

placed throughout the pond or along the

pond’s edge. There are many varieties:

oating, marginal, sinking, oxygenators and

lilies. Water garden kits are great when your

desire is to keep many colorful and beautiful

aquatic plants.

Rocks & Gravel

Provides additional surface area for

benecial bacteria to colonize. Protects liner

from harmful UV rays and damage from

animals. Creates a very natural look.

Fish

Adding colorful Koi and Goldsh creates an

even more dramatic display. Water gardens

are great for Goldsh and Koi.

Protective Underliner

A non-woven, protective underliner fabric

forms a soft padding for the liner. Installs

much quicker than newspaper and covers

the vertical walls unlike a sand base. Unlike

carpeting, it allows gases to escape out the

sides from the earth’s soil.

Fish-Friendly Rubber Liner

Super-strong 45-mil EPDM liner is the best

choice when building a pond. Very exible -

conforms to pond’s curves and slopes.

High-Efciency Pump

Pump sits in back pump chamber protected

from clogging by nets and lter mats. Blue

Thumb pumps are recommended as they

will use far less electricity and are meant to

operate continuously.

Mechanical Skimmer Box

Simplies routine maintenance by removing

oating debris before it sinks to the bottom

of the pond. Protects the pump and hides

unsightly plumbing.

About Our Complete Elite Pond Eco-System

Blue Thumb Eco-Systems

Determine Pond Shape & Spray Outline

Therststeptoinstallingyournewwatergardenisto

layoutagardenhoseonthegroundtohelpcreatethe

sizeandshapeofyournewpond.Locatethepond

nearthehouse,patio,deckorotherlivingareasforthe

bestviewsandinteractionwiththeshandwaterfalls.

Determinetheshapeofyourpondthenoutlineusinga

canofspraypaint.Onceyou’vesprayedtheoutlineyou

canremovethegardenhosebutkeepithandy—you’re

goingtoneeditlater!

STEP 1

STEP 2

Position Filtration Boxes & Flexible Hose

Afterremovingallproductsfromthekit,placeyour

WaterfallandSkimmerBoxesinthedesiredlocations.

Keepinmindthatwheneverpossibletheskimmerand

waterfallshouldbeplacedatoppositeendsofthepond.

Next,laythePVCFlexHoseintoposition.



Other recommended

installation aids:

• Spraypaint

• Gardenhose

• Shovels,rake,&level

• Laserlevelorstring

• Utilityknife&screwdriver

• Afewlargebouldersfor

thewaterfall,several

mediumbouldersfor

designandplentyofriver

rockorgravelforll

• Landscapingaccents

• FishandAquaticPlantsat

yourpreference

STEP 3

Attach Flex Hose to Waterfall Box

3aInstalltheplumbingttingsintothespinwelds

locatedoneachsideoftheWaterfallBox.Teontape

themaleadapter,andthreaditintothesideofthebox

thatyouwillbebringingtheblackPVCFlexHoseinto.

Youcanaddabeadofsiliconetothethreadsforadded

insurance.Next,TeontapetheThreadedPlugand

installintothespinweldontheothersideofthebox.

3b SettheWaterfallBoxintopositionandwipeoany

dirtbeforeinstallingtheFlexHoseintothemaleadapter

usingthePVCCementsupplied.Holditinpositionfor

60secondstoallowthecementtoset.

Inverted Waterfall Box

Flex hose

connection

Threaded

Plug

NOTE: Refer to the Elite

Waterfall and Skimmer

Installation Guides for

detailed instructions.

Remember to call your local utility company

prior to digging to ensure there are no pipes

& cables in the area.

Excavation of Pond Area

4a OutlinetheareatobeexcavatedfortheSkimmer

Boxplacement,thensetitasideduringexcavation.

4b ChecktomakesuretheWaterfallBoxremains

levelduringexcavation.Ifitisinstalledo-level,the

waterwillnotowevenlyovertheweir.Tampingthe

areabeneaththeWaterfallBoxwillhelpminimize

settling,whichmaycreateanunevenwaterfall.

ExcavatedsoilcanbeusedtocovertheFlexHose,

tobuildupyourwaterfallandstream,andtocreatea

bermaroundandbehindtheWaterfallBox.

4c Youshouldexcavateyourpondwithatleasttwo

levels.Excavatetheponddownasdeepasyou’dlike

yourrstleveltobe.Oncetherstlevelisdugout

completely,sprayoutlinetheareathatwillbecome

thedeeperportionofthepond.Thesizeandshape

ofthisareaiscompletelyuptoyoubutkeepinmind

thatwe’llbellingthisarealaterwithbouldersthat

willtakeupsomeofthespace.Theuseofalaser

levelisveryhelpfulindeterminingwhetherthesides

ofyourpondarelevel,astringlevelworkstoo.

4d ExcavatetheareabeneaththeSkimmerBoxuntil

thedesiredheightisachieved,checkingtoensure

thattheSkimmerBoxislevel.Oncetheskimmerhas

beeninstalled,youcanbringyourexiblehoseinto

theSkimmerBoxbypushingitthroughtherubber

tting.Pushitinasfarasnecessary,youcancuto

anyexcesswhenweinstallthepump.

4e Nowisagoodtimetoinstalltheoverowhose

ifyouareinstallinganEliteSkimmer.Useany

extraexiblehosefromthekittotaketheoverow

waterfromtheskimmertoaFrenchstyledrain

ortowhereverdrainageisavailableinyouryard.

Trenchoutanareaforthehosetolay.Connectthe

hosetothemaleadapterontheskimmerusingthe

PVCCement.Back-llaroundthesidesusingthe

excavatedsoil,tampinglightlytopreventsettling.It’s

besttostandinsidetheskimmertopreventitfrom

shiftingaroundwhileaddingthesoil.

Finishothepondexcavationbyremovingany

rootsand/orsharpedgessotheywon’tpuncturethe

rubberliner.Rakeouttheatareasinpreparationfor

theunderlinerandliner.

STEP 4

Waterfall Box

Skimmer Box

Install Pump in Skimmer

Usingaclockwisemotionthreadthecheckvalve

assemblyontothepump.Next,you’llwanttoset

thepumpinsidetheskimmerboxandcutawayany

excesspipe.Connecttheblackexiblehosetothe

pumpdischargeusingascrewornutdrivertotighten

downthehoseclamps.Notethenotchatthetop

oftheskimmeralongtheback—thisiswhereyou’ll

bringthepumppowercordthrough.

Install Underliner & Fish-Friendly Liner

6a Unfoldtheprotectiveunderlinerandlayitinthe

pondsquarely.Workyourwayfromthebottomout

toensuretheunderlinerisinstalledproperly.Hold

underlinerinplacewithacouplebouldersuntilthe

linerisinstalled.



6b Next,unfoldtherubberlinerandlayitinthepond

ontopoftheunderlineragainworkingyourway

fromthebottomout.Youwantthelinertobeable

tolayalongtoptheunderlinerwithoutanytautness.

Note:Besureyouareusingash-friendlyliner.We

recommenda45mil,rubber,EPDMliner.

Attach Liner to Skimmer Box

It’snowtimetoattachthepondlinertotheSkimmer

Box.Refer to the instructions included with the

skimmer box for exact instruction.

STEP 5

STEP 6

STEP 7

Add Extra Waterfall & Stream Liner (optional)

Oneoptionforcreatingyourwaterfallistohavethewaterfallboxrightattheedge

sothatthewaterfallsdirectlyintothepond.However,wendthatmostpond

ownersliketohavetheirwaterfallboxsetbackabitsothattheycancreatea

streambed.Ifyoudecidetodothisyouwillneedasecondpieceoflinertocreate

yourstream.Laythestreamlinersothatthere’senoughtooverlapthepondlinerby

atleast6”andalsosothatthere’senoughlineratthetopofthewaterfalltoattach

totheWaterfallBox.Trimanyexcesswaterfalllinerawaybutleaveenoughtotuck

downoverthepondliner.Laythepondlinerupthestreambedasfaraspossible

andthenlaythewaterfalllinerovertopthepondliner.Thiswillensurewaterwon’t

leakwhenowingfromthewaterfallintothepond.Oncethestreamlinerisinstalled

ontopofthepondlinerandinpositionyoucancompleterockinginthisarea.

Add Boulders & Rockwork

Youtypicallywanttobeginrockingthepondfrom

thedeepestareaout.Completerockingintheentire

pondbutdon’tcompletetheareawhereyourstream

orwaterfallwillenterthepond.Aroundthebackside

ofyourwaterfallbox,usesomeboulderstohelp

createyourberm.

Attach Liner to Waterfall Box

Refer to the instructions provided with the

waterfall box for assistance.Oncethelinerhas

beeninstalledonthewaterfallboxyoucancomplete

rockinginyourwaterfallandstreambed.

Add Gravel

Usegraveltollintheareasbetweentheboulders.

Thiswillhelpkeepthebouldersinplaceaswellas

hidetheblacklinercompletely.

Underwater Lights

Underwaterlightscancreatestunning,romantic

imagesinpondsandmakethepondsaferforvisitors

atnight.Theyalsoextendtheenjoymentofyour

newpondintotheeveninghours.TheElitePond

kitscomewitha3-packlightkit.Ifyouwanttoadd

additionallights,consultyourlocalBlueThumb

Dealerforassistance.Besuretoinstallthelights

withenoughcordslacksothatyoucanbringthe

xtureoutofthewaterwhenchangingoutaburned

outbulb.Runthecordaroundandbetweenthe

rockworksothatitishiddenfromview.

Add Aquatic Plants

Addingaquaticplantswillreallyhelptobringyour

newwaterfeaturetolife.Sometimesyoucanremove

aboulderorrockandputaplantinitsplace.This

willhelpgiveyourdisplayasofterandnishedlook.

Youcaneitherdirectrootyourplantsintothepondor

simplysettheplantandpotintothepond.

STEP 8

STEP 9

STEP 10

STEP 11

STEP 12

Fill’er Up

Atthispointyoucanbeginllingthepondwith

waterwhileyoucompletetherestofthesteps.

Alongthewayit’sagoodideatowashoanydust

fromyourrockwork.Ifdesired,youcanthenpump

outthedirtywaterafewtimesbeforeanallling.

Pond Build’n Black Waterfall Foam

IncludedinourElitePondKitsisacanofPond

Build‘nFoam.Itisusedtosealinandaroundthe

rockworkofthewaterfall.Thisforcesthewaterover

thetopoftherocksinsteadofaroundandbeneath

them.Itgreatlyenhancesthewaterfalleectand

willhelptosealeverythingtogether.It’sblackin

colorandcanbecutawayoncecuredifitexpands

toomuch.Beforecuringcompletelyyoucan

sprinklesomerockdustonthefoamtodisguiseit.

Add Biological Media

Eventhebestwaterfallboxesarenotltersunless

biologicalmediaisaddedtothemtogrowandhold

thebenecialbacteriathatkeepswaterhealthyand

clear.

15aTheEliteWaterfallKitincludestwogreen

Matalalteringmatsandameshmediabag.

Positiontheltermatshorizontallyinthebottomof

thewaterfallbox.

Fillthemediabagwithbiologicalmediaofyour

choosing(notincluded)andplacedontopofthe

ltermats.



15b WerecommendusingBacti-TwistBiological

Media.Thismediaislightweight,easytot,

andprovidesthesurfaceareatogrowbenecial

bacterianecessarytokeepwaterclearandhealthy.

15c Keepinmindthatyoucanalwaysupgrade

thisltrationmediaasyourpondmatures,suchas

verticallyplacedMatalamatsforsuperiorltration.

STEP 13

STEP 14

STEP 15

15b

15c

15a

Now, snap a picture of your completed waterfall and post

it to our Facebook page at facebook.com/bluethumbinc!

www.shopbluethumb.com

062022

Creating a Natural Falls Look

TheBlueThumbEliteWaterfallBoxistheonlysystem

onthemarketthatcomescompletewiththeLandscape

Lid!Onceyou’veaddedthebiologicalmedia,disguise

theWaterfallBoxfromviewbyusingsomemulch,

gravel,slate,driftwoodandaselectionofcreeping

aquaticplants.BecausetheEliteLandscapeLidis

designedwithholesinthebottom,therootsystemof

theplantswillalwayshaveowingwateraroundthem.

Finishing Touches

Afterthepondisfullandyoucanseethatthereareno

lowareasorleaks,youcantrimtheexcesslinerbutwe

recommendleavingatleast12”alongeachedgeand

foldingitbackintothelandscape.17a Hidetheextra

linerbyfoldingitbehindorundertherocksandmulch

alongtheedge.Anotheroptionistodigawaythesoil

beneaththeliner,creatinganareaforthelinertolaywith

topsoiladdedbackovertop.Thiswillallowyoutobring

yourlandscapingthatmuchclosertothepondedge.

Leaveasmuchexcesslineraspossibletoallowfor

settlingandfuturerepair.Onceyou’vetakencareofthe

pondsedges,mulchcanbeaddedtogiveyourfeature

anishedlook.17b Addinsomelandscapeplants

aroundyournewpondtoreallysetito!

Add Start-up Water Treatments

Ifyouarellingyourpondwithchlorinatedwateryouwill

wanttoaddade-chlorinator.Chlorineisnotgoodfor

shandaquaticplants.Next,addbenecialbacteriato

thepond.Itwillseedthroughoutthebiomedialocated

insidetheWaterfallBoxaswellasspreadthroughout

therestofthepond.Thisbacteriawillhelpconsume

excessnutrientsinthepondaswellasprocessany

wastefromthesh.

Cleanupanyscrapsandremainingmaterialsthenplug

inpumpandenjoy!Movesomerocksaroundtoget

thewaterfalltolookexactlythewayyouwantit.And

remember,it’syourwaterfall,makeitthewayyoulikeit!

STEP 16

STEP 17

STEP 18

Turn It On!

17a

17b

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