Serenity Waterfall & Skimmer

SerenityWaterfall & SkimmerInstallation ManualManufacturers of Quality Pond Equipment & SuppliesItem #PBSIM

Serenity SkimmerInstall1a.Choose Skimmer Locationa. The skimmer should be positioned at thepond edge, opposite the waterfall, tocirculate the water properly.2b.2a.2c.Excavation of Skimmer Areaa. Set skimmer box in intended area and sprayoutline of skimmer for area to be excavated.b. The skimmer should be positioned so that theface of the skimmer will meet with the pondliner at the side of the pond. Excavate thehole a few inches larger than the width andlength of the skimmer box.c. The skimmer should be set at a depth thatpositions the top of the skimmer box approximately3.5” above your desired pond waterlevel. This will set your water level 1” belowthe top edge of the snout opening allowingclearance for surface debris to flow into theskimmer during normal operation.3a.3c. 3c.3d. 3d.Position & Backfill Skimmera. Your skimmer should be level from front toback and side to side.b. Make sure the base below your skimmer iscompacted well to prevent settling in the future.c. Slide the mechanical media mat and blackmesh net into position.d. Once the skimmer is properly positionedbegin filling the soil in around the back andsides. Be sure to pack the soil as you go tohelp keep the skimmer in position and to limitany settling around the skimmer. You should

pack the soil tight enough so that the skimmeris held in position tightly but not somuch as to distort the sides of the skimmer.Attach Rubber Liner to Skimmera. Bring the liner up to the skimmer and checkthe positioning of the liner against the skimmer.Use the liner clips to temporarily holdthe liner to the face of the skimmer. Besure the liner follows the contours of thepond and the face of the skimmer. It is agood idea to leave a little slack in the linerwhere it transitions from the pond ledge tothe face of the skimmer. This will ensurethat the weight of any rockwork and waterin the pond do not pull down on the linerwhere it is attached to the skimmer.b. Kneel in front of the skimmer and have thefollowing within reach: cordless screwdriver(set to lowest torque), 5/16” nut driver bit,plastic nails (included), skimmer snout (included),silicone (included), stainless steelself-drilling screws (included), black vinylscrew caps (included), utility knife (with newblade), & a clean rag.c. Kneeling in front of the skimmer removethe liner clips and fold the liner back towardyou leaving it rest on your lap. Using theclean rag wipe down the face of the skimmer.Also, wipe the surface of the liner thatwill be coming in contact with the area youcleaned on the skimmer box.d. Apply a bead of silicone along the sidesand bottom of the opening of the face of theskimmer. Use one of the two guide holes atthe top corners of the opening as the startingpoint and begin by running your beadstraight down from that point. The bead ofsilicone should be about an inch out fromthe edge of the opening; this will position itin-line with the screws when we attach theskimmer snout.e. Bring the liner back up into position againstthe face of the skimmer. Hold the liner inplace again with the liner clips to help keepit from moving around as we prepare to4a.4c.4d.4e.4f.

4f.4g.4h.4i.attach the snout. Gently run your fingersalong the liner over the area you appliedthe silicone and flatten the bead out slightly.This will help ensure a more even distributionof the silicone as we compress it whilescrewing down the snout.f. Push the guide nails through the guideholes and liner from the inside of the skimmer(this will puncture a small hole in theliner). Place the snout into position bysliding the top corner holes of the snoutover the guide nails. (The snout shouldbe installed so that the snout door hingesat the bottom). While holding the snout inposition remove one of the guide nails anddrive the first screw into that hole. Keepingthe snout in position, remove the otherguide nail and drive a screw into the secondguide hole. With the snout held into positionwith the first two screws, continue drivingthe remaining screws into the pre-drilledholes around the snout. Be sure to installscrews into all pre-drilled holes to preventwater from leaking around the snout.g. From inside the skimmer use your utilityknife to cut out the liner in the snout area sowater can flow from the pond into the skimmer.Simply follow the edge of the skimmeropening with your knife to cut away liner.This works best with a new, sharp blade.h. At this time you can also trim away anyexcess liner that extends above the front topedge of the skimmer box.i. Use your remaining silicone to run an additionalbead along the joint inside of thesnout where the skimmer, liner, and snoutcome together. Use your finger to smoothout the excess silicone.5a.Install Black Screw Capsa. Push the black screw caps onto each ofthe screw tips on the inside of the skimmerbox. We recommend placing a small dab ofsilicone on the end of the screw first beforepushing the black cap over the screw. Thiswill help keep the screw caps in place.

Install Submersible Pump(not included)a. Screw your pre-assembled pump dischargeassembly into your pump.b. Position your pump and discharge assemblyin the back chamber of the skimmerso that the top of the discharge assemblyfaces the discharge hole.c. Bring the flexible pipe into the skimmerthrough the discharge hole and attach it toyour discharge assembly.d. Run the pump power cord over to thepower source and position the cord so thatit transitions out of the skimmer at the cordnotch; this will allow the Natural LandscapeLid to sit flush on the skimmer.Finishing Touchesa. Place Natural Landscape Lid on top ofskimmer to disguise the skimmer within thelandscape.6b.6d.6a.6c.Maintenancea. During normal operation the skimmer netwill remove larger leaves and debris whilethe mat will remove the smaller particlesallowing the clean water to flow into thepump chamber area where it can be recirculatedback to the pond, preferablyvia the appropriately sized PondBuilderBiological Waterfall Filter. As necessary,remove the filter mat and mesh net andclean thoroughly.PondBuilder recommends the following products foruse with their line of Mechanical Skimmer Filters:Clear Water & Solids Handling PumpsCheck Valve Discharge AssemblyView other great PondBuilder products on-lineat www.pondbuilder.com.7a.

Serenity WATERFALLInstall1a.Choose Waterfall Locationa. The waterfall should be positioned so thatthe water flowing from it enters the pondopposite the skimmer to ensure properwater circulation. The waterfall is bestpositioned so that you can view it from theoutdoor and indoor areas where you planto enjoy your new water feature.b. You can position the waterfall right at theponds edge or at the top of a stream.2a.Assemble Waterfall Plumbinga. Your PondBuilder Serenity Waterfall Boxhas one spinweld fitting, located on theback side near the bottom of the box.Thread the PVC 90 adapter (included) intothat spinweld (use the Teflon Tape (notincluded) on the threads first).3a.3b.Position Waterfall Boxa. Compact the area where the waterfall boxwill sit to prevent future settling. The waterfallbox should sit level from side to sideand should be tilted forward slightly (about¼ bubble on your level) to ensure that thewater flows forward through the spillway.b. Using soil, backfill around both sides andthe back of the waterfall box.

Hook-Up Flexible PVC Pipea. The Serenity Waterfalls are plumbed toaccept 1.5” Flexible PVC Pipe. We recommendusing Flexible PVC pipe as it is veryflexible and easy to work with.b. Using PVC Primer & Cement, glue the flexpipe into the PVC male adapter.c. If you are using Vinyl or Kink-Free Tubingfirst glue the barbed fitting into the PVC90 adapter using PVC Primer & Cement.Then attach the tubing to the barbed endand secure with a hose clamp.4b.Attach Liner to Waterfalla. Bring the liner up to the face of the waterfallbox and check the positioning of theliner against the waterfall box. The linershould follow the contours of the pondedge or stream and the face of the waterfallbox. It is a good idea to leave a littleslack in the liner where it transitions fromthe pond edge or stream to the face ofthe waterfall box. This will ensure that theweight of the rocks used in the waterfallswill not pull down on the liner.b. Using boulders and rockwork, begin buildingthe waterfall up the face of the box. Besure to keep the liner pinched into positionagainst the waterfall with the rockwork.The Serenity Waterfall has several drippoints that will not allow any water to leakbetween the liner and the waterfall boxwhen installed properly.c. Another option is to bring the liner upbehind the waterfall box so that the entirebox is sitting inside the liner.4c.5a.5b.5b.

6a.Install Filter Mediaa. Position the filter mat horizontally in thebottom of the waterfall box. The SerenityWaterfall includes one white mat.b. Place the BioTwist Biological Media on topof the white mat.6b.a. Use PondBuild ‘n Foam to fill in the gaps ofthe rockwork leading up to the waterfall box.The foam will force the water on top of therockwork rather than around and behind itwhere it can’t be seen. This will give you amuch more dramatic waterfall display!PondBuilder recommends thefollowing products for usewith their line of BiologicalWaterfall Filters:PondBuild ‘n FoamWaterfall FoamView other great PondBuilderproducts on-line atwww.pondbuilder.com.For additional installationinstructions view thePondBuild ‘n Steps DVD.Manufacturers of Quality Pond Equipment & Supplieswww.pondbuilder.com