What are Pond Liners?
The most important factor in building an artificial garden or a farm pond successfully is the pond liner. A pond liner is a large sheet of flexible plastic used for retention of liquids and preserving the linings of a pond, thereby ensuring a long life for the pond and minimizing long-term maintenance. The thick sheet of processed polyethylene sheet covers the base of the pond, thus preventing from what getting absorbed in the ground.
What are HDPE & EPDM Pond Liners?
High-Density Polyethylene or HDPE pond liner is a thick sheet of thermoplastic polymer that is highly durable, and perfect for exposed applications. It can withstand high temperatures up to 120°C, and ranges between 300 to 1000 microns in thickness. They are apt for commercial as well as domestic pond applications, and hence, are among the most widely used types of pond liners in the world.
EPDM or Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer pond liners are synthetic rubberized sheets, that are highly flexible. However, unlike HDPE pond liners, these cannot be welded, which makes their application on large structures practically difficult.
Following are the features that make HDPE pond liners better than EPDM pond liners:
- Durability & Chemical Resistance
HDPE pond liners are extremely durable to direct exposure to sunlight and extreme climatic conditions. It is highly resistant to UV rays, and any other form of chemical reaction due to prolonged outdoor exposure. This helps keep the water safe for use for a long period of time. Being welded instead of glued together also helps the HDPE liners to prevent the seepage of water through their service lifespan. Emmbi offers a 5-years warranty for the HDPE pond liners, which further testifies the fact that they are extremely durable, and generally have a long lifespan. HDPE Pond Liners have “Better Strength Tenacity” compare to EPDM and other rubber-based liners.
2. Highly Economical
HDPE pond liners usually have a simple yet effective construction, as opposed to EPDM’s more complex ethylene propylene construction. This makes HDPE pond liners much more affordable than EPDM pond liners, and that too, without compromising on quality. Moreover, HDPE pond liners have a low long-term maintenance cost, as they are strongly welded together, unlike EPDM liners that are glued together.
3. Wide Commercial Applicability
HDPE pond liners are stiff, robust, durable, and resistant to chemical and UV resistant. This makes them more suitable to larger structures like commercial agriculture farm ponds than the EPDM pond liners. EPDM are flexible, but this flexibility disallows welds, which is not appropriate for long-term use in large commercial ponds like fish farming ponds, pear farming ponds, water conservatory ponds, rainwater harvesting ponds, etc. Add to this their affordability, and HDPE pond liners beats EPDMs hands down in this regard.
4. Lower Ecological Impact
HDPE pond liners are less flexible, hard, and rigid, which adds durability and minimizes physical damage. Moreover, entire sheet of HDPE liner is used in ponds, and they are welded together, unlike EPDM liners that are cut into sheets of varied sizes. Therefore, these thick and uncut sheets of HDPE liners have a better chance for recycle and reuse. Also, since they a very long serviceable lifespan, the need to manufacture new liners reduces, directly preventing carbon emissions.
