Principles And Construction 9:
The Planters 2

Pat and Chuck conducted a workshop on 14 and 15 July 2006 to fill this planter with rocks and soil, connect its piping, and install plants. These pages have pictures from this workshop.

Installing The Liner

The empty planter is made ready to receive its contents. This view shows the outlet end of the planter, with the overflow pipe extending through the wall of the house.

The bottom of the planter is of sand, and slopes slightly from the input end to the output end. Here, Chuck rakes it to smooth it.

At the inlet end, another pipe extends through the planter wall. This pipe will be connected to the water discharge of the washing machine.

Chuck and the others place a padding layer on the bottom of the planter. The padding is recycled wrapping material, folded.

The padding is brought up around the overflow and inlet pipes, and taped temporarily to the side of the planter.

In the next step, the team installs the main liner of the planter. This liner is a large sheet of recycled billboard material.

Here, Chuck folds the liner into the corner of the planter. He also presses the inlet pipe against the liner, marks the location, and carefully cuts a circular hole for the inlet pipe. The liner material is sealed to the pipe with butyl caulking.

The liner is similarly folded at the outlet end, and Chuck makes a hole for the overflow pipe.The top of the liner is cut off roughly level with the top of the planter walls. Tape temporarily holds the sides of the liner vertical until they can be supported by rocks and soil.

The team adds an inner liner of vapour-barrier plastic. Chuck found that the billboard material would eventually develop leaks after a few years. The inner liner guards against this.

Next: installing piping and rocks.

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