aquascapes snorkel vault and centipede module allows for the creation of a waterfall and stream without the pond water flows from a micro Falls or bio falls filter and disappears into a bed of decorative gravel the snorkel vault and centipede module are buried beneath the gravel bed and return the water to the top via a submerged pump housed within the snorkel vault the first step of the installation process is to mark out the pondless waterfall basin using a can of marking paint we place the snorkel in centipede on the ground for reference and Mark out the basin in an irregular shape once a location for the start of the waterfall is determined the micro Falls or bio Falls should be placed on the ground for reference and marked out the units can be set on ground level when working on flat ground or dug into the ground when working with a grade change just be sure to set the waterfall unit to scale with the surroundings once the unit height is set be sure to level the containers side to side and give it a slight pitch forward about a quarter bubble on a level finally backfill the sides of the unit to prevent shifting while hooking up the plumbing now that the waterfall unit is set it's time to hook up the plumbing a standard bulkhead fitting is used to form a watertight seal around the pipe Inlet just be sure that the rubber washer of the fitting is placed on the inside of the container and the plastic washer on the outside with a pair of channellocks tighten down the fitting a few turns past hand tight once the bulkhead is installed apply a small bead of silicone or use teflon tape around the threads of the plumbing connection before you thread it into the bulkhead fitting after the connection is secure hookup the pipe note that the micro pondless system will use barbed fittings and clamps where the classic line in Signature Series will use slip fittings and PVC cement now that the plumbing is installed we can backfill the area with dirt and run the Flex pipe toward the water basin where the pump will be housed it's time for excavation the entire Basin area should be taken down evenly during the first phase of digging next mark out and dig a trough down the center of the excavated Basin for the snorkel and centipede now that the trough is excavated will place the centipede and snorkel into the trough to check for proper fit the entire unit should fit loosely within the trough now that the excavation is complete and the snorkel and centipede have been fitted we can temporarily remove these units from the basin and install the underlayment and liner once the basin is lined we can place the snorkel and centipede units back into the trough on top of the liner for maintenance purposes the centipede should be sloping slightly toward the snorkel vault the proper installation of stone in a pond list Waterfall Basin is important to ensure the proper flow of water through the rock and gravel bed with the filter system in place we start by completely covering the centipede with four to six inch boulders the stones should be placed on and around the centipede first and they should continue outward completely covering the bottom of the basin next we pour the larger gravel on top and spread it evenly throughout the basin after spreading the larger gravel we pour a layer of smaller gravel on top this layer should completely fill the basin just over the area you've designated as maximum water level the water matrix are available as an alternative option to natural stone when building large pondless basins with the full size snorkel and centipede by far the most creative part of installing this type of water feature is building the stream and waterfall the use of a micro Falls or bio falls provides us with a perfect template to build a natural-looking waterfall before you build the main waterfall you'll need to hook up the snout pull the liner up to the face of the unit making sure you leave some slack in front of the container to avoid stretching next line up the snout by fastening the top two corner screws once set back the screws out and pull the liner and snout away be sure the liner and the face are relatively clean and apply a thick bead of silicone along the screw inserts holding the liner and snout by the two set screws reattach them to the face and tighten them down halfway the middle screws at the bottom should be installed next and the rest in any order you choose finally cut the liner away from the snout area and you're ready to build your main water take your time while building and be sure to direct the aesthetics toward the main viewing area the proper use of waterfall foam will also improve the aesthetics of the water feature by filling the gaps between the rocks where water would naturally be lost the pump will be housed at the bottom of the snorkel vault the plumbing from the waterfall unit can be trimmed to proper length and insert it through the snorkel Inlet a plumbing assembly or check valve will be provided in the kit and will need to be assembled review the installation instructions for assembly details the pipe from the waterfall unit is simply laid over the edge of the basin liner and is buried out of sight under the top layer of gravel the pipe at the edge of the basin will be hidden with stone and gravel and the rest of the pipe going to the waterfall should be buried beneath the ground we're finally ready for the finishing touches set your accent stones around the perimeter of the water basin to cover the liner that's above the normal operating water level once the accent stones are set we can trim the edges of the liner leaving roughly six inches for easy edge work some edges can be done by simply trenching the liner into the ground and covering the overlap with gravel or to avoid a formal look some of the edges can be finished by folding excess liner down behind the boulders and back filling with dirt you you