27 Gallon Container Filter

[Jason]

Ok, I finished the filter yesterday and is in test phase in the Small Pond and clearing it up wonderfully already!

I added Pea Gravel to the bottom along with over flow and two scrap blue pads on side so water can't go around
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I got rid of the Green Bio degradable filters and went with all blue (Except my Fine pad)
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Water is aerating good inside the inflow chamber
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Already collecting after only an hour in this dirty pond!

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Added a flush faucet valve to the back bottom

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Was aerating good yesterday back into pond

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Not so good this morning? I have perfect Streams of water that are not breaking the the surface?

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The surface is very calm since no break in it, the bottom has a crazy current now kicking up every thing while the fish play in it lol
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Ok so let me know what you think! I can see the bottom of this pond with ease now since the leaves started to fall and dirtied it up.

 

[koiguy1969]

if the flow has slowed that significantly..it could mean its its trapping enough stuff and clogging... this is a good thing untill you get the majority out of the pond. keep cleaning it often till the pond is clear of excess debris....
or......is the pump clogging?

 

[Jason]

The first filter pad is hardly half full and the flow has not slowed, but increased inside the filter is why the streams are "perfect" now. The water level line inside the filter is right above the hole before it pours out the bulkheads into the pond so no air is being sucked through, if the water level was an .125" or .25" lower there would be a slight gap causing air to be pulled through the hole with the water (Like it was Yesterday) I know why this happened now after looking at it.

When I added the scrap filter pads in the sides last night to keep water from going around the basket un-filtered, it raised the water level slightly inside the filter just enough to submerge the outflow holes and put slight pressure behind the water traveling through it so it pours out like a water hose nice and smooth. If I took the 1" slip on adapters off the bulkheads, it would be much louder and much more air getting in the pond along with splashing.

I have been working on a water fall piece today to slide through bulkheads and pour flat onto it that is 1' wide for a nice flat fall into the water. I am also still awaiting one more filter pad set to cut today for the gap and my Bio Balls to come in for the wider gap.

 

[addy1]

Looks great!

Your have one neat filter, good flow and perfectly mirror like water. I have always read, in the past, breaking the surface, any water flow will add o2 to the pond.

 

[Jason]

Thanks addy! My Bio Balls have not arrived yet, But hopefully they will today. I ordered 100 - 1" Bio Balls that pop apart and have a yellow filter foam piece inside of them so I hope they are good since I know nothing about them except to have them :dunno:

Koiguy, I need to stop watching all your videos on youtube! :compute:

 

[dieselplower]

Very cool Jason. It seems to me like the input to the filter is greater than the output of the filter. I am interested to see if the level continues to rise and reaches your overflow. Have you considered adding a 5th output so that you can get the water level down a bit to add more air or do you like it how it is? That is cool how your fish like swimming in that area. It is my understanding that Koi love current.

 

[Jason]

Thanks Dieselplower! Silly me, I forgot to even put what is pushing the filter :banghead3: . I have 2 pumps pushing this filter, One side is a Pondmaster 550GPH Pump and the other side is a Beckett 600GPH Pump (< my oldest pump) running through .75" Water Heater Hose to .75" Inputs on the side of the filter.

Funny you mentioned input being stronger, Last night I pulled my Pondmaster 950gph pump out of the 500 gallon pond to test this filter further after I added the 7th and 8th filter pads (not shown in pics). I hooked up a 1" slip on fitting to one sides input with 1" hose to the 950gph pump and left the other .75" input on along with the 600gph pump and turned it on. After seeing the difference of that 950gph pump with 1" hosing vs .75", I will never use .75" again on a pump more than 650gph rating lol. Water poured in the filter like crazy and the water level quickly rose to the overflow outlet but that was about it!? It trickled out of the overflow instead of pouring like I would have thought. The 4 outlets though were pushing much more water and gained about 3-4" of distance out from where it was hitting the water before lol.

So even adding around 500gph more to the filter just put more pressure on those 4 outlets and resulted in much much more outflow flow while barely utilizing the overflow :banana: and if it did become a problem, all I would have to do is unscrew the 4 - 1" slip on outlets and leave just the bulkheads as they are 1.25" ID (I Believe) rather than .75" ID on the 1" slip on fittings since they have .125" sidewalls.

My overall plan when I hook 2 of these filters to my future 3,000 Gallon pond is to push 1,000gph on each side of each filter for a total of 4,000gph flowrate. The slip on fittings are just so if I want to run multiple streams since these filters will be hidden behind falls and landscaping but I have seen they sell up to 1.5" slip on fittings at my Lowes stores here.

I have yet to decide if I want my 3,000 gallon pond Modern or Natural looking yet?

 

[dieselplower]

Good info Jason! Hose size really does make a big difference huh? Good to know! You always have cool projects.

 

[Jason]

It really does! I did not think it would since the Threaded outlet on the pump was only .75" but I was wrong, makes me wonder what the pros and cons of it is though? Maybe less head height for larger tubing? Oh and random question but, as far as Diesels go, Chevy Duramax, Cummins, or Fords new 6.7 Powerstroke?

 

[Jason]

Ok so here is a video I took of the Filter this morning (still no Bio balls) before I left for work. Oh and How do these DIY projects get "Pinned" on here? Do they have to be worthy enough for mods to pin them and proven effective? If not its all good, It has been working really well! I have never seen this pond so clear, it was murky brown with a tannis tint and could not see the bottom nor the fish unless they were 4"- below the surface.

 

[koiguy1969]

ALRIGHT! glad to see it's working out for you Jason. keep us updated.

 

[koiguy1969]

hey Jason.. my first DIY filter was one of those tuff stuff 27 gal totes as well. you may have noticed it in some of my old videos from like 2007 -2008. i had mine inline after a tetrapond trickle flow filter.

 

[Jason]

I don't think I have watched that one yet, will have to check it out man!

 

[callingcolleen1]

Nice job on the home made filter Jason, Pond water looks great too!! Loved your pictures and video! I see your filter is working really well!

 

[dieselplower]

It really does! I did not think it would since the Threaded outlet on the pump was only .75" but I was wrong, makes me wonder what the pros and cons of it is though? Maybe less head height for larger tubing? Oh and random question but, as far as Diesels go, Chevy Duramax, Cummins, or Fords new 6.7 Powerstroke?

Ya know what man I have really not kept up on the newer diesels! I have a 5.9 Cummins and I love it!