Bog building, also called upflow filter, eco filter, wetland filter

[brokensword]

Gosh I love those instructions @brokensword - very clear and the pictures are so helpful! Bless whoever the person is who took the time to do that! That's basically what we did, but we really had to put together lots of different suggestions to get to that point. And we did buy the patented, plastic parts! Making our own would have been more fun and definitely cheaper!

And to add - our bog is six years old as of this coming July and we've not had to clean it yet. I'm not sure why these instructions say you'll need to clean it every few months, but it could be that the water coming to our bog is free of debris. Because we have what amounts to a down flow gravel filter before the water gets to the pump t's clear water going through the bog. If you were pumping debris through it, I imagine it would get dirty faster.

Lisa; no doubt it IS because you're prefiltering (I wasn't, hence got some clogging). I think addy is getting away with it because of total volume/area. Plus, I think she filters the inflow with a lot of small ponds prior. Also, I eventually raised the pond pump higher, off the bottom, and think this helps too. I had expected whatever debris that went to the underside of the pea gravel to decay/disintegrate before any issues developed. But my bog isn't nearly as large as addy's (mine is about 4' x 4' x 40"). It's now a bio filter only.

Michael

 

[Lisak1]

I think addy is getting away with it because of total volume/area.

@addy1 has mentioned she has a leaf basket on her line to collect large debris pre-bog.

 

[addy1]

I think addy is getting away with it because of total volume/area. Plus, I think she filters the inflow with a lot of small ponds prior.

I don't pre-filter except for a leaf basket on the pump. I do draw the water from about a foot from the bottom of the pond. And I do have one heck of a lot of volume.

The small ponds get dirty water from the big pond and water fall right back into the big pond. The only water going to the bog is straight from the big pond.

On year 8 never have touched the bog, i.e. cleaning it out, except for yanking excess plants. Which I do a lot. They grow like weeds.

 

[brokensword]

@addy1 has mentioned she has a leaf basket on her line to collect large debris pre-bog.

Well, don't think leaves would necessary ever get into my bog unless they were rotting at the bottom. I think it's the small particles that clog the pea gravel eventually that got mine. Just too many to decay fast enough and the water started channeling up the sides (and out, too!). When I cleaned my bog, there wasn't anything you could actually measure, more just fine grit etc.

I think a lot of addy's finer particles get caught up by her pools with plants, algae, etc. By the time it hits her bog, there's probably just water and very very fine particles.

EDIT: so @addy1 , you don't run the inflow through your small ponds? Thought for sure I read that in one of your threads...

 

[CSMcMullen1]

I don't pre-filter except for a leaf basket on the pump. I do draw the water from about a foot from the bottom of the pond. And I do have one heck of a lot of volume.

The small ponds get dirty water from the big pond and water fall right back into the big pond. The only water going to the bog is straight from the big pond.

On year 8 never have touched the bog, i.e. cleaning it out, except for yanking excess plants. Which I do a lot. They grow like weeds.

If the plants are growing liike weeds I guess it's working very well

 

[addy1]

you don't run the inflow through your small ponds? Thought for sure I read that in one of your threads...

Here this will help, maybe. The big pond, stream and bog were there first. The 1000 gallon stock pond and three ponds to the left and the deck ponds were added after the fact. The middle loop pond is a 300 gallon stock tank, it is full of lotus. The ponds are fishless unless eggs wander in and survive. There were 3-4 small fry in the first small loop pond last fall. The deck ponds are fishless.
The 1000 gallon and big pond have fish.

The arrow coming out of the water to the right goes to the main pump. The main pump has two T's, one sends dirty water to the 1000 gallon stock tank which waterfalls back into the big pond. The other T is a garden hose connection, the red line running behind the bog is a garden hose that sends water to the three loop ponds. They water fall into each other, then back into the main pond.

The main water flow from the pump goes right into the bog. The black lines are pvc lines running under the pea gravel. The red arrow coming out of the bog is the water fall back into the big pond. The water also weeps over the bog wall.

The green line out lines the bog.

The black arrow to the left points to the flow into the skimmer (no pump skimmer) the water is drawn into the pump via a T.

The light blue lines are the flow into the deck ponds and stream back into the big pond. It is a separate small clear water pump that feeds the deck ponds on a timer. 100 feet more or less of head pressure.

 

[brokensword]

Hahahahahahahahaha; ah, yeah, addy, really cleared that up! I feel like I'm looking at a Carman San Diego map!

Or, where's Waldo? Tis okay, I get the idea; you only filter a bit using the small ponds and basically, most of the flow goes pond to bog. I think. Erm, maybe. Well, wait a minute, let me follow the red squigglies again until they cross the light blue ones...no, there's a black one involved too...hmm, if I start at one end and follow....

okay, I believe you. Certainly going to take me years to figure out the flow pattern over there...


heh


Michael

 

[addy1]

Geez it is perfectly clear to me!

Certainly going to take me years to figure out the flow pattern over there...

 

[Lisak1]

Oh, phew! I thought it was just me! Were you an engineer in a previous life @addy1 ? My son is and he draws me pictures like this and goes "there! That should explain everything!" Ummm... right!

 

[addy1]

Clear as mud you all are saying?

ok lets try this, pink flow to the big pump from the big pond

yellow flow from the big pump into the bog

red the T split to the 1000 gallon pond and the three loop ponds dirty water from big pond

purple flow from one pond to the next back into the big pond

gray flow from bog into big pond

green outline of bog

black pvc lines under pea gravel

light blue flow from small pump on timer to deck ponds, stream and stream ponds. Dirty water flow

The big pond is the only one that gets bog filtered water. The bog only gets water from the big pond.

 

[Lisak1]

What feeds the deck ponds?

 

[addy1]

What feeds the deck ponds?

I have a clear water pump that sends water up to the deck ponds, around 1065 or so gph. Harbor freight. We have it on a timer.
The head pressure is so high a pump. that also did the pond, to pump it up would be costly in electricity use. And one pricey pump.

Around 50-60 feet of pipes that climb a hill that is hard to walk up. Around a 25 degree slope.

 

[brokensword]

Clear as mud you all are saying?

ok lets try this, pink flow to the big pump from the big pond

yellow flow from the big pump into the bog

red the T split to the 1000 gallon pond and the three loop ponds dirty water from big pond

purple flow from one pond to the next back into the big pond

gray flow from bog into big pond

green outline of bog

black pvc lines under pea gravel

light blue flow from small pump on timer to deck ponds, stream and stream ponds. Dirty water flow

The big pond is the only one that gets bog filtered water. The bog only gets water from the big pond.



View attachment 108470

Okay, Lisa, you follow with me, see if we can make pump meet flow meet bog!

Now, yellow brick road to the oil derrick in the sky (the big pump). Then we follow red riding hood until she splits in two at a tee where she consumes 1000 gallons of whatever addy's been brewing. And apparently, she's been playing in the mud as everything there is dirty. Gots ta send all that then to the BIG P.

So, now we change lanes (colors) and find where the purple Waldo is; seems it's the one next to the the BIG P. Not a lot of help there, but let's continue our trek. OOOOHHH, wait, now we find the road signal has turned color again and we're covered in gray. Gray? WTF? Fine, we'll slip into our swim fins (abandoning our car, apparently) and float down from the bog to the BiG P. Big P; gotta get a new label for that one as it sounds like something the boy fish are doing in the back yard...I digress...So, somehow, that black squiggly is back and it's going to pee as well––no, that's not right, it's going to the PEA. Seems the same to me but WTH, spell check might be useful here...Fine, after graveling, erm, groveling for more directions, I get to the infamous light blue flowy thing that is coming from Little P, which times itself nicely to the cadence of the deck P's. Deck, sounds like we've gone from car to swimming and now to a ship. Gotta admit, quite a ride, this following of addy's flow chart. Flow chart! THAT'S what we need here!

Oh no, MORE dirty water goes nowhere, though...

Big P only gets bog water -- right, got it. That's the only fact I'm really really sure about in the moment. And it gets repeated for the slower folks like me...heh


Okay addy, I think you've improved on the architectural design but methinks someone has far too many crayons to play with.

But hey, been a fun ride!

Now, where did I put that margarita? No, now I need something a lot stronger...

 

[addy1]

Now, where did I put that margarita? No, now I need something a lot stronger...

vodka!

Long and short of it, the only pond that gets filtered bog water is the big pond, the only pond that sends water to the bog is the big pond. All the other ponds get dirty water from the big pond.

 

[brokensword]

See, addy? All you needed was ONE drink and all your cohesion came back! Now it's crystal clear!