Converting a pool to a pond: what can we reuse/bog plan critique.

[Jhn]

@wamil Would add some sort of settling chamber in that bog feed line if you are pulling from the pool bottom, as the crap it pulls in will end up in the bottom of the bog, clogging it. You don’t want your bog to be a mechanical filter.

Looks like you got some cool ideas to convert the pool.

 

[wamil]

Alright, it seems like I'm going to have to find a way of gathering the larger gunk before it enters the bog.

Here's a simplified vertical diagram of the current plumbing. The red parts are the only ones I actually have access to.

I assume for a settlement chamber I'd have something like this?

It seems like I'd still have to find someway to clean out the bottom of a body of water, in which case why not ditch the settlement tank and do something like this?

This shouldn't require an extra pump or digging under concrete.
Or maybe even doing something with aquablocks under the bog? Would that serve the same purpose as a settlement chamber?
If I do use a settlement chamber, how would I empty it anyway?

I'd also recommend reusing the jets if possible

Where should the jets get their water? After the bog filter?
Would I need an additional pump?

In some ways it looks like abandoning the current plumbing and running a new pipe and adding a new skimmer and intake on the shallow end, away from the bog, might be best.

Lots to think about while I dig the hole for the bog haha.

Oh, here's a pic of the drain if it helps clarify anything:

 

[GBBUDD]

I don't know how these posts get by me as i check whats new . if ypur still around we can answer your questions. a quick reference is at the bottom of the post being my link to my build it is a very similar design as what your asking

 

[wamil]

I'm not dead! Just have been focused on college and a leaking roof, so progress has been pretty slow. Gives me time to think, at least.
The deck behind the pool, where the bog is planned to be has been removed, as well as the concrete pilings underneath, and the pool has been drained. I hope to make some more progress this summer.

The plan has changed a bit; I want to build a small retaining wall around the bog, maybe 2'? Just to raise it above the level of the pool.
I also plan to intake the water from the shallow end, opposite to the bog. Also, no silly business with the solar heater or settlement chambers. Basic idea is still the same.

I do have a few questions:
1. What would be the cheapest way to build a sufficiently strong retaining wall for the bog? Most of it will be covered by the fence, so looks aren't too important.

2. How should I do mechanical filtration? Would it be sufficient to basically pump the water through a container with matala or something similar, before it enters the bog?

3. How should I manage skimming? It's not in the ideal spot, but I'm thinking of maybe just using the inbuilt skimmer; there usually isn't too much debris. Maybe partition a part off for an intake bay?

4. I want to provide a relatively shallow area with gently flowing water and exposed rocks, mainly for frogs and the like. Can I just pile up rocks in the shallow end?

5. This is a silly Idea I had, but I'm wondering if it would be possible to force air through the existing bottom drain, just for aeration. Not really necessary, but I'm curious.

There have also been lots of frogs spawning in the remaining rainwater in the meantime:

This includes a California Red Legged Frog, which is a threatened species.

Thousands(?) of tadpoles!

 

[combatwombat]

1. What would be the cheapest way to build a sufficiently strong retaining wall for the bog? Most of it will be covered by the fence, so looks aren't too important.

Can't get much cheaper than simple garden wall blocks. Should be good enough for a 2' wall as long as you can spare a few extra feet behind it to backfill with soil. They also make black geo-fabric sand bags that you can fill with native soil and then you lock them together with spikes. That should be pretty cheap, too, and you can plant it when you're done.

2. How should I do mechanical filtration? Would it be sufficient to basically pump the water through a container with matala or something similar, before it enters the bog?

That would certainly work, but you might be cleaning your pads pretty frequently depending on how much debris you get and how big your pads are.

3. How should I manage skimming? It's not in the ideal spot, but I'm thinking of maybe just using the inbuilt skimmer; there usually isn't too much debris. Maybe partition a part off for an intake bay?

Intake bay would be cool, but built in skimmer would work. They make floating skimmers you can place anywhere, and you can also DIY a standpipe skimmer anywhere in the pool you want.

4. I want to provide a relatively shallow area with gently flowing water and exposed rocks, mainly for frogs and the like. Can I just pile up rocks in the shallow end?

Sure! Why not?

5. This is a silly Idea I had, but I'm wondering if it would be possible to force air through the existing bottom drain, just for aeration. Not really necessary, but I'm curious.

I don't think that's going to work as is. You need a bladder/stone w/ lots of tiny holes to create very fine bubbles to effectively aerate. Imagine your bottom drain is a big 3" or 4" pipe? Might be able to connect some sort of bladder to it and reuse existing piping.

 

[GBBUDD]

Since there is a layer of concrete coping surrounding the pool, I'm planning on having the bog's water flow over it back into the pool. It's different from the guide, but will this work okay? yup a little liner directing the water back to the pool and your golden

Before I go out and start buying a pump/piping/pond liner/etc, I'm wondering if I can use any of the existing pool's plumbing.
I figure the solar water heater and the current filter will have to go, but can I at least use the existing underground~1.5-2" pipes and pump?
Now, they go from drain->filter/heater->pool, but I'm planning on changing them to drain->bottom of bog.
If necessary, I could get an entirely new external pump and intake, but I'd rather use the drain we already have if possible.

I'm very new to all of this so critique/suggestions are appreciated, nothing is set in stone. I still haven't figured out exactly what I'll need to buy as far as piping/pond liner/and pump (and more).

I'm in Carmel Valley, CA which is listed as 10a, but we regularly get a good few days of frost each year, so I'd estimate it at ~9a.
This will probably depend on what the bog and pool ends up like, but what kind of plants and fish should I look at? I want the pond to be a nice space for local flora and fauna, but some water lilies and/or lotuses and other ornamental or edible plants would be nice. We have lots of birds here, so I also plan to put some hiding spaces for any fish in the pool.

your enemy is going to be those pipe sizes they are pretty small for the flows i would want to have in a pond like that. Current is your friend to keep mosquitoes at bay. no current and you will enjoy the pond from the other side of a window.

YOUR POOL IS PROBABLY 30000 GALLONS AND THE BEST A 2" line can do is maybe 7000 under high pressure. thats turning over the water at best once every 4 hours i would want to have at a minimum of 12 to 18000 gph of flow. that would require power heads or additional plumbing

 

[wamil]

your enemy is going to be those pipe sizes they are pretty small for the flows i would want to have in a pond like that. Current is your friend to keep mosquitoes at bay. no current and you will enjoy the pond from the other side of a window.

YOUR POOL IS PROBABLY 30000 GALLONS AND THE BEST A 2" line can do is maybe 7000 under high pressure. thats turning over the water at best once every 4 hours i would want to have at a minimum of 12 to 18000 gph of flow. that would require power heads or additional plumbing

Yeah, I've since decided to just run new plumbing instead of (or maybe in addition to) the existing pipes; the plan has evolved quite a bit from the original post last year.

 

[GBBUDD]

I would refuse what you have . And add to it go with two pumps so if one goes down you have a back up

 

[GBBUDD]

I would refuse what you have . And add to it go with two pumps so if one goes down you have a back up

i would re-use what you have. And add to it, Go with two pumps so when one goes down you still have a pump running and keeping things viable.