My Bog Filter Build

[falconut]

Update: The bog appears to have survived a very cold winter. I submerged the pump and fired it back up (a few days ago) and it's flowing nicely. But, wow did it stink. After a few days, it smells better now. Here's a few photos:





I left the bottles in there from the winter for cover, until either the lilies start to grow or I find a floating decoration I like.

 

[sissy]

Dirty water pump in your bog tank would have worked .I have one in my stock tank with a grated cap over it and all I do is start putting water in my stock tank from the hose and plug in the sump pump to clean the stock tank filter

 

[addy1]

Glad to hear it survived. Mine never stinks but it is pretty big.

 

[falconut]

It has really bloomed and is overgrowing the bucket. Water has been crystal clear for about a month now, so it must be working. Much better than my submerged filter and no maintenance.

 

[addy1]

Very nice

 

[falconut]

I'm guessing I needed to do maintenance on it. The roots have filled just about everywhere in the container, even going around the rim causing the water level to raise and sometimes spill over little by little.

It appears that the mass of plants and roots floated up a little and created an air void under them, when I pushed my way down the gravel it felt like the pipe had lifted closer to the top. This would explain why the water is flowing really fast on this side and higher than the other side. It's about an 1" higher on that side.

Has anybody had there manifold pipes push up over time? I guess I'll need to really dig into it this weekend when I have time, possibly pull out all the gravel and reset the pipe on the bottom.

 

[addy1]

Mine are under too much gravel to even think of moving. Can't help you with this issue. Plants, yep they grow well I yank off and on all summer.Keep the water path open

 

[Lisak1]

Mine, too - way too much gravel holding those things in place. If I had to dig them up I would start the process by crying. For a long, long time.

 

[addy1]

Mine, too - way too much gravel holding those things in place. If I had to dig them up I would start the process by crying. For a long, long time.

lol 6 years later mine is still working just fine...................never digging it up

 

[falconut]

I didn't think the pipe would lift up, but it apparently did. I'll use a wire tie and fasten the pipe down this time, so hopefully it stays down. It's still filtering, after being murky last night (after messing with it), it was clear this morning.

I may even change the piping a little. I'm considering using a single 2" pipe down the middle this time, so it's easier to flush.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

It's about an 1" higher on that side.

That is an example of "channeling". This occurs when the flow of water is blocked by sediment and/or plant root mass. This increases the velocity of the water where it is able to flow unimpeded raising the water level in that area. This shows the importance of having adequate depth in the 'bog' and, sometimes, limiting the number of plants.

 

[pecan]

Bog filters work best with new roots on plants. Old roots don't filter as well and block the flow. So you should thin your plants annually allowing space for new root growth. You'ed be surprised at the growth spurt plants have after thinning. They seem to really like it.

BTW, I love you little bog idea in a stock tank! great solution to your filter problems.

 

[falconut]

Yeah, definitely some chanel in going on in mine.

I'll certainly be thinning out the roots during the rebuild. Just picked up the pipe & fittings, I'm going with a single 2" instead of the 1-1/2" oval it has now.

 

[falconut]

Well started the overhaul on Friday after work. Actually with the small size, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I dug down on the size that appeared to be channeling. It's hard to see from the photo, but the pipe was about 3"+ off the bottom.

What wasn't easy to see at first, but after removing more gravel I noticed a layer of roots across almost the entire bottom. Here it is peeled back over the gravel. Now keep in mind, I never removed any roots while thinning the plants. I was just clipping the excess plants, but never disturbed under the gravel. I'm guessing I'll have to add that to my maintenance from now on.

Now on to the re-build. This was the new 2" PVC manifold, just a single pipe down the center. I cut the bottom off a pot and wire tied it to the pipe (blue circle). Hopefully this will help the weight of the gravel help hold down the pipe.

 

[falconut]

The light faded away on Friday, so stopped for the day. Washed the gravel as best I could to remove a good amount of roots.

After lots of washing gravel, it was finally full. Still have room to add some more gravel later. Finally got around to adding a union, so winterizing will just be a twist and the hose is removed. I'll modify a clean-out lid in the future, so I can flush it with a garden hose if needed. But it does siphon the opposite way when turned off, which may help in dislodging debris.

I returned some of the plants, keeping the grass out, since they were really rooted to the bottom and very hard to get out without removing the gravel almost to the bottom. Hopefully as they root a little, they'll be more upright.

A view from the front, flowing into the pond. Hopefully with some root maintenance, it will last longer without having to dig out the gravel. It definitely works great either way, filtering it crystal clear in a short time period and haven't had green water since installing it. I was constantly fighting green water before with the submersible filter.