Overflowing Bog

[brokensword]

Here is a basic sketch of the bog. The bottom version includes a potential drain added to the center of the bog. Adding the drain essentially increases the output area and would have a similar effect to increasing the length of the dividing wall as some people have suggested. I agree that it is treating a symptom but ultimately the bog will always be clogging up and need periodic thinning and cleaning. My thought is by adding the drain I might be able to go longer between maintenance sessions.

putting in that drain will also negate a lot of what you're trying to accomplish with a bog. You WANT the water flowing through as much pea gravel as possible (for the beneficial bacteria to do their job; not for the plants per se). When you give water an obviously easier path, it will take it. Thin your plants, dig down and see how muddy the pea gravel is; this will show you the path to fixing the problem. You'd have to dig down and place any such drain anyway, right? Fix the problem, not the symptom, imo.

 

[GBBUDD]

You can add all the drains you'd like but certain principals have to be met in order for that to even work. If you push to much water to fast through your pipes into a bog that has limited amounts of length and size of pipe and slots or holes in the pipe your pressure / movement will just push the the sediments through the pipe and into the bog. making any clean out useless. The whole idea as i know it with bogs is to SLOW the water down and just have slow displacement of the water as it is pushed/forced without and fast flow . Like addys pond she has a large amount of pipe where the water is displaced without fast flowing water through all the pipe and then she has feet of stone i believe close to 4 feet and 40 feet long The water is displaced slowly and heavy sediment is allowed to sit and break down and as it does it opens that area for flow. while the next area gets blocked and it breaks down over time. the whole idea of a natural bog is to have dead and decaying materials time to do so and break down. much like leaves and egg shells old veggies in a compost pile. let them sit long enough to break down leaving black gold . well that black gold in the pond would be in two forms liquid and solid . where the plants roots absorb these and makes the waters not only crystal clear but also balanced. I have a clean out its actually a foot depression at the end of my 24" culvert where the water that enters is pointed right at the wall so the energy is reduced immediately. There is actually fish living in this area . and every time i have dropped a pump into this area to clean very very little dirty water is noted to pump out. i am definitely on the heavy side as far as fish load is concerned and allllllll kinds of plants that both live and die adding to the equation. the bog is over sized i push probably 5 or 6,000 gph into the bog it's 20 feet long 10 feet wide and 6 feet deep that amount of water will have very little movement other then slow displacement and so far so good

 

[jbowyers]

Thanks for the input. I was under the assumption that faster flow was better since the nutrients were getting to the plants and bacteria faster but it's a closed system so the supply of nutrients is finite and ultimately get to where they need to go regardless of flow rate. I didn't anticipate sediment being an issue in the bog and appreciate the advantage of using a lower flow to allow sediment to settle in the inlet pipes so it can be flushed out periodically

 

[brokensword]

Thanks for the input. I was under the assumption that faster flow was better since the nutrients were getting to the plants and bacteria faster but it's a closed system so the supply of nutrients is finite and ultimately get to where they need to go regardless of flow rate. I didn't anticipate sediment being an issue in the bog and appreciate the advantage of using a lower flow to allow sediment to settle in the inlet pipes so it can be flushed out periodically

imagine that classic I Love Lucy scene in which the conveyor belt with all the chocolates that have to be wrapped, increases in speed. It's sorta like that! Gotta give those benny bacteria a chance to grab something! And actually, the bioload in the pond isn't necessarily finite as they'll produce more if you feed them again. It's more an efficiency thing; slower gets you better intake by plants and conversion by bacteria.

 

[jbowyers]

imagine that classic I Love Lucy scene in which the conveyor belt with all the chocolates that have to be wrapped, increases in speed. It's sorta like that! Gotta give those benny bacteria a chance to grab something! And actually, the bioload in the pond isn't necessarily finite as they'll produce more if you feed them again. It's more an efficiency thing; slower gets you better intake by plants and conversion by bacteria.

I would liken it more to Lucy at a Kuru Kuru Sushi bar. In the end, Lucy and Ethel will consume all the sushi because there is a limited supply and the sushi they missed the first time comes back around.

My bog, with a relatively high flow rate, has produced pristine water. I have never detected any ammonia or nitrites. If flow rate was an issue for nutrient absorption then my bog would not be doing its job and pond filters, in general, wouldn't work

 

[addy1]

My bog, with a relatively high flow rate, has produced pristine water.

Mine has a high flow also, the water stays in great shape

 

[poconojoe]

I'm thinking you should slow the water down.

Use a smaller pump... or add a wye after your existing pump. Put a valve on each branch. one branch goes to the bog, the other can go wherever you want, down a waterfall or just straight back in the pond.

The two valves will act as a diverter. You'll be able to fine tune each branch.

 

[GBBUDD]

Mine has a high flow also, the water stays in great shape

Whats your high flow addy in your 40 foot long bog? How many gph and pond gallons

 

[jbowyers]

I'm thinking you should slow the water down.

Use a smaller pump... or add a wye after your existing pump. Put a valve on each branch. one branch goes to the bog, the other can go wherever you want, down a waterfall or just straight back in the pond.

The two valves will act as a diverter. You'll be able to fine tune each branch.

Yes, I built the pond with a splitter with open/close valves on it so I am able to reduce the flow to the bog which should help prevent sediment from making its way into the pea gravel, hopefully.

 

[addy1]

Whats your high flow addy in your 40 foot long bog? How many gph and pond gallons

Lol at 40 feet, it is more like 25-27 My pump is rated at 6800 gph remove head pressure, it is 4 feet from the bog at the same level. The ponds (6 in the constant on bog loop) add up to around 12k gallons pure guessing, a very soft number. That is why I always say a lot of water flow in a large bog.

I have 5 other ponds that flow on a timed pump flow, so send dirty water into the big pond when the small but handles high head pressure pump is running. It is rated for 115 feet of head pressure, I guesstimate the head pressure is over 100 feet to get the water up the hill.

 

[GBBUDD]

6800 gph

That's my point addy even if you pumped 6800 gallons an hour into your 27 foot long bog x two pipe 42 feet of pipe divide that into 6800 and you are left with 160 gallons or hour or foot of pipe. Now disperse that under 4 feet of stone and you have a very slow flow through your bog . key to it's success.

 

[addy1]

Now disperse that under 4 feet of stone and you have a very slow flow through your bog . key to it's success.

2- 2.5 feet of pea gravel, not 4. The water runs down and through the bog like a nice little river as it comes out of the gravel.