Photos of expansion project
- Thread starter D&RW
- Start date
i agre with Dodad. When you have a sitting height pond, you are gonna wanna sit on those capstones--someone will--and they will inevitably get pushed into the water by accident. You're gonna have to get into the pond to do maintenance, etc. Why would you want wobbly capstones all around your edges?
It's certianly up to you, but I would attach that liner and those capstones.
It's certianly up to you, but I would attach that liner and those capstones.
a friend had a neat idea. you know that mesh material you put under your throw rugs to prevent them slipping. seems like it'd work great on top of the liner and under the stones. The top side of the final course of stones and cement is rough. then the liner. then the anti-slip mesh. then the stones. seems like it'd work fine.
day off and sunny. pond water temp 41. tried to set up the Aqua Art Bottom Drain, but couldn't. I could get it lined up and placed over it's designated spot in the deep end, but it has enough bouyancy that it won't stay. I was in waders, so couldn't go down to the 6 ft. level to try putting stones on it. Will need to weight it. buying 4 1 pound plastic encased dive weights and will put one on each leg using a zip tie. . still may be hard to get all the angles right. May have to rent dive gear and go in and under. OR drain the pond. wonder which is cheaper.
so for the time being i gave up on the bottom drain and concentrated on plumbing the Ultima 2. took all day and one trip to Lowes but it's 80% hooked up. I still need to build the in-water piping for the return, but I can do that out of the water and then just hook it up using a fernco. working the next few days so probably can't get to it till Sat. i'll try to take pics of the progress so far if the weather holds and i can get off in time. it gets dark here at 4:30 this time of year.
so for the time being i gave up on the bottom drain and concentrated on plumbing the Ultima 2. took all day and one trip to Lowes but it's 80% hooked up. I still need to build the in-water piping for the return, but I can do that out of the water and then just hook it up using a fernco. working the next few days so probably can't get to it till Sat. i'll try to take pics of the progress so far if the weather holds and i can get off in time. it gets dark here at 4:30 this time of year.
yes, the AArt bottom drain needs to be weighted down particularly if you are using flexible piping. The instructions specifically say NOT to use flex piping and that rigid piping is best. I use it with flex piping as I like to move it around every month. I just put two rocks on each of the legs and that's it.
Flex piping, by the way, isn't as pliable as we'd like to imagine and you may WANT that drain to sit in a certain spot, but your flex pipe may not allow you for the positioning you specifically want. Flex piping is worse in winter where it stiffens up a bit, too.
Flex piping, by the way, isn't as pliable as we'd like to imagine and you may WANT that drain to sit in a certain spot, but your flex pipe may not allow you for the positioning you specifically want. Flex piping is worse in winter where it stiffens up a bit, too.
You can also drill a 1/8" hole in the very top of the BD to let the air out.
This is what I recommend to customers that purchase them from me,
This is what I recommend to customers that purchase them from me,
I have the little hole in top too (as per the instructions), but it does not stop it from floating up. You still need to hold it down with something on those little feet.
The skimmer plumbing finished except for the bottom drain. Waiting for those 1# dive weights for that. I built the flow piping for the return and really want to turn on the system to see how it works, but once the system is on I'll have to leave it on because of freezing temps. so i resisted. If the flow isn't up to my expectations I'll try those eductors and see if they make any difference.
I haven't calculated the flow in the return pipe yet, but I do have a meter and when I'm ready to turn it on I'll hook up the meter and get a reading.
After the bottom drain is positioned, then it's time to turn my attention to the waterfall. Like I think I said earlier I'm going to see if I can hire a man in Portland to come down and give me some advice and then a bid. I'm out of my depth
in trying to design this one.
I haven't calculated the flow in the return pipe yet, but I do have a meter and when I'm ready to turn it on I'll hook up the meter and get a reading.
After the bottom drain is positioned, then it's time to turn my attention to the waterfall. Like I think I said earlier I'm going to see if I can hire a man in Portland to come down and give me some advice and then a bid. I'm out of my depth
in trying to design this one.Attachments
splendid work! I like the shot of you in the waders! LOL!
Right you are. A major consideration. that UV is rated for a maximum of 3500 gph. pump puts out 4500 @ 0. it will be 3 ft of pipe and one swept 90 going into the filter = app. 2.8 ft head. the filter itself is said to generate from 3-8 ft of head. take 3 as workable number = 5.8. coming out of the filter we have 3 swept 90s and 4 ft of pipe before the UV. that's app. 4 ft of head = 9.8 before the UV. That pump at 10 ft of head is rated at 3400 gph so i should be ok. But, I have the luxury of a flow meter. I'll actually plumb it in right before the UV using ferncos and get a measurement. that combined with the estimated head based on formulas should give me a pretty good idea of if I'm exceeding flow. Frankly 3400 is as close to the max as I'd like to get. I'd be happier with 3000 so I may replumb it farther down the pipe to add head.
Are you putting that UV AFTER the filter? That's where it should be....
koiguy1969
GIGGETY-GIGGETY!!
Nicely done!!!
yep. after the filter. i replumbed the skimmer today, removing the submersible pump, to make ready for the arrival of the Sequence. Couldn't do more than that because it's raining cats and dogs.
Next week the 1 # weights for the bottom drain "feet" should arrive. I'll drill a small hole in each foot and zip tie the weight to it. Then maybe I can get it hooked up. lining up the plumbing so it sits on the bottom the way i'd like it to is going to be tricky.
Next week the 1 # weights for the bottom drain "feet" should arrive. I'll drill a small hole in each foot and zip tie the weight to it. Then maybe I can get it hooked up. lining up the plumbing so it sits on the bottom the way i'd like it to is going to be tricky.