Prevent Pump Hose From Clogging

[HARO]

It's more like a firehose than a fountain.

Can you add a small valve to the hose? Even a small clamp to partially pinch the hose, so that the flow is more to your liking. Restricting the flow AFTER the pump will not damage the pump.
John

 

[Ratsima]

Can you add a small valve to the hose? Even a small clamp to partially pinch the hose, so that the flow is more to your liking. Restricting the flow AFTER the pump will not damage the pump.
John

Yes, I could do this. In fact, I was thinking of splitting the hose into two pieces connected with a barb to make reaming out the biofilm easier. That would have the effect of reducing the flow due to the smaller inside diameter of the barb. My concern is that this would defeat the purpose of having the more powerful pump which I bought to reduce the biofilm buildup problem.

The irony is that a few days after cleaning, the biofilm has built up enough to reduce the flow to an acceptable level.

Maybe I just have to live with it.

 

[Lisak1]

I always enjoy a post that has comments from Meyer - his knowledge and insight is as helpful now as it was then.

@Ratsima - with that amount of water flow, that you get any clogging in the hose! Nature does have her ways, though! You do seem to still have a lot of organic material in the pond - it's lovely! - but that might be a contributing factor. Although the inconsistency of the build up is puzzling.

 

[Ratsima]

I always enjoy a post that has comments from Meyer - his knowledge and insight is as helpful now as it was then.

Indeed. So very helpful.

@Ratsima - with that amount of water flow, that you get any clogging in the hose! Nature does have her ways, though! You do seem to still have a lot of organic material in the pond - it's lovely! - but that might be a contributing factor. Although the inconsistency of the build up is puzzling.

Thanks for the kind words. There is a lot of organic material. I pull out huge amounts about once a month and add to the compost heap. I've always felt that one reason the water is so clear is that the plants shield the sunlight and consume whatever nitrogen is released by the little fish and snails. It may be that I should shoot for much less left after a cull.

In my little neighborhood (about 50 homes) there were originally half a dozen ponds. Mine is the only one left. I think most gave up because they just couldn't keep the water clear.

 

[Lisak1]

I think most gave up because they just couldn't keep the water clear.

That's sad. I think too many people get their advice from pond "professionals" who just want to sell them product. Once you get on the "add this, add that, add more of this" routine, you're sunk. There's a home in my neighborhood that has a tiny pond - the new owner of the home posted a question on our neighborhood Facebook page about her 'koi pond' and how she was struggling to keep the fish alive and the water clear. When I messaged her to offer help, she responded that it was a "really big" pond (it's a preform, so you can guess how "really big" it is) and another neighbor had come over to give her their left over "pond products" (they were another failed pond neighbor). She said "finally the water is clear! Fish are still dying, but no more algae!" Oh, good. Glad that worked out.

I'm glad you've stuck with it! And I'm sure you're right - all the plants are definitely keeping your pond lovely and clear!

 

[Ratsima]

Me again, almost a year on from my last post. The crazy thing is that this problem seems very periodic. During Thailand's cool (well, sort of cool) season I only had to ream the hose every week or so. But lately it's been back to every other day.

This is two days after I reamed the hose. Photo of the reaming tool below. The flow is minimal.

This is what the pump outputs with the fountain hose detached. It seems like there is nothing blocking the input of the pump. Lots of power and almost two meters of head.

With the power off, this is what the pump exterior screen looks like. Nothing clogging or blocking it.

This is the pump intake with the exterior screen removed. What you can see is the brownish biofilm that ends up quickly coating the interior of the fountain hose.

This is the reaming tool. It is long enough to go from the pump to the fountain.

The working end. A sponge tied to the cable so that it contacts the entire interior of the hose.

This is after reaming once from each end. It will be that strong for a day or two.

As always, I remain stumped, but still willing to do what it takes to keep the pond running.

 

[poconojoe]

Me again, almost a year on from my last post. The crazy thing is that this problem seems very periodic. During Thailand's cool (well, sort of cool) season I only had to ream the hose every week or so. But lately it's been back to every other day.


View attachment 150642
This is two days after I reamed the hose. Photo of the reaming tool below. The flow is minimal.

View attachment 150643
This is what the pump outputs with the fountain hose detached. It seems like there is nothing blocking the input of the pump. Lots of power and almost two meters of head.

View attachment 150644
With the power off, this is what the pump exterior screen looks like. Nothing clogging or blocking it.

View attachment 150645
This is the pump intake with the exterior screen removed. What you can see is the brownish biofilm that ends up quickly coating the interior of the fountain hose.

View attachment 150646
This is the reaming tool. It is long enough to go from the pump to the fountain.

View attachment 150647
The working end. A sponge tied to the cable so that it contacts the entire interior of the hose.

View attachment 150648
This is after reaming once from each end. It will be that strong for a day or two.

As always, I remain stumped, but still willing to do what it takes to keep the pond running.

I would put an adapter on the pump outlet to increase the size to maybe an inch and a half. An inch and a half hose is no way going to clog up. End of problem...I hope!

 

[Mmathis]

@Ratsima We are always learning, and we appreciate it when members get back with us. I was going to say something similar to @poconojoe.

 

[Ratsima]

I would put an adapter on the pump outlet to increase the size to maybe an inch and a half. An inch and a half hose is no way going to clog up. End of problem...I hope!

Thanks. I agree that's probably my only option at this point. Unfortunately, it would be a huge amount of work involving redesigning the fountain and breaking quite a bit of concrete.

The 5/8" hose just barely fits in the hollowed out bamboo.

This is where the hose leaves the pond via a 1½ " PVC pipe embedded in concrete and rock. Both the pump feed and the pump's AC line go through that pipe.

Here's the above ground end of the PVC showing the pond hose and the pump AC line.

I wonder if putting a larger hose in just the above ground run (about 4 meters) would help at all?

Still, it's hard for me to fathom that a pump that powerful can get thwarted by nothing more than slimy biofilm. I have to wonder if there's not something else going on here.

 

[poconojoe]

It's good you have that PVC through the concrete.

If you decide to change the hose...

Get some flex PVC. It will last almost forever.
Maybe 1"?

Tie and tape a rope to the garden hose so when you pull out the garden hose you'll have the rope there to pull in the new (bigger) hose.
And... when you pull the new hose in, pull that rope back in and leave it there for future use. You never know when you might need a rope in there.

 

[Ratsima]

I hadn't thought of flexible PVC. Is this what you had in mind?

Flexible PVC at Thai Hardware

I know it's in Thai, but the translation (thanks to Google) of the description is:

uPVC soft pipe for wiring
for tidy up of a large number of wires
impact resistance and gain weight well
Made of UPVC material,
not flame retardant, safe to use.
5 meter long pipe white

I've never worked with it before. I'll still have to explore fittings and the like. I assume it glues just like regular PVC pipe?

The rope idea is a good one. I've used it with the power cord when I have to replace pumps (more often than you'd think).

Thanks for the ideas. That's what I need.

 

[Mgessert]

Maybe critters crawling in there?

 

[poconojoe]

I hadn't thought of flexible PVC. Is this what you had in mind?

Flexible PVC at Thai Hardware

I know it's in Thai, but the translation (thanks to Google) of the description is:



I've never worked with it before. I'll still have to explore fittings and the like. I assume it glues just like regular PVC pipe?

The rope idea is a good one. I've used it with the power cord when I have to replace pumps (more often than you'd think).

Thanks for the ideas. That's what I need.

I don't think that is the same stuff. That seems to be used to encase wires.
You want schedule 40 flex PVC. It is compatible with standard ridgid PVC fittings, primer and glue.
Something like this:
TEKTUBE 3/4" Dia. X 50' - Black Schedule 40 Ultra Flexible PVC Pipe- Made in The USA https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07229JL1Q/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_D3PWF3GXRT1AVNYYAH4B

 

[Ratsima]

You're right, the stuff I posted was really the wrong king of pipe. I live in Thailand, so could, at great expense, order from Amazon. I'd rather find it locally, but it just doesn't seem to be available here.

Here's an Amazon example:

Alpine 1-1/4" In. x 25 Ft. Schedule 40 Black PVC Ultra Flexible Hose:
$64.18
$144.28 Shipping & Import Fees Deposit to Thailand​

I'll keep searching.

 

[Ratsima]

I decided to see if I could extract what is blocking the hose by saving everything that comes out of either end when I ream it out.

I use a wire cable with a sponge on the end to ream out the hose about every other day. This morning I accumulated everything that came out. That's it; nothing solid at all.
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I let it settle for a couple of hours and then removed the clear water.
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I filtered what was left with a coffee drip filter. The water that drips through is quite clear.
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This gelatinous sludge is what is left. It's very sticky and adheres to surfaces, but I can't see how this tiny amount can almost completely block a 5/8" hose connected to a pump with a two meter head.
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Weird stuff. Maybe it's the answer to global hunger.