Question about pumps. Should I go bigger?

[texmaster]

Hi folks,

So I'm rebuilding my pond as you can see from a thread in here. Notice the pipe and the flow of the water. I'm wondering if its too weak.

This morning the water looked choopy coming from the pipe so I stopped, cleaned the strainer which was dirty, and cleaned out the bead filter.

Turned it back on and the flow was good.

Came back 30 minutes later and no flow at all. Clean basket but no flow. Still working on it but if its clogged I'm wondering if the pump I have is just not strong enough.

Specs: The bottom drain is 4 inches wide going about 5 feet to the side of the pond and 4 feet up. Once its there it goes down to 3 inches for about 5 feet then 2 inches for about 10 feet until the 2 inch check valve then continues 2 inches about 15 inches from the ground and into the strainer. Once it leaves the bead filter it goes back out about 15 feet in a 1.5 inch flex hose. All new pipe

cliffs:

9 feet 4 inch pipe
5 feet 3 inch pipe
11.5 feet 2 inch pipe

Leaves the bead filer

15 feet 1.5 inch pipe.

The pump I have is a Sequence 5800gph

https://www.amazon.com/Sequence-5800SEQ21-External-Pond-Pump/dp/B005UEV1TA


This is the one I would replace it with if its large enough.

http://www.123ponds.com/filters-fishmate-pressurized-filters-pressurized-filters-with-uvc.html


Its really frustrating since this pump is only 1.5 years old and I've been plagued with bad flow from this waterfall for years.


And the water is not going down in the basket but I still get no exit flow

 

[Meyer Jordan]

I hate to break the news to you but your pump is the correct size. Your plumbing is all wrong.
The feed from a bottom drain should never go directly to a pump. It should go to either a settlement tank first or directly to some mechanical filter. Leaf baskets/primer pots are not sufficient.
Whether 3" or 4" piping is indicated for the bottom drain this size should be constant until it reaches the settlement tank/mechanical filter. Reductions in piping size, such as you have indicated on your pond, only impede and restrict the flow of water. Remember this is a gravity feed which relies solely on atmospheric pressure to move the water through the line. Your current configuration will only continue to lose prime causing the pump to cavitate and overheat.

 

[texmaster]

Does it have to be buried or can it be above ground?

 

[Meyer Jordan]

If you are asking about a settlement chamber, since this is gravity feed the water level in the chamber will be the same as the water level in the pond. Placement---In-ground pond....below ground level; above-ground pond....above ground level.

 

[texmaster]

Is there no other option because they have already done the piping there. What about a self priming pump?

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Really don't believe that will help. You will still have the flow restriction/impedance created by the reducer unions. Seems that it would be less expensive and more advantageous to fix the plumbing than replace the pump.

 

[texmaster]

Unfortunately we found the problem. A fish 10 inches long. It was just coming up to the leaf basket.

Is there any way to prevent the koi toilet from sucking up a fish that size?

 

[Meyer Jordan]

All bottom drains have a cover of sorts to prevent just this sort of issue. Was the cover not installed?
If the cover is installed what is the gap between the liner and the bottom of the cover. The manufacturer recommends 1/2 inch though some use a 3/4" gap. No large fish can fit through this narrow of opening.

 

[texmaster]

All bottom drains have a cover of sorts to prevent just this sort of issue. Was the cover not installed?
If the cover is installed what is the gap between the liner and the bottom of the cover. The manufacturer recommends 1/2 inch though some use a 3/4" gap. No large fish can fit through this narrow of opening.

Thanks. I'm going to have to get in there and look. The construction guys put it back together and I'm wondering if they screwed something up.

 

[texmaster]

Well the contractors did screw up but not the current ones. It was the ones who originally put it in. They did not cut the pipe to fit the ground so I had a 3 inch gap!!! Poor guy must have swum in when I turned off the pump to clean the cage

Big thanks to the Pond Digger Eric for helping me diagnose it over the phone!

http://www.helixpondfiltration.com/


And big thanks to Meyer Jordan for trying to help me out when I'm hopeless from the get go

 

[Meyer Jordan]

You are welcome. That is the reason that this Forum exists.