Where is your pre filter?

[KennethO]

Since I upgraded my biofilter to a 55 gallon drum. I was thinking about changing my prefilter set up.

ATM its about a 19 gallon file tote with a lid. About 1ft square with lots of holes drilled in it. Inside it is my 1200gph pump with the inside walls covered in squares of furnace filter material (green). This is all submerged with 3 sheets of slate covering the lid so it blends in with the liner. It works great, but I don't like the hight.It makes that area look a bit shallow, even tho its not. Not to mention taking space away from the fish.

Do you use an in pond prefilter? Whats it look like? Pics would be great.

Has anyone used the thin round filters? That are only about 3-6 inches tall and a foot or so wide.

My pump has a removable filter cage. Once removed it has a 1 inch threaded adapter. Was thinking of making a DIY round filter and hiding my pump in my skimmer pit with my other pump. Then just running a 1 inch flex pipe between them. Its a submergable pump, but do you think it can be used as an external pump? Or does it need to be in the water to stay cool?

Pump is a Pondmaster 1250 from HD.

Thanks, Kenneth.

 

[koisRus]

If your pump is submersible it must be in the water. I use my skimmer as my prefilter, than feed my pump, which is submersed in the pond, than to my filter. I did remove my filter cage to do this. My pump just sits on the pond floor.

 

[hewhoisatpeace]

There are submersible pumps that can be used as external in line pumps, usually direct drive, not mag drive. I'd ask Pondmaster, or at least check their website. (I think mag drive pumps get too hot in air)

That said, I use an external pump for longevity and ease of maintenance, plus the built in prefilter is extremely easy to clean. Oh, yeah, it's more efficient, too. Artesian, check it out if you ever want to upgrade.;-)

 

[KennethO]

So you don't run a prefilter and just use the built in basket? Doesn't that clog up pretty fast? I got a Hayward 2075 external pump, but the basket looks like it would fill so fast. It has a bad bearing that I'm going to replace from a spare motor I have laying around.

I would like to just use that one pump. I prefer to not have power going into the water. Its like 4000 gph or something. When I was running it, it would shoot out a 1 1/2 inch hose like a firehose. Will it effect the pump if I was to put a ball valve after it to reduce the flow rate? Would it just act like it was pumping to a large head hight? Is there a way to utilize it to pump from 2 sources? Say the skimmer and then the pond part. Ball valve on shortest pipe to equal the suction out I'm guessing.

Thanks.

 

[hewhoisatpeace]

Usually, I spray the basket out every couple days. The saving grace here is that it doesn't get you dirty, and it takes just a moment. I've thought about installing a larger prefilter basket inline before the pump, might do it this winter.

Yes, you can restrict the flow all you want after the pump, just not before it. For my two sources (skimmer & bottom drain), I use a 2" from skimmer and 3" from BD gate valves, both dumping into a 4" PVC pipe below grade of pond until it drops to 2" to accomodate a check valve and pump entry point.