13 replies to this topic

[DrDave]

I believe that necessity is the mother of invention. Well yesterday, I needed a vacuum to clean out my new Nursery pond that was getting an accumulation of uneaten food and plant debries. This little pond is a Walmart Kiddie Pool that has a shower drain near the top with a reducer and 1 1/2 ABS return to the main pond. It is fed with a pump exactly like the one I am using for this Power Vacuum which I have named DrDave's Power Vacuum.

On to the build. First you need a Harbor Freight # 47117 pump and from Home Depot a 20 foot length of 3/4" flex hose made by Beckett (garden pond section). Then you need a 1" PVC coupler, 3/4" PVC 45 degree fitting and a 1/2" PVC thread to slip adapter. See the photos for the assemble. I used a lathe to machine the smaller PVC adapter to allow it to fit into the 45 degree elbow. I did not glue anything. Oh, I almost forgot, you need to steal the small vacuum head from your wifes little vacuum. I just happened to have the perfect size. It slip fits and locks onto the 1" PVC connector.

To use it all you have to do is plug it in and slowly move accross the bottom (don't stir up the muck) and discharge it into a plant that could use the nurishment.

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[karenskoipond]

thanks dr dave what a fantastic idea!!!!

[poodles-ponds and gardens]

How many GPH is that pump? I might already have one I could use.

[DrDave]

Look at the picture of the box. You have to be able to screw a fitting into the input side also.

[poodles-ponds and gardens]

Oops! Didn't look that close at the box picture. Thanks!

[DrDave]

If you have a stronger one, it might be better, but this one seems to work fine. It pulls the bad water off the bottom so water changes are better after vacuuming.

[DrCase]

Looks good DrDave

[poodles-ponds and gardens]

How do you go about moving it across the bottom of your pond? Mine is 3 ft deep. I'd have to get a snorkle to do it. How about attaching pvc pipe to the outlet first for a handle and then attaching the hose to that? Would that work?

[koiguy1969]

very close to what i was thinking of doing....as an experiment i was gonna mount my 425 gph pump on my mucvac pole or a skimmer pole use just the muc vac head and run (hose) it to my tetrapond filter set up for fines.

[DrDave]

For a pond with depth, you will have to rig a pole to it. Swimming pool supply places have lightweight aluminum poles that should be easy to adapt to it.
This is not going to work well with large stuff since the pump has to pass it. In my case, I was interested in getting the loose debries from the bottom of a kiddie pool. More work needs to be done for leaves and larger stuff.

Edited by DrDave, 25 August 2009 - 11:06 PM.

[poodles-ponds and gardens]

Thanks for sharing your invention with us.

[aviator79]

DrDave said:

For a pond with depth, you will have to rig a pole to it. Swimming pool supply places have lightweight aluminum poles that should be easy to adapt to it.
This is not going to work well with large stuff since the pump has to pass it. In my case, I was interested in getting the loose debries from the bottom of a kiddie pool. More owrk needs to be done for leaves and larger stuff.

Ya, im getting like 30 leaves in my pond every day so I think im goin gto have issues once I get water in it. I guess I will have to use a new which sucks, but even so Im sure I will get big debries at the botton that I will want to get out as these leaves sink in the puddle that is in there. SO I would have to devise like a skimmer basket that it has to pass thru. Im starting to think that having a skimmer for my pond would be ideal just cause its right under a tree so it could catch the leaves before they sink.

[CPT_CRUNCH]

good idea. i like it better than using my shop vac!

[DrDave]

A stonger pump and a chamber would allow sucking up leaves. I am going to have a lot of time in the last 3 months this year, maybe I will improve on it. Ultimately I may come up with a kit since some of it may have to be machined and most folks do not have lathes and mills.