DIY - 2 stage tote filter

[natbla]

I saw the pic when you first posted and looked in lowes and home depot and they did not have it here or it was out of stock and they did not fill the spoy it should have been in and that seems to be normal for here .I went to the electrical supply house but by the time I got there they were closed .Still can't understand why they close at 3 o'clock ,makes no sense to me and they are only open 4 days a week .Same thing at the plumbing supply store closed and they wonder why they loose business .I should have tried the pool supply stores but did not think of them until I saw your hose .Went through the box of pool stuff but nothing like it in there either .gosh raining again .They sell rubber washers in all sizes also

You can order it online from the Lowe's site andthey will deliver to the store for free.

 

[sissy]

I was just looking at there fittings and yep they carry them so I guess I will have to do that .I guess I will have to make sure the store gets it right .I ordered a storm door and 5 times the shipped the wrong door and the wrong size and I gave up on them and ordered it from a building supply store that was smaller and they got it right the first time .I sometimes wonder if lowes and home depot do not care enough about there customers .

 

[natbla]

I bypassed the settling tank for now. Here's how the new waterfall looks

 

[baeya]

Very Pretty!! I'm liking that style of falls more and more! Next time I redo mine I might have to change it instead of fix it!

 

[j.w]

Looks very nice and relaxing the way it flows over the rocks.

 

[natbla]

I resealed the bulkhead on the settling tank this evening, and it will cure for the next couple days. While at Minard's, I was wandering around looking for the right set of connections, and wandered onto the sump pump isle. I found, for $8.75, a 25 foot section of inch and 1/2 sump drain line with a connection at one end. So I purchased that and will adjust its length to fit my needs. I decided to move the shut off valve down the line so that there won't be as much torque on the settling tank, This will mean I need one more connector, but I think it will make it easier to keep back-flow out of the pond.

I also picked up a furnace filter to place in the settling tank to slow the water down some more. I'll place that on top of a milk crate that I currently use for carrying tools around the house. When I clean the pump house, I'll dump the dozen bio balls that are in there into the new bio filter to help jumpstart the media.

I was also wondering about putting a bag full of clay cat litter on the bottom of the bio filter. I have string algae that was already forming on the rocks prior to the rebuild.and want to stop it sooner than later.

My only concern is that it might inhibit the bio-filter activity, and since I have 2 feet of air stones going in the biofilter, was concern about it not settleing out.

 

[sissy]

I use the sump pump hose also

 

[j.w]

With the kitty litter I like to just put mine under the water fall in a netting type bag. Don't know about how that would do in a bio-filter.

 

[natbla]

With the kitty litter I like to just put mine under the water fall in a netting type bag. Don't know about how that would do in a bio-filter.

I didn't want to do this due to the way it would look. I'm thinking of putting it in the settling tank, in its own tray, so I can lift it out and replace it easily.

BTW, the water is now extremely clear with just the bio-filter taking out suspended particles from the water. I can't wait to put the settling tank online tomorrow evening.

 

[j.w]

You will have to be the guinea pig and let us know how it works in there for ya if you decide to do it.

 

[HARO]

A word of warning about those 'cheap' sump pump hoses; most that I've seen carry a warning to 'replace every two years', and that's with no back-pressure! If you hook one up to a filter or whatever, and it splits, you could lose far more than what a decent pond hose would have cost. I just pulled mine out to drain the pond, and it has two splits, just from lying in a box over the winter. I would NEVER use one for day-to-day operation on a pond.
John

 

[natbla]

A word of warning about those 'cheap' sump pump hoses; most that I've seen carry a warning to 'replace every two years', and that's with no back-pressure! If you hook one up to a filter or whatever, and it splits, you could lose far more than what a decent pond hose would have cost. I just pulled mine out to drain the pond, and it has two splits, just from lying in a box over the winter. I would NEVER use one for day-to-day operation on a pond.
John

I'll keep that in mind. The nice thing about my layout is that the entire hose run is over the top of the "spill way" of liner that comes up and an behind the filter system. That means the worst that will happen is the hose splits and the water runs back into the pond under the rock ledge. I'll plan on replacing it regularly.