DIY Pond filter Gravity Flow Control

[Rroelle]

I built a DIY filter for my pond that is gravity-fed, from the skimmer. The filter is housed in an ADS sump liner, buried with a few inches of the top portion above ground, a few feet away, and about 8-9 inches below the level of the pond. The pump is located at the bottom of the filter container, below the media. The flow balance is very close but the gravity flow is a little stronger than the pump can transfer the water back to the pond, so eventually, the filter fills up and will overflow. I added a ball valve to the 2” PVC pipe that moves the water from the skimmer to the top of the filter but even the slightest adjustment to reduce the gravity flow leads to the opposite problem; the filter will eventually empty. I can get it very close but never enough to have a balance that won’t need daily adjustments. Does anyone know of an automatic device, like a float valve, that will automatically open and close my gravity-fed pipe to help maintain the balance? My intake PVC pipe (from the skimmer to the filter) is 2”. I haven't seen anything online that appears to work for this purpose. If anyone has had a similar issue and found a solution, I would appreciate the advice. Thank you!

 

[GBBUDD]

the only way this will work is as an equalizer pump both areas having edges at the same height per say so there is a pipe that runs between them and as a pump pulls and lowers the water level on one side the pipe between them allows the water to equalize between them.

 

[velokoi]

Would it be possible to redesign so that the filter is above the pond and the streams into pond with overflow? I always design my skimmer with a pump out to a filter above the pond and the let the overflow fall back to pond.

 

[GBBUDD]

Filter can be anywhere you like above. Water level and then have gravity or waterfalls back to the pond sure.