DIY pond prefilter for vacuuming

[Litzi1964]

Since installing my pond, I have struggled with a way to vacuum out the bottom without dropping $200 or $300 for a pond vacuum. First I used a vacuum attachment for pools, that you attach directly to the pump. I found it tended to clog quickly and the head was too big to get in nooks and crannies. So then I attached a crevice tool directly to my canister filter. That quickly clogged too. So my husband fashioned a vacuum prefilter out of a bucket, some screen and pvc. He put cement in the bottom.

 

[Litzi1964]

The screen fits in the bucket diagonally. On one side of the bucket is an inlet for a vacuum attachment and on the other side is an outlet to connect to the canister.

 

[Mmathis]

More pics and/or description, as I'm not following.

Oh, and BTW, that's NOT a "bucket"! We have tons of those around here -- they are the "containers" for the most ESSENTIAL product in our 5-cat house . LOL, just picking! They were useful BEFORE we had the pond, but are even MORE useful now. And our vet wants us to switch to a less dusty brand. Told Hubby that we'll have to buy an occas. container and put masks on the cats!

 

[slakker]

I'm new to ponds and stuff, so I wouldn't mind knowing how the whole setup works with pics please. It looks cool and a good DIY.

 

[Litzi1964]

I'll try to get some more pix. My phone was freezing up on me. This prefilter was designed and built by my engineer husband. The black ring is where water comes in to the prefilter. It passes through the screen and flows down and out through the white ring, into a tube flowing into the canister. The clean water comes out the top of a 1200 gph pump. The diagonal half-pipe is where the screen goes. The bottom is filled with cement.

To me any large plastic receptacle with a top handle is a bucket. And yes I understand how important cat litter is. We have 2 cats.

 

[slakker]

How does the vacuuming work? Where do you attach the wand and the pump?

 

[Litzi1964]

Here is my rather unartful attempt at a drawing

 

[slakker]

Thanks!

 

[Pond skipper]

Drawing is perfect, I totally understand what’s going on now. Thanks. I may try this design or something based on it