diy pond vacuum

[addy1]

Well in following fishin's trashmaster filter build. I decided to try and make my own pond vacuum.

My skimmer is a hayward pool skimmer, so I can use a pool cleaning hose, pole and vacuum head, just attach it to the cleaning port of the skimmer.

My shop vac does not do well in the big pond, does fine in the small ponds.

To make this work, I need to :

Plumb the skimmer to
a) go to the bog filter when not vacuuming
when vacuuming the pond, go to the vacuum filter.
This would be accomplished by ball valves directing the flow. I could vacuum right into the bog, but would not want all the leaves, flowers, maple seeds to go into the bog piping.

With a pool flexible cleaning hose and pool cleaning rod, I can walk the bog to vacuum the pond. Hard to vacuum from the uphill side, a 4 foot rock wall down to the pond............darn slope.

Use ball valves to direct the flow where we want it to go. We have a 55 gallon tank sitting in the back shed, to make a collect the junk filter out of.

When not cleaning the pond, maybe a once a year cleaning, have the debris filter empty, and just sitting there. Not worried about good bacteria etc, this would just be to collect vacuum junk. And with our wonderful slope I can dig it into the hill and hide the whole thing, leaving the bottom drain out to flush the junk filter. We will keep a lid on it unless being used, ow might fall into it lol

It would work even without a pool skimmer, just have a external pump. Attach the flexible pool hose to the input of the pump, (I would guess a low flow pump) Have the water go into the vacuum filter full of debris catching stuff, (following skippy, doc, trashmaster type filters) , output right back into the pond.

Went to home depot and bought a load of pvc stuff to make the vacuum. This should work great imho. lol

 

[j.w]

Sounds good to me but then I haven't a clue on how to do it but from the way you describe it it sounds easy
You will have to report back and let us know if it works like a charm

 

[fishin4cars]

addy, what are you using for cleaning the water? (Layer/Layers of media) reason I'm asking, There are alot of discussions and very pratical DYI vortex systems. If you have two 55 drums one is used as a seperator one is used to filter. It wouldn't require a lot more but one would get all the big stuff out and one would clean the water of smaller particals. If you can do that I think the scrubbies alone may do what your after and the egg crate above and below the scrubbies. It will work just as well as a mechanical filter(vacumn) or Bio- filter if you need more bio-filtration for those 1000000000 fry that are hiding down in the breeding pond! LOL

 

[fishin4cars]

Oh and Addy, If you haven't check these out, http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/2-uniseal-bulkhead-alternative.html I think koiguy or vertigo showed me. I've been looking at several DYI filters and it seems These are the far better way to go than Bulk heads and far cheaper too. I've seen a video where a lady in north Carolina uses them and I'm talking BIG filtration. enough detail that it's convinced me to give them a try, next build will have them as they are suppose to be the best product to use on curve surfaces.

 

[CountryEscape]

Fishin, I think part of the link is missing. I tried to click on it and couldn't get anything. Can you re-post? Thanks!

 

[fishin4cars]

The company is Bulk Reef Supplies
2" Uniseal Bulkhead Alternative

Link worked for me, lets try this and see if it works. http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/video?file_name=81

 

[fishin4cars]

Well pooie, I only get a blank screen on that one. Google Bulk Reef Supply and they have a search for the fitting, Oh and watch the video, They are just that simple to use from all I have heard.

 

[CountryEscape]

I got the video with the link, Fishin. Thanks!

 

[addy1]

addy, what are you using for cleaning the water? (Layer/Layers of media) reason I'm asking, There are alot of discussions and very pratical DYI vortex systems. If you have two 55 drums one is used as a seperator one is used to filter. It wouldn't require a lot more but one would get all the big stuff out and one would clean the water of smaller particals. If you can do that I think the scrubbies alone may do what your after and the egg crate above and below the scrubbies. It will work just as well as a mechanical filter(vacumn) or Bio- filter if you need more bio-filtration for those 1000000000 fry that are hiding down in the breeding pond! LOL

Lol fishin at this point work in progress, just something to grab the bottom junk as i vacuum, the bog is my bio filter. I don't really want to remove bio stuff, the bog plants need the food.

But as I vacuum I am sure lots of fine stuff will be sucked up, dirt etc. Would like to catch most of it in one barrel, not sure if the 4200 gph would be too fast of water flow to have the filter catch junk.

As far as media, I was thinking along your filter lines, cut up pvc, scrubies, ac filter pads, quilt batting then back to the pond. Stuff it full.

Thanks for the link on the bulkhead things, for now just going to try shower drains, just to get the pipe through. Since this will not be running a lot, just when vacuuming, I am not too worried about a total water tight seal.

LOL at the kazillion hiding fry! Saw 6, probably like roaches see one and 1000's more hiding lol.

 

[fishin4cars]

Addy, the bog is a great bio-filter and fines particle filter, But trying to make it be a mechanical filter is really asking a lot out of it, mechanically filtering out all the big stuff(what settles in the bottom of the big pond) This is what you back flush out and is what your want to try and keep to a minimal. (*1 note at bottom.) In your case it by far doesn't need to be spotless but getting alot of that out is your goal, that's why your wanting the DYI vacuum in the first place right? Using the DYI filter as it is designed you will want to tee off and send some water back to the pond, I would like a better flow rate than 900gph but 4300 is going to be very high. I think koiguy recommended about 2200 and that sounds probably closer to right than the two extremes you and I are using/considering. A vortex tank separates all the heavy out before the scrubbies and filter material get out some of the finer. vortex is easy, intake goes in the middle, you install a shower drain on the bottom an outlet to the next tank at the top, and some brushes hanging down in the vortex to help separate the heavy.NOTE: All outlets need to be bigger than the inflow pipe size My bet is you would probably get 20-30 gallons of gunk settlement in the bottom of one of these vortex filters in a 24-48 hour period in a pond that has a good bit on the bottom compared to 1-2 gallons in the trash master set-up. But the actual filter with the scubbies will be more polishing the water of fine particles and the bog would be your actual bio-filter. using the filter as I have it set up for what you are trying to do is going to mean your going to have to clean the filter media real good each time you vacuum. again it will do a good bit of good, I have confidence it will help greatly
BTW, the shower bottom drains work great on the bottom, a 3 1/4" hole saw is almost perfect for the drain hole. On the side the shower drain will not seal, I tried a couple of times, you will need actual bulk head or uniseal there to make it water tight. as for just a vacuum you may can get away with it but expect leaks.

*1 case in point, I'm pumping water through a prefilter, then through the main filter up through a bog with Lotus, down a water fall into a basket with matala and batting material and into a 300 gallon pond that is full of water lettuce, hyacinth, parrots feather, snowflake, etc. 100% coverage! still I get about 3-6" on muck settle there in a single season. No fish between the pump and that area, this is just heavy settlement that the filters didn't catch.

 

[addy1]

Yep fishin, just trying to make a vacuum for the junk that settle on the bottom sending it to a filter that is not the bog. We still have construction dirt on the bottom of the big pond the shop vac cleaned out the small ponds.

We could empty and start over, but no thanks. So thinking of build a vacuum using the skimmer cleaning port and a home built collect the junk filter lol, leaving the bog as the bio filter and fine filter. This is a no hurry project, want to vacuum before it freezes again this winter.

My little ponds on the stream work as settlement chambers, they collect lots of junk. clean at the beginning of the season ie two months ago, now lots of stuff on the bottom of them.

 

[koiguy1969]

i had no trouble at all sealing my shower drains on my 55gal drum filter...flush valve and output are both shower drains.. a heatgun or propane torch...thats the ticket. heat and flatten the side of the barrel, if you cant get it to go perfectly flat, heat it and screw the drain together while its hot, let cool.. take apart.. apply sealant...reassemble!!

 

[addy1]

We have a heat gun, so will try that koiguy thanks! Was my dad's all over the box marked hot dangerous careful in black marker...............can you tell he worried lol