DIY trashcan filter with Sea Horse self priming pump - pictures and need advice

[dieselfuelonly]

Hi, building a filtration setup for my pond and need some advice.

I wanted to be able to place my pump and filter away from the pond and out of sight. The location of the pump would be above the water line of the pond, so I purchased a 1/2HP Sea Horse self primining pump, lots of fittings and pipe and a trashcan.

I will have a 1 1/2" reinforced hose with a strainer on it as my intake.

The plumbing coming off of the pump is also 1 1/2".

The drain (located at the top of the filter" is 2".

Basically, I have a feeling that the pump will be able to force more water through the filter through the 1 1/2" pipe than the 2" drain will be able to keep up with through gravity. So I installed a tee fitting and two valves so I can adjust the flow so that more water flows through the filter, or more water just gets recirculated back to the pond.

Here are some pictures, I hope it makes sense.

Does this setup look really stupid, or do you think it will work?

Does it hurt a pump to restrict its output? I know restricting the intake side would be bad but I'm not sure about the output flow...

Thanks.

This is a big picture, sorry for the size, but I've made some notes on it to explain how I have this set up:

http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/9752/pondfilter.jpg

And here are a couple more.

 

[jason081180]

I am by no means an expert on all this. but it looks to me that you have a lot of unnecessary parts here. the more fittings and parts you have the less water will be pumped thru the filter. why don't you just use 1.5 in flex pipe to go from the pump output to the down pipe in the middle of the filter? then if your worried that one 2in pipe will not be enough to drain the filter and it would over flow. simply add a second one to the other side of the trash can. the outputs of the filter (trash can) should not be plumbed in to the pump at all. i see you have ball valves and lots of 90s and tees, all are unnecessary. on the output of the shower drain run 2in flex or hard PVC to the point you want in the pond, not back towards the pump at all.

 

[jason081180]

there is no need for the 90s or tees or ball valves. they just slow the water going thru them. do not restrict the output of the pump. also no need for a bulkhead for the input for the filter just go over the side wall

 

[koikeepr]

you can punch a pump on the output without a problem. Don't pinch the inlet, however.

What are the two elbows that end up going nowhere? I'm assuming you are using one as a waste. If that's the case, you only need one of those, and that should be plumbed at the low end of the barrel, not on the piping.

You are missing a swing check valve, which should be at the outlet of the pump, to prevent the water in the barrel from sliding back through the pump.

What's the story with the standing pipe in the middle of the barrel? I can't tell where that goes.

Look at the barrel plumbing on our DIY section to see how to plumb properly.

 

[jason081180]

if you take the 90 off the top of the pipe for the input of the filter and replace it with a tee or street tee then you wouldn't need a swing check valve. and i bet it would be cheaper. just anything to break the siphon effect. plumb your trashcan like koiguys-55-gallon-bio-filter

 

[dieselfuelonly]

Sorry for the confusion... I set the system up to get some pictures as close as I can to how I want to have it when its all up and running.

The pipe in the can is going to be where the water enters the can from the top, then flows to the bottom and gets circulated around by opposite-facing 90* bends.

Here is a picture of that:

Ok, now I ran out of 90* bends so I had to stick a tee on the output from the pump that goes into the trash can. Pretend its a 90* bend.

The purpose of the two valves is to allow me to regulate the flow of water through the trash can filter. By closing one slightly and opening the other slightly more I can increase/decrease the flow through the filter, and/or let the water circulate through the pump and then simply flow back to the pond.

The pump is rated at 3,960 GPH at 5 feet of head, and I really don't think I want to have to support that much flowing through the filter, and is why I have the "bypass" that just circulates some of the water back into the pond. I'm not too worried about tees or bends restricting the flow of the pump, my pond isn't that big. The tee that lets this happen is a "sanitary" tee (I think?) and has a bend to it that should direct the flow down instead of letting it flow back up into the filter drain.

Sorry for any confusion... think this will work now?

 

[jason081180]

that does make better sense i guess. I'm still not sure the one 2in drain will be enough to keep up with the 1.5 pump feed input to the filter. maybe you could add another 2 in drain and combine all the 3 outputs to a 3in line running back to the pond or have two point where the water reenters the pond. you should still add a drain to the bottom or as close to it as possible for the flushing of the filter. how big is your pond?

 

[koiguy1969]

i see your bypass set up so you can control flow thru the filter....good idea... and no, you dont need a check valve if you tee the top of the down pipe. this tee is alsao a good spot to add beneficial bacteria if you use it, so it can flow down and right up thru the media where it will do the most good.use a street tee.

 

[koidaddy]

Could someone explaine for me the addition of the tee to stop the syphon. I want to avoid a check valve in my 55 gal. barrel setup.

 

[koiguy1969]

o.k if your use an elbow on your input connection to the down pipe..the system is basicallt air tight and just like any syphon if you stop the flow gravity takes over and starts the flow in reverse creates a vacuum or suction . the tee introduces air into the backflow breaking the syphon effect.

 

[koikeepr]

Could someone explaine for me the addition of the tee to stop the syphon. I want to avoid a check valve in my 55 gal. barrel setup.

Why are you trying to avoid a check valve? It's a $6 item at Home Depot that ensures the water from your barrel doesn't slide back into the pond. Can't be an easier thing to adopt.

 

[koiguy1969]

the tee also ensures no back syphoning at about a buck... and check valves give resistance to water flow the tees dont... this is much more evident with lower volume pumps as alot of us use...you use a larger pump...so use a checkvalve if you like.. we use smaller volume pumps and choose tee pipes...to each their own...check valves can also stick and malfunction a tee pipe cant!!

 

[dieselfuelonly]

I'm wondering if I should try the system first without replacing the 90* bend in the filter drain with a tee - I'm thinking that the flow of the water through the bypass might create some "suction" that would help keep the drain at the top of the filter flowing... or do you think it might just completely clog it up?

 

[DrCase]

I think like jason has mentioned you dont have enough return to the pond
With all the bypass water going through the same pipe i dont see much flow being able to make it out of the filter
I would run a extra pressure line for the bypass water and use the 2" for gravity return

 

[jason081180]

I think like jason has mentioned you dont have enough return to the pond
With all the bypass water going through the same pipe i dont see much flow being able to make it out of the filter
I would run a extra pressure line for the bypass water and use the 2" for gravity return

exactly. have a tee on the pump output with one end going to the filter and the other going right back in to the pond. then have two 2 in drains in the top of the filter (make sure they are level with each other) that drain by gravity back to the pond. so that would be 3 2in returns to the pond 2 from the filter and one from the pump. of course the pump one could be 1.5in.