Do I have a filter? What type of filter?

[pondMensch]

I purchased a house with an outdoor pond in a courtyard surrounded by the house and garage. Pond details: 7' diameter, 18" deep, thick membrane topped by concrete floor and stone walls set in concrete. 430 gallons capacity. No fish. 20 to 30 years old. When I started my restoration, it was almost full with about 125 Yellow Flag Irises ( Iris pseudacorus ). Probably only held 40 gallons of water with a fairly strong pump going 24/7.

Appears to me that first owner a had layer of largish pebbles on the concrete floor and probably fish. Subsequent owner piled more pebbles on top of 5" of muck/roots which was on top of original layer of pebbles. This subsequent owner removed original pump and cut the original black hoses to that pump and left them in place. New pump was installed on top of pebbles + muck + new pebbles and attached it to new green hoses. The new pump feeds a center-of-pond fountain shooting water several feet into the air. When I arrived, the pond was essentially a bog with 4 to 6 foot high Yellow Flag Irises. Three bloomed a few weeks ago. Even in its sad state, it was an attractive feature in the courtyard, getting wows from anyone entering the area for the first time.

I have removed 15" of pebbles + muck-laden Yellow Flag roots + plants. (These plants are considered a non-native, aggressive noxious weed in Oregon and we are encouraged not to have it. I've destroyed most of them already). I've cleaned and pressure washed. Nice looking pond. Planning to have oxigenators and submersible marginal plants and maybe fish later on.

One of the original black hoses (which had been cut and left in place) went from the original pump into ground. The second original black hose come out of ground parallel/next to the first black hose and fed the fountain. I have no idea where or to what these two hoses went to/came from. Some kind of underground filter system? Green hoses for new pump do the same except in the opposite direction. Additionally, there is a third green hose parallel to the first two green hoses. This third hose has been cut and left in place short of entering the pond. Where are these hoses going to/coming from and to what?

Also, is this pond considered to be small, medium, or large?

Thanks or reading.

 

[Jhn]

Pics Of the pond and surrounding area would help in determining What those lines go to... could be a settling tank, or just to valves that let you adjust where the water goes back into the pond.

One way to find out....stick an air hose or power washer nozzle into the end of one of the hoses and blow it out to see where it goes.

The Pond is small at 430 gallons, you would be looking at keeping goldfish in a pond that size as koi, orfes, catfish would get too big for a pond that size.

 

[GBBUDD]

Good chance one of those pipes are a under liner drain pipe . allows for any water under the liner to come up the empty pipe

 

[Mmathis]

Good chance one of those pipes are a under liner drain pipe . allows for any water under the liner to come up the empty pipe

Interesting!

 

[j.w]

@pondMensch

 

[pondMensch]

These photos may help.The current pump is now suspended in air because it was set down on the second layer of pebbles which was on top of muck which was on top of first layer of pebbles.

 

[pondMensch]

Mystery Solved (sort of). I do NOT have a filter.

Today I dug around to follow the complicated assortment of hoses and try to guess what the previous owners had set up.
1. The pump is a dual discharge pump to be able to run two water features from one pump--a LittleGiant WGP-65-PW Dual Discharge Pond/Waterfall Pump, 1900 GPH, 115V. It could completely circulate water in pond more than 4 times each hour. Seems like overkill for my 430 gallon pond.
2. One discharge is a green hose that runs to a closed valve. With the valve closed, water is forced to return into another green hose which goes back to the only water feature I was aware of--a tube shooting water straight up in the middle of the cluster of 125 Yellow Flag Irises.
3. The second discharge is to a black hose that went to a white, very flexible hose that went to another black hose that went back into the pond. In other words, it looped back into the pond with no filter. When I uncovered the black hose going back into the pond, I had no water in the pond to see if any water was being sent to the pond via this hose.
4. There is a white PVC pipe coming from underground to a closed valve. If the valve is open, water will run from the mystery underground source into the pond. Probably to fill the pool.
5. The green hose in #2 above would run to a large black drain hose if the valve is open. Probably used to empty the pool.
6. The large black drain hose seems to be an overflow prevention drain.