equipment reviews

[Nova]

Hi all,

I am expanding one pond and building a small pond. My exisiting pond will be only a couple feet longer but am adding a waterfall. I have looked at Savio, Pondmaster and Calpump, is there a brand that does better than others as to performance, maintainance and duribility? The same question for skimmers. I like the idea of Savio having leaf basket, filter and UV with room for pump but can the all that be added to the other skimmers at a better price?

Thanks

Nova

 

[DoDad]

If your asking about the savio filter falls they are excellent and easy to clean. I have one myself.
I sell all brands of skimmers and my choice would be the savio. I use two myself.
No only is the leaf basket big but is easy to clean. It is also more sturdy than most.

 

[Nova]

I am looking at the Savio skimmerfilter 8000 for the bigger pond. Can any waterfall pump fit into the Savio skimmer? What pump would you recommend?

My small pond will be less than 1000 gallons and not sure which skimmer to use.

 

[DoDad]

It depending on the size of the face plate and the gallons in your pond.
I like to turn the water over once every hour.

 

[DoDad]

With a 6" weir you can use a pump up to 2000 gallons.
I would go with a good name Brand pump.

 

[Nova]

My pond is about 8 x14 right now and will be enlarging a couple feet longer and adding the waterfall. The depth won't be more than 2 1/2 to 3 feet. I was unsure if a 6" or 8" opening on the skimmer would work.

If I am going to put out the money I want something good without breaking the bank.

 

[DoDad]

to get more than 2000gyh you would need the savio larger skimmer

 

[taherrmann4]

I have the savio skimmer and have been pleased with its performance. The only negative I would say is and it is probably not due to the skimmer itself but due to the fact that I do not have a bottom drain on my pond; is that when the water level drops an inch to 2 inches and if there is any debris in the basket you can get a sucking sound. What causes this I believe is that the water level drops in the back of the skimmer because I have a large pump that draws more water than the skimmer can handle due to those reasons above. But like I said I don't believe it is a savio issue but rather how I have mine setup. It is not an everyday thing onlly in the fall when there is a lot debris that will blow into the pond or if I have an algae bloom that can cause it as well in addition to the lower water levels. The pump I have is a sequence primer series 7200rpm and have been very satisified with it, it has a skimmer basket attached to it as well.

 

[Nova]

Thanks for the information. I am going out Saturday to get a truck load of rocks. I am hoping I won't be feeling this come Sunday. I am debating about putting a skimmer in my new little pond or just use the filter and fountain set I have now in the bigger pond.

 

[addy1]

I bought a hayward pool skimmer, large weir and it also has a shut off if the water level drops too low. (can't recall exactly but I think 12 inches or so and not home to check)
and a huge leaf basket

 

[evesta]

I had a savio compact in my old pond and loved it! Very sturdy stuff although I did manage to break the basket. I did have the issue also with the pump working so hard it drained the pump resevoir but I would totally get another savio if I could afford it. Since I'm trying to be cheap and my pond isn't going to be as big I bought an oase skimmer for under $100 but will miss my savio I'm sure.

 

[DoDad]

What sizewas the pump and weir in the savio?

I had a savio compact in my old pond and loved it! Very sturdy stuff although I did manage to break the basket. I did have the issue also with the pump working so hard it drained the pump resevoir but I would totally get another savio if I could afford it. Since I'm trying to be cheap and my pond isn't going to be as big I bought an oase skimmer for under $100 but will miss my savio I'm sure.

 

[Nova]

Could the pump have been too big?

Well, I got a truck load of rocks with no injuries or next morning stiffness. We could have added a lot more rocks but after an hour of loading I was tired. When we got home and looked at the small pond I totally rethought the whole thing and moved the waterfall to the opposite side and decided to make more of a short stream with mini falls instead of layered falls. So we dug out the pile of dirt from one side and put on the other and reshaped the pond.

I woke around 4 am with pond ideas flowing through my mind and came up with the idea of adding a bog where they first waterfall was going to be because we don't get a lot of water in the area. So after I get the house cleaned I am going out and check my liner size to see if I could add a small bog.

This never ends, does it?

 

[addy1]

Great! I love bogs lol, as you can tell if you look at my build thread. I have used them as filters for every pond I have made. The plants grow great in them also.

 

[evesta]

Yeah the pump was too big for the weir I'm sure. The savio was awesome. Talking about it makes me want to get another one!