Plan on using an external filter with a 3 foot deep above ground pond. How do you prime it? Also it will feed a Skippy filter that will be roughly high enough to get the upper return back into the pond, say about 1 to 2 feet off the ground. This is a real quick description , if it makes sense will this work?
External filter with above ground pond?
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Sure it will work, your pump will pump the water into the filter, it will flow back into the pond.
External or submersible pump will work
External or submersible pump will work
Ya the filter should be fine. As for priming the filter. Do you mean priming the pump?
If it is a submersible pump you shouldn't have to worry about priming. If it is an external pump that is outside the pond, then it depends on the pump. Most external pumps should be self priming or have a leaf basket/priming pot. If it is not self priming then you will need to hook in a check valve and fill the line coming in with water.
If it is a submersible pump you shouldn't have to worry about priming. If it is an external pump that is outside the pond, then it depends on the pump. Most external pumps should be self priming or have a leaf basket/priming pot. If it is not self priming then you will need to hook in a check valve and fill the line coming in with water.
KennethO said:
So if it has a basket attached do you fill that with water and prime the pump that way?
Wouldn't I put the check valve between the skippy filter supply line and pump so that the filter would not backwash thru the pump and back into the pond via the filter intake side?
I don't fully understand how you use the filter basket to prime other than filling the basket with water... Any help would be appreciated
my concern is that the external pump will be at ground level and the intake pvc piping will go straight up approx 3.5 feet and then extend down to approx 3 inches off the bottom of the pond. how do you get that started without sucking on the end of the pipe LOL !!!
No I don't have anything at the moment, I'm trying to get a feel for how I want to go as far as submersible versus external. I'm leaning more towards external. My pond when built will be all above ground 8x8x3 feet deep and I plan on making a skippy filter as I already have two 55g food grade containers from when I used to breed discus fish. The external pump will be at ground level with the suction side piped with pvc up along side the back of the pond and then over the top of the and down into the pond. The return side goes to the skippy and then the water flows back into the pond. Can you prime most pumps just by filling the leaf basket and then have it pull a suction to circulate water through the rest of the plumbing? I hate plumbing yikes !!!!
fishin4cars
True friends just call me Larkin
You can add a tee with a screw on cap on the intake side that you can unscrew the cap, add water screw the cap back on and start the pump. Once it's primed you really shouldn't need to do it again unless you have to swap the pump out or make changes.
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DaneDad said:
With your pump being at ground level and the pond built above ground you will have no issues with priming the pump. Water will naturally flow into the pump from the pond. My pump is external, the pipes go over the edge of the pond, they are about 3-4 inches above water level. My pump sits just above water level, maybe 6 inches or so. If I have the pump below water level, (did as a experiment, but did not want all the angles in the pipes, it primed with no issues at all) As long as I do not empty the pipes in the pond i.e. mess with them, the pump primes fine, even without putting water into the priming pot.
You will have a natural flow of water into your pump being lower the the top of your pond.
You can add the t like fishin says, with a hose bib, I had to do that with my arizona pond to prime that pump, but it was a foot or so above water level. Fill the line with the hose, shut off the T flip on the pump quickly lol.
thank you very much.
the pond will for argument's sake be roughly 1500g. So I'm thinking I will need a pump that is rated at approx 3000 to 3500 gph. Does that sound about right? This way it should turn over teh pond twice in an hour. of course I have to take into consideration head pressure.
one question on drains installed thru the liner. Do they work without leaking or is it a pain in the butt to install? I don't want to worry about potential leaks and cutting a hole through the liner makes me cringe. Don't need Murphy stopping by !!!
the pond will for argument's sake be roughly 1500g. So I'm thinking I will need a pump that is rated at approx 3000 to 3500 gph. Does that sound about right? This way it should turn over teh pond twice in an hour. of course I have to take into consideration head pressure.
one question on drains installed thru the liner. Do they work without leaking or is it a pain in the butt to install? I don't want to worry about potential leaks and cutting a hole through the liner makes me cringe. Don't need Murphy stopping by !!!
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Laughing...........I don't do drains just for that reason. But in saying that a lot have with great results. There is a lot of info on how to do them correctly.
koiguy1969
GIGGETY-GIGGETY!!
2000gph or above will suffice...if you go bigger you want to make sure youve got a big enough filtration system to allow adequate "hangtime" for the water in the filter.so you may want to bypass some of the water flow past the filter or elsewhere
koiguy1969 said:
Understand what you're saying about hangtime for the water in the filter. How do you calculate that? Is it trial and error, checking ammonia , nitrite levels etc....weekly with a test kit? If not how do I figure out tthe correct flow rate using the return side output back to the pond to insure proper filtration?
I use an 1150GPH submersible with my 55 gallon doc filter. The input to the filter is 3/4" and the flow rate is perfect. My ponds are a little over 1500 gallons and this flow rate is fine.
Hangtime refers to the amount of time you want the water to remain in the filter so the bacteria has time to work on it and any solids to settle. 3-5 minutes is good.
You take your pumps GPH minus your head(pipe hight and length). Divide it by 60 to get gallons per minute. Then take your filters total volume and divide it by that amount.
For example. Say we use a 55 gallon drum filter and our pumps flow is 1000gph after the head was counted in. You take 1000/60 to get 16.6, round to 16gpm. Then we use a 55gal filter, but water only goes up to the 50gal mark. Not all the way to the top. So we take 50/16 and get 3.1 so about 3 minutes hang time.
Head is calculated by the hight of the pipe from the top of the ponds water level to the highest point on the output. Then add 1ft of head for every 10ft of pipe length.
You take your pumps GPH minus your head(pipe hight and length). Divide it by 60 to get gallons per minute. Then take your filters total volume and divide it by that amount.
For example. Say we use a 55 gallon drum filter and our pumps flow is 1000gph after the head was counted in. You take 1000/60 to get 16.6, round to 16gpm. Then we use a 55gal filter, but water only goes up to the 50gal mark. Not all the way to the top. So we take 50/16 and get 3.1 so about 3 minutes hang time.
Head is calculated by the hight of the pipe from the top of the ponds water level to the highest point on the output. Then add 1ft of head for every 10ft of pipe length.