How do you backflush a skippy biofilter with the drain?

[Mrshkoiluver]

It is amazing how much I have learned from this forum and all the wonder posters. Hubby just upgraded our skippy filter with a bottom drain and valve for backflushing. I read the info on how ling to open and close the flush valve when doing weekly backflushs. Have searched but cannot find the thread. If you all can help me out I would appreciate the info. Thanks... Teri

 

[koiguy1969]

i usually turn off my pump and just drain it once, or untill the water runs clean & clear lookin. leave the pump running with the valve open if you want to do a bigger water change.

 

[Mrshkoiluver]

Thanks for answering so quickly. Few more questions. Do you leave your pump run while doing this and will this be enough to clean the matalia pads that are below the strapping material or will we have to take them out periodically to clean them? We will have to shut our filter down in the fall and clean it out and restart in the spring as we freeze over for a month in our zone. So that will be a thourough cleaning of the pads and media. Thanks again!

 

[Mrshkoiluver]

Sorry... I saw that you said to turn the pump off for flushing.

 

[DrCase]

I just leave my pump running it only takes a min to drain the whole filter, then i shut the drain valve
I don't do any thing else i just leave it how it is,

 

[kougs]

Ok so when I start this process I always get clean water. Is myth filter not working properly?

 

[markd]

Do you have any kind of prefilter? That would affect it.

If I just pull my valve, I get a pulse of dirty water, then clear, then a little more grunge if I re-start the pump after the filter has emptied.

I do not have any prefilter, so I have more gunk in my mats and media, so what I usually do now is to swish them up and down a bit and stir things up, and THEN open the valve. Now I get dirty water the whole time!
You can also dismantle your filter and look it over anytime, if you have your media packaged up so that you can easily remove it and keep it in the pond WET while you inspect.

 

[kougs]

I have a skimmer. and when I clean it out it tends to be a bit dirty. Maybe that's where all the dirt is at.
I'll try the swishing up and down of my filter pads and see if that generates some gunk.

Thanks for the tips markd