I need help with my pond build and building intake bay
- Thread starter paul5555
- Start date
in the limited space you have i would have the bog/ at the top of your waterfall area the water falls and flows through the pond and falls into the pond the pond then has an exit. that being a skimmer or an intake bay. i would cut down the back wall where you talk about the over flow pipe and use that to dump the surface water into your intake bay. Of all the ponds and builds i have seen i have not seen an intake bay in the middle of a project. And you appear to have a lot of angles and heights and shapes. probably with different materials as well. expansion and contraction in the changing of seasons will play havoc with these joints unless you make plans for them
Hey Paul! I am also going to have an intake bay on my pond. I am a beginner, so I have been watching a lot of youtube videos. If you search "intake bay" on youtube, there are several from Aquascape and The Pond Advisor.
j.w
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I love do-it-yourself projects! Saves money and you can be proud of you accomplishments.
I have a couple ideas even though I don't know much about that whole concept. It is an intriguing concept which would seem more natural looking than a skimmer.
Maybe you should ony have holes on the top. No holes on the sides or bottom. This way the pump's draw is limited on it's draw which may create a restriction and better suction. Right now it's drawing from many holes all around the box. Maybe less holes would create more suction. Sort of a venturi effect. Plus, I think what your trying to do is suck debris from the water surface. So why the need for holes anywhere but the top? You might also have to experiment with the size of the holes.
I'm also guessing a larger pump would be better.
I'm wondering how you would service the pump with all the stones on top. Sometimes they can clog from debris getting past all the stones, etc. I'm thinking you could lay some metal (not plastic or fiberglass) window screening on top. Then place your stone on the screening. Have the screening a bit wider so you can grab it from two sides to lift all the stone up at once. As long as it's not too much stone to lift. Then you can service your pump. Or maybe you can find something more rigid than screening. Perhaps hard plastic mesh of some kind.
Have the top of your box (instead of the side) removeable to gain access to the pump. I imagine you don't need much stone on top. Probably a thin layer.
You could just have a short piece of pvc out the side for your pump outlet.
Good luck...keep us posted. And thanks for the videos.
I have a couple ideas even though I don't know much about that whole concept. It is an intriguing concept which would seem more natural looking than a skimmer.
Maybe you should ony have holes on the top. No holes on the sides or bottom. This way the pump's draw is limited on it's draw which may create a restriction and better suction. Right now it's drawing from many holes all around the box. Maybe less holes would create more suction. Sort of a venturi effect. Plus, I think what your trying to do is suck debris from the water surface. So why the need for holes anywhere but the top? You might also have to experiment with the size of the holes.
I'm also guessing a larger pump would be better.
I'm wondering how you would service the pump with all the stones on top. Sometimes they can clog from debris getting past all the stones, etc. I'm thinking you could lay some metal (not plastic or fiberglass) window screening on top. Then place your stone on the screening. Have the screening a bit wider so you can grab it from two sides to lift all the stone up at once. As long as it's not too much stone to lift. Then you can service your pump. Or maybe you can find something more rigid than screening. Perhaps hard plastic mesh of some kind.
Have the top of your box (instead of the side) removeable to gain access to the pump. I imagine you don't need much stone on top. Probably a thin layer.
You could just have a short piece of pvc out the side for your pump outlet.
Good luck...keep us posted. And thanks for the videos.
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I love the idea of an intake bay, do more people do them instead of a skimmer, I think it looks cleaner and am thinking about adding a intake bay to help clean up the leaves I always have to clean out the bottom of the pond a few times a year