Low profile suction side strainer

[miamicuse]

I have a suction side line that is 1.5" in diameter. I have a home made strainer that is 4" in diameter 36" long that have many holes drilled for the in take, and it's positioned about 16" above the bottom of the pond. I don't want to get it too low too close to where seeds, leaves, and other debris may settle.

But then I also want to have a suction side inlet lower to the bottom of the pond to allow me to almost clear all the water. So I installed a three way valve, and put in a vertical pipe and installed a $9 floor drain I found at the hardware store. This is what I end up with. I don't know that I will need the lower inlet but I just did it in case I do.

It is under the bridge so normally you won't see it unless viewed from one side. My wife said this shower drain looks so ugly like a toilet plunger. I said after a while with plants you won't even see it, but she is not convinced.

Anyone know of a better looking low profile suction side strainer/filter?

I found these, they have a top hole option and a bottom hole option, made by a company named GLOXCO.

Will these work? Is the top hole or bottom hole version better?

 

[j.w]

Boy people here sure do come up w/the most interesting idea's! I hope it works for ya and love all this creative stuff. Just paint it all black or dark green w/fish safe material as soon everything will be covered w/green carpet algae anyways right? Plants too will hide it but won't those holes plug up too fast? I'm no engineer tho so what do I know

 

[Tula]

I'm not sure I understand what this is, but it's very creative ! I agree with @j.w , paint it.

 

[miamicuse]

I'm not sure I understand what this is, but it's very creative ! I agree with @j.w , paint it.

It is allowing two ways to take water into the external pump. The big one hanging horizontally under the bridge is what I will use normally for circulation and water feature. But if one day I want to use the pump to drain the pond I will flip the three way valve to take water from the toilet plunger looking thing and it will drain the pond much lower. That thing is like a shower head with holes at the bottom, it is a floor drain flipped upside down.

 

[Mmathis]

I like to be sure any metal that goes into the pond is stainless steel. And I’m with @Tula and @j.w — I don’t know what it is, either, but it’s interesting and looks well thought out.

 

[GBBUDD]

I understand the concept but now the why. your going to ALOW debris to settle to the bottom of a bare pond floor. The biggest problem i see is two things one if your math is off the little holes could really become too strong and catch a fish and literally de bowel them. The second is if you have plants like you said they could clog those little holes very quick and easy and burn out your pump.

A standard rhino drain with a air bladder pulls debris by displacement one from the suction and two from air creating lift and moving water. Now if you could figure out how to make your T rotate like a helicopter blades then I'd be impressed. not sure what the benefit would be but kinda like your design i don't see the benefit. the fish will constantly kick up there waste in a design like your own but i don't see it being lifted that high very often but it will be pushed around the ponds bottom

 

[miamicuse]

I understand the concept but now the why. your going to ALOW debris to settle to the bottom of a bare pond floor. The biggest problem i see is two things one if your math is off the little holes could really become too strong and catch a fish and literally de bowel them. The second is if you have plants like you said they could clog those little holes very quick and easy and burn out your pump.

A standard rhino drain with a air bladder pulls debris by displacement one from the suction and two from air creating lift and moving water. Now if you could figure out how to make your T rotate like a helicopter blades then I'd be impressed. not sure what the benefit would be but kinda like your design i don't see the benefit. the fish will constantly kick up there waste in a design like your own but i don't see it being lifted that high very often but it will be pushed around the ponds bottom

The idea is 99% of the time the larger diameter strainer basket with the 1/4" drilled holes will be used. It is intentionally hung at about 12-14" off the bottom of the pond so it will not be sucking in debris seeds twigs leaves that may be settling at the bottom of the pond. If I want to drain the pond partially, I just need to open a valve on the return side and let the water run into the yard but it will stop draining when the water level drops below the strainer basket's top. If I need to drain further then I need to set the valve to pull from the upside down floor drain, which I probably will do may be once in ten years, if that. These are the parts I started with:

The horizontal strainer basket has been used in 1992 by previous owners and did no harm to the fish so I assume it will continue to work. I do worry about the frogs laying eggs hatching tadpoles every other days, thousands of them some of them may be pulled through the 1/4" holes and run through the pump.

I have another strainer basket that use narrow slots instead of round holes, it's not home made like the other one. Think this one would work better then the one with holes?

 

[GBBUDD]

The idea is 99% of the time the larger diameter strainer basket with the 1/4" drilled holes will be used. It is intentionally hung at about 12-14" off the bottom of the pond so it will not be sucking in debris seeds twigs leaves that may be settling at the bottom of the pond. If I want to drain the pond partially, I just need to open a valve on the return side and let the water run into the yard but it will stop draining when the water level drops below the strainer basket's top. If I need to drain further then I need to set the valve to pull from the upside down floor drain, which I probably will do may be once in ten years, if that. These are the parts I started with:

The horizontal strainer basket has been used in 1992 by previous owners and did no harm to the fish so I assume it will continue to work. I do worry about the frogs laying eggs hatching tadpoles every other days, thousands of them some of them may be pulled through the 1/4" holes and run through the pump.

I have another strainer basket that use narrow slots instead of round holes, it's not home made like the other one. Think this one would work better then the one with holes? without question it will work better and less chance of clogging but i still dont see the raised being an advanted

 

[miamicuse]

well, I changed the suction side basket strainer to the non-home made version. I hung it higher to avoid debris at the bottom of the pond clogging the basket.

 

[GBBUDD]

Isn't the whole idea of a filter systems to pull dirt and debris to the filter and do just that to remove the debris or to treat it ?