Pool pump to Pond-Vac conversion

[Mucky_Waters]

Since my two boys were little tykes we've had above ground pools for them to play in the summer months. We've had three of them altogether and I still have the pumps from all three. I did use the smallest one for a small greenhouse pond and an indoor aquarium. I've finally found what maybe be a good use for the largest one. I started looking at what I had for parts and pieces to make up a functioning pond-vac and it looks like I can make it work for a minimum of expence.

Here's what I have so far.

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/gallery/image/1784-pondvac-idea/



I have to add a couple fittings and change the inline filter a bit, but I think it will work. Just need some time to work on it.

Comments and criticism will be dutifully accepted.

 

[Waterbug]

Just something to think about...

Just to define terms...Two kinds of vacuuming, venturi (water stays in the pond) and suction (water removed from pond). Venturi is relaxing, you're in no hurry, nothing gets clogged, fish getting sucked into the bag doesn't hurt them any. Suction is more intense. You have to hurry as you're losing water, leaves, sticks and string algae clog everything. Leaf trap isn't easy to clean and if a fish gets sucked in it most likely will die.

I would vacuum maybe 10 times as many times with the venturi as I would with suction.

So the thing to think about would be to rig the pump so it was easy to switch between pushing water down the hose for a venturi vac and sucking water up the hose.

 

[addy1]

Will be watching your thread mucky

 

[j.w]

Wow aren't you the inventor! Hope you will show us what you accomplish and how it worked out for ya!

 

[addy1]

Wow aren't you the inventor! Hope you will show us what you accomplish and how it worked out for ya!

Step by step photos, written instructions.

 

[Mucky_Waters]

Just something to think about...

Just to define terms...Two kinds of vacuuming, venturi (water stays in the pond) and suction (water removed from pond). Venturi is relaxing, you're in no hurry, nothing gets clogged, fish getting sucked into the bag doesn't hurt them any. Suction is more intense. You have to hurry as you're losing water, leaves, sticks and string algae clog everything. Leaf trap isn't easy to clean and if a fish gets sucked in it most likely will die.

I would vacuum maybe 10 times as many times with the venturi as I would with suction.

So the thing to think about would be to rig the pump so it was easy to switch between pushing water down the hose for a venturi vac and sucking water up the hose.

Thanks Waterbug for the clarification on the two types of vacuums. I was steering towards just the suction method, but you've convinced me to make it so it will work both ways as I can see benefits to both. Although I will probably have to steal your Muck Mop head design now. http://www.waterbugd...iy_muckmop.html

Step by step photos, written instructions.

Photos I can promise, but I don`t know about the written instructions. I`m not as organized as Waterbug.

 

[addy1]

Photos I can promise, but I don`t know about the written instructions. I`m not as organized as Waterbug.

lol me either, I am lucky I get the bills paid on line and automatically, ow they would never get sent out on time if I had to write checks

 

[pondlover]

Really interested in seeing what you come up with Mucky. We also have 2 unused pool filters and accessories under the house. Would love to be able to use them to vacuum pond in the future.

 

[koiguy1969]

the 'muck vac' pond vac, is garden hose powered venturi style vac,and it sends the garden hose water, pond water,and debris out of the pond thru a hose. this is a good thing...it gives you an excuse for a partial waterchange. garden hose powered venturi "pool" vacs use a mesh bag to catch largbe debris. because they dont have all the organics to be removed and the chlorinated water isnt going to harm any life in the pool thats already clorine rich. the vacs with the bags are not meant for ponds for those very reasons. but to use a venturi style pond vac and have it discharge outside the pond takes alot of water pressue, compared to lift it a few inches into a mesh bag. but it doesnt send poop slurry thru the bag back into the pond. the muck vac wont work at all with under 50# of water pressure. i dont klnow if you can get that much pressure from a pool or pond pump
but ..... you could build a large prefilter , (say a 55 gal drum with removable lid) and as long as the pump wasnt too strong.. catch the large debris and a good portion of the smaller organics. what i mean by prefilter is prepump. the pump would draw from a hose, thru the 55 gal drum (with filtering medias),to the pump, and back to the pond. you would want just enough draw to pick up the debris. the stronger the flow the more likely hood of smaller particulate debris and fecal matter making its way back to the pond. i made a pond vac out of a submersable pond pump, an old tetrapond trickle filter and some pool hose that worked well. it all went in the pond while in use. i used a 425gph pump, so the draw was enough, but not too much and it drew thru the filter from a length of hose with a shopvac floor attachment on the end. the trickle filter had a screw on lid that sealed pretty good. i believe i posted on it here..i wil post a link...it will give a better idea.

 

[koiguy1969]

sorry it seems i never did make a thread on its construction but the sloppy drawing shows it fairly well...and pics of before and after its use!
http://www.gardenpon...5046#entry35046
this one went inside the pond. but, i belive you build a larger one,that could sit outside the pond with an external pump, and still return water to the pond. you may have to fill the drum with water to prime the system tho.

 

[Mucky_Waters]

Thanks for the comments.
My pond is new so I don't have much organic debri right now, but what I do have, that I want to clean up, is some sand and cement chips left over from mortaring the waterfalls and a cement ledge I formed up last fall. Eventually I'll be walking around on my liner and I don't want those sharp cement chips digging into my liner, also I'd like to try and clean up that heavy stuff before it works it's way into my bottom drain. I doubt the bottom drain suction alone would be enough to suck heavy stuff like that all the way though into the settling chamber. Once I suck up the gritty stuff I probably won't really need any kind of vacuum for a while, but it's fun to play. :razz:

 

[koiguy1969]

the little setup i used would probably be quite good for regular light vaccuuming...i had to clean it ateast 10 times, while cleaning my pond after sitting over the fall and winter with no net over it. but for regular maintainence vaccuuming (lke every week or 2) i think i could have done the whole pond on just one cleaning. i use the filter i used for that vac for other things now.... i have an old hayward pump with leaf basket but the lids missing. or maybe i'd try to make an out of pond vac.

 

[Mucky_Waters]

Well I'm happy to report that my PondVac was a pretty big success. It worked flawlessly as far as I was concerned.

Managed to throw it together for the cost of a couple 1 1/4" PVC union couplings and basicly had everything else on hand.
Although I'll probably make a venturi mophead for it down the road, I went with raw suction this first attempt because I wanted to suck up and expel the sand and cement grit that I had accumulating on the bottom of the the pond.
As expected the suction head stuck to the liner every once in a while, but I found if I just pushed the pole down it would tip the head and break the suction seal and release and I could continue vacuuming. Also as expected the small pre-filter kind of got glogged up a bit after a while and reduced the suction power, so I simply turned off the pump and emptied the the little wire screen I made for it and I was quickly back in business with full suction again. As it was I only had to stop once to clean the prefilter, and again when I was done, it was very easy to clean.

So here's a few pictures.

In this picture you see on left side (intake side) I was able to heat some 1 1/4" thin wall pvc to flare it a bit to fit over the pump ports. On the right side (outlet side) you can see the original hose and fittings which I didn't want to use because they are non standard fittings.

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/gallery/image/1789-pvc-pump/



After gluing the 1 1/4" pvc pipe I could go with standard fipe fittings, in this case I used union couplers. (the only things I had to buy)

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/gallery/image/1788-pump-fitings/



This is the vacuum end and inline prefilter cartridge.

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/gallery/image/1791-vacuum-prefilter/



The Prefilter cartridge and homemade wire screen. It had a fabric bag filter, but I just cut the bottom off the bag to allow the small stuff to go through the pump and get drained outside the pond.

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/gallery/image/1787-prefilter/



I got my son to vacuum while I took a couple pictures.

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/gallery/image/1793-pond-vac-in-use/



https://www.gardenpondforum.com/gallery/image/1790-vacuuming/



The prefilter with muck

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/gallery/image/1786-plug-prefilter/



The whole system packed away after we were done.

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/gallery/image/1792-wholevac/



It took about 20 minutes, including shutting off the pump a few times and stopping to clean out the prefilter once, in all I lost about 3" to 4" of water out of the pond.
Now that I got all the grit I wanted to get out I think next time instead of dumping the water out of the pond I could redirect it back into the pond through some sort of filter net or bag. Then I wouldn't loose any water while vacuuming.

 

[Mucky_Waters]

I should have mentioned that the 1" pool hose fits snug enough inside the 1 1/4" thin wall PVC pipe that gooping it up with some marine grade silicone sealant made for a perfect fit.

 

[j.w]

That is really cool that it worked so well for you and for pennies you were able to make it! Way to go!