Hello everyone, I have just finished building my 4000 gal plus waterfall concrete pond. I installed a center bottom drain, two surface skimmers, four jets and a bottom aerator set up. It's an in ground pond and since I plan to build an above ground multichamber filter system, I need to find a an external pump that can be placed before the filter system without getting clogged. Any suggestions?
Prefilter external pump. Urgent advice for a novice!
- Thread starter Alonso
- Start date
Such a pump doesn't exist for ponds. Even pumps with grinders on them (sewage type pumps) will clog if there's a lot of string algae.
The best option is a sieve filter before the pump. But it still needs to be cleaned.
Next option, and very standard, is a priming pot which has a skimmer type basket inside. The reason this is standard is because a priming pot is often needed to prime the pump to get it started. Rarely (almost impossible) is the water level in a pond at the perfect level to prime a pump correctly without the pot. So even with a sieve a priming pot is often used.
However, piping a BD to a priming pot can mean cleaning that basket 10 times a day if there's string algae or leaves. Not fun which is why most people gravity fed the BD to a filter (sieve, settling chamber, whatever), pump pulls water from that up to other filters or whatever.
The best option is a sieve filter before the pump. But it still needs to be cleaned.
Next option, and very standard, is a priming pot which has a skimmer type basket inside. The reason this is standard is because a priming pot is often needed to prime the pump to get it started. Rarely (almost impossible) is the water level in a pond at the perfect level to prime a pump correctly without the pot. So even with a sieve a priming pot is often used.
However, piping a BD to a priming pot can mean cleaning that basket 10 times a day if there's string algae or leaves. Not fun which is why most people gravity fed the BD to a filter (sieve, settling chamber, whatever), pump pulls water from that up to other filters or whatever.
Thanks for you help. So I'm going to have to dig and place the vortex and other chambers under ground.......