Swimming Pool sand filter

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Has anyone used a swimming pool sand filter and pump for a small (1000 gal) pond? Will it work?
 

addy1

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swimming pool sand filters are too fine for a pond, they plug up pretty fast. The pumps made for swimming pools are real energy hogs also.

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koiguy1969

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actually, i'd bet for a 1000 gal pond.you could.remove the sand and fill it with a rough gravel, or crushed stone, instead of smooth rounded pea gravel..thoroughly washed of course! you still will have the issue of cost running the pump 24/7...that filter with a pond pump (maybe around 2000gph) may serve you well...
 
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I ran a DE filter when I converted my pool to a pond. Clogged in just a couple of minutes.

Pressurized sand filters are used in high end Koi but there are other filters before the sand filter to reduce load. In this case the sand filter is often referred to as "polishing the water".

If you did want to convert the pool filter I suggest making it a fluidized bed filter. Fixed media like sand and gravel have to be back washed often while fluidized bed is "back washed" or washed 24/7 and almost never needs cleaning. And of course needing to back wash a filter means that much of the bacteria will have already been killed by muck. That's one reason why fluidized beds are many times more efficient than any fixed submerged media. Fluidized bed is also a lower head choice than fixed submerged media, so less electric, more water movement.
 
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i just started running one this weekend, but without the sand. both my filters are pool filter shells with a pond filter medium like i saw in some youtube vids. i don't guess it would be worth buying a new filter for. i just lucked into them for good prices.

the one that had sand in it i got at a flea market empty. the inlet and outlet are at the top. i filled it with some bio balls and scrubby pads. like i said, it's only been running about 3 days, but since it's the second one i've done like this i'm feeling like it will be ok.

the other is a smaller cartridge filter. with it i found out 3" pvc fits good where the cartridge would have been to separate the inlet from the out, which on this one are on the bottom. i drilled four big holes in the top of the pvc, and filled the outter section again with bio balls and scrubby pads, so the water rises up though the pads and balls into the holes in the top of the pvc and out the outlet. this one i did last year and it seems to work good.
 
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well, in the interest of not having someone follow behind me and mess up too, i have to say my converted sand filter finally started to clog, but fortunately it was fixable.

since i only have experience with this one (i have another big sand one but i haven't been in it), i don't know if they're all made the same, but mine has what look like hair curlers radiating out at the bottom of the tube that's part of the outlet. they have really fine slits in them that worried me a little, and they screw off so i could have removed them, but since the water would go throught the pads and balls first i decided to leave them on.

so it took about two weeks. each morning i'd go out and look over things and earlier this week i noticed the water flow seemed a little low. after a few days i could see for sure the flow was less. i knew the curler things had to be the problem so i ended up taking the filter apart and taking them off the outlet tube.

so now the flow is good again. better than before even. i may drill out the ends of the curler things and put them back though. i think they help position the tube in the filter and make it easier to line it up with the top.

moral to the story? once you start experimenting, you're on your own














and probaly don't listen to a noob
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addy1

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Well by experimenting you may find something thats works wonderfully for you!
 

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Without experimenters we'd still be living in caves, hunting our food with clubs and rocks, and riding shank's-mare!
John
 
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i have used Pentair Clean & Clear Plus Cartridge Filter from Healingwatersupplies and it is one of best cartriege filter i found for my small pond . it uses special filter elements to strip tiny particles from your pool water… particles as small as 30 microns and its easy to clean also. so i will suggest this one.
 

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