Water circulation solution

[newday3000]

I decided to use a water jet idea to get good circulation in the pond. I borrowed the idea from aquarium under gravel Jet design. I used a brass fitting that narrowed the pipe on the return to the pond to create the jet of water. see pic below.

I directed it towards the surface and along the pond edge to get good circulation flow of water. It also help to let me see visually the flow rate by the current at the surface of the water. It's a good indication of flow rate that I can tell easily just by looking.

It creates great circulation all the way around the pond to push debris into the pre-filter.

What do others do to get good current circulation and avoid dead spots?

 

[DrDave]

Great idea. I have one, maybe I'll try it.

 

[DrCase]

I have done that in one of my old ponds , i split the water at the pump outlet...
Its a good idea when you need more circulation... your koi shoud like the extra current...
What i do now is i run more water over my water falls to flush every thing to the pump end of the pond......and i use some of my extra water to make steering curents to help it get there

 

[koikeepr]

I do a similar thing with an eductor. It basically does what you describe here. It turns one gallon of water into the equivalent of 4.

I needed this, because I have an upper pond and a lower pond. The upper pond waterfalls into the lower pond. I didn't want to filter the upper pond, so I use this eductor pointing down toward the floor, and this raises all the debris on the bottom and swooshes it all down the waterfall so that my filter can pick it up through my retro bottom drain and a mini skimmer. It works like a charm and is cheaper than me having to have equipment on my 2nd pond.

 

[DoDad]

I use 3 tpr's, 2 aerated bottom drains and skimmer. No dead spots or poop.

 

[DrDave]

The discharge of your eductor contains the solids, are you directing out or just letting them go into solution?

 

[Chef Dave]

My primary filtration and water flow come from a five foot tall waterfall. The water splashes down along flagstones and slate, entering the pond on the north side. The primary pump is on the south side - so water from the waterfall pours into the pond and is drawn by the pump on the far side.

I have two attached bog gardens and when I noticed stagnation in these areas, I added two small pumps. One pump connects to a small submerged mechanical filter with a fountain attachment that sprays water in a fine mist. The other pump connects to an ultraviolet filter that feeds a small waterfall.

 

[Otter]

I do a similar thing with an eductor. It basically does what you describe here. It turns one gallon of water into the equivalent of 4.

The thing I've always wondered about venturi jets is whether or not they actually get the pond moving more than a straight return. Yes, one gallon will move another three or four, but it's not a perpetual motion machine. All the energy still comes from the same pump, hence I wonder what is gained once you've factored the head added by the jet nozzle.

 

[newday3000]

Good point. but the nozzle will reduce the GPH since it's restricting the flow. How much I can't say. The speed of the water is what get's a current circulating around the pond.

a 1" hose is very large and doesn't create a current unless the GPH (speed of the water is really, really high. with the nozzle the speed of the water is increased and it can push water several feet as it leaves the nozzle this pulls adjacent water with it, which creates a current all the way around the pond. I can tell easily if I put food into the current it will get pushed all the way around the pond. This didn't happen before when I had 1" hose pushing water.

 

[aviator79]

Ahh, fluid dynamics lab.

 

[koikeepr]

The thing I've always wondered about venturi jets is whether or not they actually get the pond moving more than a straight return. Yes, one gallon will move another three or four, but it's not a perpetual motion machine. All the energy still comes from the same pump, hence I wonder what is gained once you've factored the head added by the jet nozzle.

Yes, I don't disagree. But it is for my goldfish pond, which is only 500 gals, so it's enough to move all the icky stuff into the bottom pond, which is 3500 gals. Plus, it's a goldfish only pond, and they love to pick at the bottom--so it's enough movement to do what I need it to do, but not add so much water flow that the goldfish get all looney with too much water flow.

Now, in my lower pond with the koi, they love a higher power movement, and I use a TPR there for getting all the crud to the BD.

 

[Otter]

I've never had a jet, hence I'm really not sure about them. However, it makes sense that they'd help where you need to focus flow on a particular area.

 

[newday3000]

"All the energy still comes from the same pump, hence I wonder what is gained once you've factored the head added by the jet nozzle."


I disagree. Are you suggesting that a 1" diameter output and an 1/8" output provide equal circulation of water in a pond. Because they don't.

 

[Otter]

I disagree. Are you suggesting that a 1" diameter output and an 1/8" output provide equal circulation of water in a pond. Because they don't.

Not at all. In fact, I'm not sure what you're talking about. Is 1/8" the diameter of the venturi in the jet?