Where should my filter be located

[Mikeviohl311]

So I inherited this double waterfall pond and it’s my mission to make it beautiful again. Since my last post I found a pool cartridge filter buried in the ground acting as my “filter” even though it was never winterized for the 10+ years it’s been there so there were cracks all over and it was filled with sludge. I have since changed it to the Aquascape aquaforce 2500 setup with the aquakleen filter containing bio balls and a uv filter. My question is, is my filter located in the right place? My pond is about 4 feet deep and the pump sits on the bottom of it. It pulls the water up approximately 6 feet to the filter and then is sent another 5 feet to a T intersection and then two 3 foot lines feed my waterfalls. The water is constantly going up hill till it hits the mouths of the waterfalls. The water flow is good but some days I will go outside to see that one waterfall is flowing stronger than the other and I will hear gurgling from the weak side so I will mess with the T intersection raising the flowing side up so the weak side gets more water. I read somewhere that the filter should be the highest elevation (meaning that the pump line runs past the waterfalls) and then you should have the return (waterfall) lines flowing back down hill to get a proper flow. I have since searched for this same article I read and can no longer find it. Can anyone clarify. I’m attaching pics of my pond and setup the filter is located behind the red bush... thank you in advance!!!!!

 

[Ronfire]

I think I would build a nice ornamental building at the top and put in 2 sand and gravel 55 gallon drum filters. Easy maintenance,cheap to build , easy to clean with better access than you have now. Then have a gravity return to the waterfalls.

 

[Mikeviohl311]

I think I would build a nice ornamental building at the top and put in 2 sand and gravel 55 gallon drum filters. Easy maintenance,cheap to build , easy to clean with better access than you have now. Then have a gravity return to the waterfalls.

I already purchased the aquaforce system so I’d like to use that, I’m just curious if my filter is too low in elevation and I should relocate it to the top of the hill

 

[IPA]

It may be that you are asking a lot of the pump; it just may not have enough flow rate at 10+’ head to supply 2 waterfalls. I may be wrong, but I think it is correct that it’s better to push the water than pull. You may find as debris builds in the system that you simply need to add another pump.

 

[Mikeviohl311]

It may be that you are asking a lot of the pump; it just may not have enough flow rate at 10+’ head to supply 2 waterfalls. I may be wrong, but I think it is correct that it’s better to push the water than pull. You may find as debris builds in the system that you simply need to add another pump.

It says it’s rated at 14’ pump head max and I have plenty of water coming out when both are running

 

[mrsclem]

I'm assuming this is a pressure canister filter??? If so, head height is to the filter, having the water pushed higher coming out of the filter is going to put a strain on your filter and could cause a leak at the seal.

 

[IPA]

I guess I didn’t understand exactly the question. Do you have filters, filter media in the waterfall? Is the filter just the “box” cage style attached to the pump from the kit?

 

[Mikeviohl311]

I'm assuming this is a pressure canister filter??? If so, head height is to the filter, having the water pushed higher coming out of the filter is going to put a strain on your filter and could cause a leak at the seal.

Ok that’s what I thought, it’s a pressure canister from Aquascape, so my understanding is to get the filter higher up on the hill so that the water isn’t being pushed to the filter then out of the filter and then pushed up another portion of the hill to finally get to the waterfalls... get the pump to push the water as high I can and let gravity help the return line to the waterfalls

 

[Mikeviohl311]

I guess I didn’t understand exactly the question. Do you have filters, filter media in the waterfall? Is the filter just the “box” cage style attached to the pump from the kit?

I have a pressure canister from Aquascape, the pump is in the pond and pushes the water about 6 feet from the bottom of the pond floor to the filter and then it enters the canister filter which has bio balls and a uv light built in, from there it is pushed up the hill another 5 feet and then it meets a T intersection where it is split into 2 seperate waterfalls

 

[Kirk44]

Can you add a skimmer? If you can you can put a separate pump in it and convert one of you waterfalls to a biological biofall. Then have the pump in the pond and the canister filter feed the other fall as a separate circuit.

 

[Mikeviohl311]

Ok so I moved the filter to the top of the hill and am currently using a 3500 gph pump which by the time it gets to the filter and since I’m using 1 1/4” plumbing is prob losing 500-1000 gph... I’m happy to say the pump and filter are doing exceptionally I’m very pleased and no longer have issues with both waterfalls flowing equally. The extra 1000 gph over what my Aquascape pump is rated at seems to have solved all my problems.......... also I (just like everyone in north East USA) have murky water, little trick I read on here is quilt batting in a bucket with a pump just to filter a little better, WELL IT WORKS!!!! 12 hours later I can clearly see the bottom of the pond I will post more pics if anyone is interested

 

[Mikeviohl311]

Thank you for all the information

 

[poconojoe]

Sounds like you got it pretty sorted out.
I will add that you should tie a thin rope to your pump to keep it suspended off the bottom for a couple reasons. You don't want to suck up any junk from the bottom, it might clog your pump. If you spring a leak in any of the external plumbing, you won't completely empty your pond. I cured that one by having all my plumbing within my pond and bog. Also the rope helps to retrieve your pump if it needs to be cleaned or serviced. You don't want to be pulling it out by the electrical cord.