Cleaning the pad in the waterfall pump

[Jason C]

My garden pond is roughly 1,000 gallons. I custom-built it, so I can't be e
xact, but it's a little over 3' deep. I originally added 2 koi, 3 goldfish
(which have since turned in to 26), a water lily, an arrowhead, a potted bu
lrush, and a bunch of floating irises and water lettuce. It has a waterfall
built from boulders and river rock, and I'm using this waterfall pump:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_24482-60084-WP1300UV_4294765370__?productId5100
02&Nsp_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&pl1&currentURL%3FNs%3Dp_product_
qty_sales_dollar%7C1&facetInfo
If you can't follow the link, it's a Smartpond 1300gph submersible, with UV
light. I have it zip-tied to a tupperware container, so that it doesn't si
t directly on the floor but about 6" above. It flows in to a separate filte
r; I couldn't find it online, but it's about the size of a 2G container, an
d has several pads in it.

Here's my question. I have to take the pump out about every other day, remo
ve the rough pad on the intake side, squeeze out all of the gunk, then put
it back in. After 2 days, the water flow slows to a crawl.

To clean it, I keep a container behind the pond that I fill with pond water
, then I just hold the pad in the water, squeeze it 9 or 10 times, then put
it back.

This hasn't a big deal during the summer, since I just have a morning ritua
l where I feed the fish and clean the pump, but as it gets colder and winte
r comes, that's going to REALLY suck!

Can you guys suggest what I might do to not have to clean this pad so often
?

[Pat]

Here's my question. I have to take the pump out about every other day, remo
ve the rough pad on the intake side, squeeze out all of the gunk, then put
it back in. After 2 days, the water flow slows to a crawl.

To clean it, I keep a container behind the pond that I fill with pond water
, then I just hold the pad in the water, squeeze it 9 or 10 times, then put
it back.

This hasn't a big deal during the summer, since I just have a morning ritua
l where I feed the fish and clean the pump, but as it gets colder and winte
r comes, that's going to REALLY suck!

Can you guys suggest what I might do to not have to clean this pad so often
?

Give the pump the cleanest water you can. Get it away from the bottom and
away from the surface. You might try running the pump with out the pads.
Your pond should have a bottom drain to remove the material that sinks to
the bottom.

[Jason C]

On Saturday, September 29, 2012 1:15:24 PM UTC-4, Pat wrote:

> Give the pump the cleanest water you can. Get it away from the bottom an
d
> away from the surface.

I did try that using the upside-down tupperware container, so that the pump
is about 6" from the floor. The gunk that's always clogging it up, though,
looks more like thick, dark scum.

> You might try running the pump with out the pads.

That's what I was thinking, too. But then, won't I just gunk up the big fil
ter? Which, I should mention has never needed to be cleaned. Or is it somet
hing that should balance out with the bigger filter?

> Your pond should have a bottom drain to remove the material that sinks to

> the bottom.

Yeah, I wish someone had told me that when I was digging it! LOL I didn't
really think about debris at the bottom, and now I'm in a tough position wh
ere I can't just siphon it with a hose (the pond is deeper than the rest of
the property), and I haven't found a good (and affordable) vacuum that won
't suck up the gravel on the bottom, too.

I've tried the kind where you attach a water hose and it's supposed to send
the debris in to a filter bag, but that just makes a huge mess and catches
little or nothing.

Any suggestions on a fairly inexpensive vacuum that might help?

[Pat]

"Jason C" <jwca...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:33754032-c254-49cb...@googlegroups.com...

On Saturday, September 29, 2012 1:15:24 PM UTC-4, Pat wrote:

> Give the pump the cleanest water you can. Get it away from the bottom an
d
> away from the surface.

I did try that using the upside-down tupperware container, so that the pump
is about 6" from the floor. The gunk that's always clogging it up, though,
looks more like thick, dark scum.

I think you have learned that 6" is not enough. The water may be cleanest
by the waterfall.

> You might try running the pump with out the pads.

That's what I was thinking, too. But then, won't I just gunk up the big fil
ter? Which, I should mention has never needed to be cleaned. Or is it somet
hing that should balance out with the bigger filter?

I think the pads are to protect the pump from large particles.

> Your pond should have a bottom drain to remove the material that sinks to

> the bottom.

Yeah, I wish someone had told me that when I was digging it! LOL I didn't
really think about debris at the bottom, and now I'm in a tough position wh
ere I can't just siphon it with a hose (the pond is deeper than the rest of
the property), and I haven't found a good (and affordable) vacuum that won
't suck up the gravel on the bottom, too.

I've tried the kind where you attach a water hose and it's supposed to send
the debris in to a filter bag, but that just makes a huge mess and catches
little or nothing.

Any suggestions on a fairly inexpensive vacuum that might help?

A bottom drain is really the way to go. Do the pond over with a drain. I
drain a hundred gallons of muck out of my pond every morning. If you need
to raise the level of your pond by putting in some walls. Remove the gravel
from the bottom. My pond has a bare liner for the bottom sloped to a bottom
drain. 3 feet is a little shallow 4 feet or more is better.

You might try using a sewer pump that can pump large debris. Use a bottom
drain in your filter to remove the debris.

[dr-...@wi.rr.com]

I have 22 koi in a 4' deep, 1600 gallon (I think) pond.

I have no bottom drain, but I have no gravel down there either since it just silts up
badly when there are fish. The bottom stays clean because I have a veggie filter.

My veggie filter is cleaned once a year in fall when I pull the top plants out and
put the "in pond" filter into place. In spring I reverse the process, put the plants
in the top filter, clean the in pond one and remove.

veggie filter in spring/summer/fall
http://weloveteaching.com/mypond/changes/changes2.htm

veggie filter in winter http://weloveteaching.com/mypond/winters/2011winter.html

http://weloveteaching.com/mypond/mypond.htm
Ingrid
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Somewhere between zone 5 and 6 tucked along the shore of Lake Michigan
on the council grounds of the Fox, Mascouten, Potawatomi, and Winnebago

[Phyllis and Jim]

Our pond is like Ingrid's in that the muck gathers in the veggie filter an
d is drained annually. If you can reach it, a pool scoop net works pretty
well to pull out large debris. It won't do the muck very well, however. I
agree about getting your intake higher. Less stuff to get stuck in it. O
ur old Silent Giant ran for more than a decade in a bucket with 1/2" holes
drilled around it. The pump could grind up anything that got into it.

Our new Pondmaster is cheaper to run, but can't grind stuff up. It's intak
e line is about 15" off the bottom and we scoop the large much once a year.
The pump slowly gets its small intake clogged with small bits of stuff.
The pump is out of the pond and I have set up the lines so that I can cut o
ff the flow to the veggie filter, and backflush with a permanently installe
d line. That way I only need to close the flow to the veggie filter and al
low the backflush for about 10 minutes. The clog is returned to the pond.
That has to be done every month or so in the summer. I don't have to worry
about pads.

If you are going to stay with the filter pads, you need to have them higher
up and easy to change.

[dr-...@wi.rr.com]

I now have a hose set up so when draining the pond for water changes I can put the
hose on the flowers. Maybe I should drop the pump into the veggie filter, sorta at
the end of it and suck out some of the muck. Otherwise in fall I use a wet/dry shop
vac and my DH has to empty the thing onto the plants and it really is MUCK. I just
cant bring myself to put a hole in the veggie filter to drain it... sigh. I am
terrified of the pond draining. Ah well. Waiting for a nice day to start this. I
need more help this year as my hand is in a splint, popped an extensor tendon to my
middle finer on left hand. 4 more weeks of this splint. argh. fortunately, I have use
my garden shears to good use and can now type with it.
Ingrid

[Phyllis and Jim]

It dawns on me that we tend to clean our berm ponds in the spring. That seems a bit silly as the standing muck in the winter can be prtty bad. I will folow your lead and drain them this fall. Funny how I didn't think about that for more than a decade!

[Phyllis and Jim]

And may your hand heal quickly!

[dr-...@wi.rr.com]

thank you. I am now down to a thingy that holds the index and middle finger together.
I also took two rings that fit those fingers and tied them together with dental
floss, have those on so I can take the other one off when handling food, washing,
etc. Another week or so, but the physician has told me that evidently, I dont have
the fibrous connection between the index and middle finger that stabilizes that
tendon.... on either hand. So it may pop again, or on the other hand. RATS. Maybe I
will just leave the rings on permanently. Part of the problem is I have very lose
ligaments everywhere and my joints used to pop out on my hips for example. I am still
extremely limber even at 65 especially now I am skinny again.. LOL. Cant get my leg
behind my head but I can still do a full lotus. I usually sit half lotus at the
computer.

Anyway, yes, I clean the muck in fall so no nasty gases get released. In fact, I am
doing my pond tomorrow, Wed Nov 7, setting up the "inside the pond" veggie filter,
moving the Cyperus into my new little greenhouse (with the figs), putting up the
surrounding nylon "tent", dropping in the heater, installing the Plexiglas cover and
putting up the plexi "windows". Of course, I got people to do this I cant anymore.
Ingrid

On Tue, 16 Oct 2012 12:17:55 EDT, Phyllis and Jim <jimandp...@gmail.com> wrote:

>And may your hand heal quickly!

[Brad5555]

I totally agree with you.

_______________
Brad555




--
Brad5555

[dr-...@wi.rr.com]

http://weloveteaching.com/mypond/winters/2011winter.html

The water temp has been 60-70oF. The inside veggie filter is already gangbusters. I
have left the yellow ripstop off the top to let more light in. Am being careful
feeding the little dears so that the reduced veggie filter can keep up and keep the
water clear and wholesome. Dec. 15th I will pack up to head south to Florida in my
itty bitty camper van. I am not due back to teach until March 19th.

Anybody down in that neck of the woods have a spot for me to park, and outlet I can
plug into? (110, 15 amp)?

INgrid

[~ jan]

Who is watching the pond while you're off snow birding? Nice to have a long
break, well deserved I'm sure. When you go back in March how long will you
teach for? ~ jan

------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

[dr-...@wi.rr.com]

I turned off the heater so they wouldnt need to be fed and could be left alone. Came
back to pond frozen over Jan 21st. 1 dead fish at top. Plugged the big heater back
in, now the ice is gone and I have 2 more dead ones. Temp is 45o. I am sick. The
veggie filter is doing pretty well. Am doing a water change and adding salt. Then
do water change, then add salt. There is no ammonia, but the pH is low. sigh. will
experiment with limestone see how much I have to add to get the pH up again. It is
always kinda low with lake water. argh... 10 years no problems then this.

Ingrid

On Sun, 27 Jan 2013 10:53:01 EST, ~ jan <Seewe...@jjspond.us> wrote:

>Who is watching the pond while you're off snow birding? Nice to have a long
>break, well deserved I'm sure. When you go back in March how long will you
>teach for? ~ jan

[Phyllis and Jim]

Sorry to hear of your lost fish.

[~ jan]

Oh man, so sorry to hear this. I wonder if it was just frozen over for too
long. Did you have air stones or something moving the water? ~ jan

[dr-...@wi.rr.com]

I lost 10 fish so far. Yes, I have a big sweetwater air pump and an airstone, but
when the cover was put on it seems to have got knocked out of the "sling" that holds
the foot long sintered glass airstone. I have only seen 5-6 fish swimming around so
there may be more dead ones on the bottom. And, of course, it was my favorites that
died. Just when I thought I had it figured out... shit.
Ingrid

[~ jan]

So, so sorry, Ingrid, feeling for you. :'( ~ jan