Pond vac with Settling Chamber

[Remydog]

I'm thinking of using my pondmaster 3500 as a vacuum to get the gunk off the
bottom of my pond. I don't use a bottom drain for fear that if something
goes wrong with the external plumbing and I'm not around, the pond will
drain. Instead, I have the pump connected to two inlets -- first, an OASE no
niche skimmer and second to a drain about 18 inches off the bottom. As a
result, lots of stuff has settled on the bottom, particularly the deepest
part. My leaf vac gets the larger solids, but the mulm goes right through
the bag.

I want something I can use for my once a year cleaning to get up the mulm
and leaves. I installed a T in the line from the skimmer that I can attach
to a vac hose. I can then shut off the skimmer and drain using a ball
valves. Doing this, everything will pull through the vac hose on the T.

I was told by the folks who sold me the pump that the impeller is very
strong and can handle most of the gunk and stuff on the bottom and even chew
through the partially decomposed leaves. However, to avoid pulling too much
directly through the pump, I as thinking of creating an air tight settlement
chamber as follows:

Take a large airtight plastic bucket, much like bulk drywall mud or sidwalk
melt is sold in. Add two bulkhead fittings to opposite sides of the
container. On one of these I would attach a 90 bend directly down the side
to about 6 or 8 inches off the bottom, add another 90 so it would point
along the side parallel to the bottom. Now water entering this path would be
swirled into the tank. This would be the end to which the working end of the
vac would be attached.

The exit line would traverse from the second bulkhead fitting to the middle
of the container, then a 90 degree bend down a few inches and place a
strainer on the end. This way, it will be several inches off the bottom and
centered in the container, thus out of the swirl.

This would be attached to my T inlet toward the pump. On the outlet side of
the pump I have a similar T which I would drain into an inflatable pool to
get the dirty water out for final settlement before adding it back to the
pond. This would keep the filter from being overwhelmed.

Has anyone tried this or something similar? Other ideas welcome.

Remydog

[Benign Vanilla]

"Remydog" > wrote in message
news:aMijc.43985$w96.3533537@attbi_s54...
> I'm thinking of using my pondmaster 3500 as a vacuum to get the gunk off
the
> bottom of my pond. I don't use a bottom drain for fear that if something
> goes wrong with the external plumbing and I'm not around, the pond will
> drain. Instead, I have the pump connected to two inlets -- first, an OASE
no
> niche skimmer and second to a drain about 18 inches off the bottom. As a
> result, lots of stuff has settled on the bottom, particularly the deepest
> part. My leaf vac gets the larger solids, but the mulm goes right through
> the bag.
<snip>

Let us know how it goes. I am interested. This could be a great way for me
to get my clay out.

--
BV.
www.iheartmypond.com

[Benign Vanilla]

"Remydog" > wrote in message
news:aMijc.43985$w96.3533537@attbi_s54...
> I'm thinking of using my pondmaster 3500 as a vacuum to get the gunk off
the
> bottom of my pond. I don't use a bottom drain for fear that if something
> goes wrong with the external plumbing and I'm not around, the pond will
> drain. Instead, I have the pump connected to two inlets -- first, an OASE
no
> niche skimmer and second to a drain about 18 inches off the bottom. As a
> result, lots of stuff has settled on the bottom, particularly the deepest
> part. My leaf vac gets the larger solids, but the mulm goes right through
> the bag.
<snip>

Let us know how it goes. I am interested. This could be a great way for me
to get my clay out.

--
BV.
www.iheartmypond.com

[Remydog]

If your clay is in suspension, I doubt that a settling chamber will help, at
least not the one that I'm considering. The basic idea of mine will be
running the water through all the time, but hopefully the larger and heavier
particles won't be going through the pump. Then, once the water is in the
inflatable pool, I'll leave it to settle out over a few days and then
carefully siphon the water back into the pond or perhaps pump it up to the
filter being careful not to disturb the bottom.

Remydog
"Benign Vanilla" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Remydog" > wrote in message
> news:aMijc.43985$w96.3533537@attbi_s54...
> > I'm thinking of using my pondmaster 3500 as a vacuum to get the gunk off
> the
> > bottom of my pond. I don't use a bottom drain for fear that if something
> > goes wrong with the external plumbing and I'm not around, the pond will
> > drain. Instead, I have the pump connected to two inlets -- first, an
OASE
> no
> > niche skimmer and second to a drain about 18 inches off the bottom. As a
> > result, lots of stuff has settled on the bottom, particularly the
deepest
> > part. My leaf vac gets the larger solids, but the mulm goes right
through
> > the bag.
> <snip>
>
> Let us know how it goes. I am interested. This could be a great way for me
> to get my clay out.
>
> --
> BV.
> www.iheartmypond.com
>
>
>

[Remydog]

If your clay is in suspension, I doubt that a settling chamber will help, at
least not the one that I'm considering. The basic idea of mine will be
running the water through all the time, but hopefully the larger and heavier
particles won't be going through the pump. Then, once the water is in the
inflatable pool, I'll leave it to settle out over a few days and then
carefully siphon the water back into the pond or perhaps pump it up to the
filter being careful not to disturb the bottom.

Remydog
"Benign Vanilla" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Remydog" > wrote in message
> news:aMijc.43985$w96.3533537@attbi_s54...
> > I'm thinking of using my pondmaster 3500 as a vacuum to get the gunk off
> the
> > bottom of my pond. I don't use a bottom drain for fear that if something
> > goes wrong with the external plumbing and I'm not around, the pond will
> > drain. Instead, I have the pump connected to two inlets -- first, an
OASE
> no
> > niche skimmer and second to a drain about 18 inches off the bottom. As a
> > result, lots of stuff has settled on the bottom, particularly the
deepest
> > part. My leaf vac gets the larger solids, but the mulm goes right
through
> > the bag.
> <snip>
>
> Let us know how it goes. I am interested. This could be a great way for me
> to get my clay out.
>
> --
> BV.
> www.iheartmypond.com
>
>
>

[RichToyBox]

You might look at the following site
http://community.webshots.com/user/dallas75248 under pond maintenance. Jim
in Dallas has something that looks kind of like what you describe.
--
RichToyBox
http://www.geocities.com/richtoybox/pondintro.html
"Remydog" > wrote in message
news:aMijc.43985$w96.3533537@attbi_s54...
> I'm thinking of using my pondmaster 3500 as a vacuum to get the gunk off
the
> bottom of my pond. I don't use a bottom drain for fear that if something
> goes wrong with the external plumbing and I'm not around, the pond will
> drain. Instead, I have the pump connected to two inlets -- first, an OASE
no
> niche skimmer and second to a drain about 18 inches off the bottom. As a
> result, lots of stuff has settled on the bottom, particularly the deepest
> part. My leaf vac gets the larger solids, but the mulm goes right through
> the bag.
>
> I want something I can use for my once a year cleaning to get up the mulm
> and leaves. I installed a T in the line from the skimmer that I can attach
> to a vac hose. I can then shut off the skimmer and drain using a ball
> valves. Doing this, everything will pull through the vac hose on the T.
>
> I was told by the folks who sold me the pump that the impeller is very
> strong and can handle most of the gunk and stuff on the bottom and even
chew
> through the partially decomposed leaves. However, to avoid pulling too
much
> directly through the pump, I as thinking of creating an air tight
settlement
> chamber as follows:
>
> Take a large airtight plastic bucket, much like bulk drywall mud or
sidwalk
> melt is sold in. Add two bulkhead fittings to opposite sides of the
> container. On one of these I would attach a 90 bend directly down the side
> to about 6 or 8 inches off the bottom, add another 90 so it would point
> along the side parallel to the bottom. Now water entering this path would
be
> swirled into the tank. This would be the end to which the working end of
the
> vac would be attached.
>
> The exit line would traverse from the second bulkhead fitting to the
middle
> of the container, then a 90 degree bend down a few inches and place a
> strainer on the end. This way, it will be several inches off the bottom
and
> centered in the container, thus out of the swirl.
>
> This would be attached to my T inlet toward the pump. On the outlet side
of
> the pump I have a similar T which I would drain into an inflatable pool to
> get the dirty water out for final settlement before adding it back to the
> pond. This would keep the filter from being overwhelmed.
>
> Has anyone tried this or something similar? Other ideas welcome.
>
> Remydog
>
>

[RichToyBox]

You might look at the following site
http://community.webshots.com/user/dallas75248 under pond maintenance. Jim
in Dallas has something that looks kind of like what you describe.
--
RichToyBox
http://www.geocities.com/richtoybox/pondintro.html
"Remydog" > wrote in message
news:aMijc.43985$w96.3533537@attbi_s54...
> I'm thinking of using my pondmaster 3500 as a vacuum to get the gunk off
the
> bottom of my pond. I don't use a bottom drain for fear that if something
> goes wrong with the external plumbing and I'm not around, the pond will
> drain. Instead, I have the pump connected to two inlets -- first, an OASE
no
> niche skimmer and second to a drain about 18 inches off the bottom. As a
> result, lots of stuff has settled on the bottom, particularly the deepest
> part. My leaf vac gets the larger solids, but the mulm goes right through
> the bag.
>
> I want something I can use for my once a year cleaning to get up the mulm
> and leaves. I installed a T in the line from the skimmer that I can attach
> to a vac hose. I can then shut off the skimmer and drain using a ball
> valves. Doing this, everything will pull through the vac hose on the T.
>
> I was told by the folks who sold me the pump that the impeller is very
> strong and can handle most of the gunk and stuff on the bottom and even
chew
> through the partially decomposed leaves. However, to avoid pulling too
much
> directly through the pump, I as thinking of creating an air tight
settlement
> chamber as follows:
>
> Take a large airtight plastic bucket, much like bulk drywall mud or
sidwalk
> melt is sold in. Add two bulkhead fittings to opposite sides of the
> container. On one of these I would attach a 90 bend directly down the side
> to about 6 or 8 inches off the bottom, add another 90 so it would point
> along the side parallel to the bottom. Now water entering this path would
be
> swirled into the tank. This would be the end to which the working end of
the
> vac would be attached.
>
> The exit line would traverse from the second bulkhead fitting to the
middle
> of the container, then a 90 degree bend down a few inches and place a
> strainer on the end. This way, it will be several inches off the bottom
and
> centered in the container, thus out of the swirl.
>
> This would be attached to my T inlet toward the pump. On the outlet side
of
> the pump I have a similar T which I would drain into an inflatable pool to
> get the dirty water out for final settlement before adding it back to the
> pond. This would keep the filter from being overwhelmed.
>
> Has anyone tried this or something similar? Other ideas welcome.
>
> Remydog
>
>

[Remydog]

That is very much what I had in mind, except he has the inlet at the top and
outlet at the bottom. I had planned to do the opposite.

"RichToyBox" > wrote in message
news:NZDjc.97$U51.45839@attbi_s51...
> You might look at the following site
> http://community.webshots.com/user/dallas75248 under pond maintenance.
Jim
> in Dallas has something that looks kind of like what you describe.
> --
> RichToyBox
> http://www.geocities.com/richtoybox/pondintro.html
> "Remydog" > wrote in message
> news:aMijc.43985$w96.3533537@attbi_s54...
> > I'm thinking of using my pondmaster 3500 as a vacuum to get the gunk off
> the
> > bottom of my pond. I don't use a bottom drain for fear that if something
> > goes wrong with the external plumbing and I'm not around, the pond will
> > drain. Instead, I have the pump connected to two inlets -- first, an
OASE
> no
> > niche skimmer and second to a drain about 18 inches off the bottom. As a
> > result, lots of stuff has settled on the bottom, particularly the
deepest
> > part. My leaf vac gets the larger solids, but the mulm goes right
through
> > the bag.
> >
> > I want something I can use for my once a year cleaning to get up the
mulm
> > and leaves. I installed a T in the line from the skimmer that I can
attach
> > to a vac hose. I can then shut off the skimmer and drain using a ball
> > valves. Doing this, everything will pull through the vac hose on the T.
> >
> > I was told by the folks who sold me the pump that the impeller is very
> > strong and can handle most of the gunk and stuff on the bottom and even
> chew
> > through the partially decomposed leaves. However, to avoid pulling too
> much
> > directly through the pump, I as thinking of creating an air tight
> settlement
> > chamber as follows:
> >
> > Take a large airtight plastic bucket, much like bulk drywall mud or
> sidwalk
> > melt is sold in. Add two bulkhead fittings to opposite sides of the
> > container. On one of these I would attach a 90 bend directly down the
side
> > to about 6 or 8 inches off the bottom, add another 90 so it would point
> > along the side parallel to the bottom. Now water entering this path
would
> be
> > swirled into the tank. This would be the end to which the working end of
> the
> > vac would be attached.
> >
> > The exit line would traverse from the second bulkhead fitting to the
> middle
> > of the container, then a 90 degree bend down a few inches and place a
> > strainer on the end. This way, it will be several inches off the bottom
> and
> > centered in the container, thus out of the swirl.
> >
> > This would be attached to my T inlet toward the pump. On the outlet side
> of
> > the pump I have a similar T which I would drain into an inflatable pool
to
> > get the dirty water out for final settlement before adding it back to
the
> > pond. This would keep the filter from being overwhelmed.
> >
> > Has anyone tried this or something similar? Other ideas welcome.
> >
> > Remydog
> >
> >
>
>

[Remydog]

That is very much what I had in mind, except he has the inlet at the top and
outlet at the bottom. I had planned to do the opposite.

"RichToyBox" > wrote in message
news:NZDjc.97$U51.45839@attbi_s51...
> You might look at the following site
> http://community.webshots.com/user/dallas75248 under pond maintenance.
Jim
> in Dallas has something that looks kind of like what you describe.
> --
> RichToyBox
> http://www.geocities.com/richtoybox/pondintro.html
> "Remydog" > wrote in message
> news:aMijc.43985$w96.3533537@attbi_s54...
> > I'm thinking of using my pondmaster 3500 as a vacuum to get the gunk off
> the
> > bottom of my pond. I don't use a bottom drain for fear that if something
> > goes wrong with the external plumbing and I'm not around, the pond will
> > drain. Instead, I have the pump connected to two inlets -- first, an
OASE
> no
> > niche skimmer and second to a drain about 18 inches off the bottom. As a
> > result, lots of stuff has settled on the bottom, particularly the
deepest
> > part. My leaf vac gets the larger solids, but the mulm goes right
through
> > the bag.
> >
> > I want something I can use for my once a year cleaning to get up the
mulm
> > and leaves. I installed a T in the line from the skimmer that I can
attach
> > to a vac hose. I can then shut off the skimmer and drain using a ball
> > valves. Doing this, everything will pull through the vac hose on the T.
> >
> > I was told by the folks who sold me the pump that the impeller is very
> > strong and can handle most of the gunk and stuff on the bottom and even
> chew
> > through the partially decomposed leaves. However, to avoid pulling too
> much
> > directly through the pump, I as thinking of creating an air tight
> settlement
> > chamber as follows:
> >
> > Take a large airtight plastic bucket, much like bulk drywall mud or
> sidwalk
> > melt is sold in. Add two bulkhead fittings to opposite sides of the
> > container. On one of these I would attach a 90 bend directly down the
side
> > to about 6 or 8 inches off the bottom, add another 90 so it would point
> > along the side parallel to the bottom. Now water entering this path
would
> be
> > swirled into the tank. This would be the end to which the working end of
> the
> > vac would be attached.
> >
> > The exit line would traverse from the second bulkhead fitting to the
> middle
> > of the container, then a 90 degree bend down a few inches and place a
> > strainer on the end. This way, it will be several inches off the bottom
> and
> > centered in the container, thus out of the swirl.
> >
> > This would be attached to my T inlet toward the pump. On the outlet side
> of
> > the pump I have a similar T which I would drain into an inflatable pool
to
> > get the dirty water out for final settlement before adding it back to
the
> > pond. This would keep the filter from being overwhelmed.
> >
> > Has anyone tried this or something similar? Other ideas welcome.
> >
> > Remydog
> >
> >
>
>

[Benign Vanilla]

"Remydog" > wrote in message
news:siCjc.54673$_L6.4317350@attbi_s53...
> If your clay is in suspension, I doubt that a settling chamber will help,
at
> least not the one that I'm considering. The basic idea of mine will be
> running the water through all the time, but hopefully the larger and
heavier
> particles won't be going through the pump. Then, once the water is in the
> inflatable pool, I'll leave it to settle out over a few days and then
> carefully siphon the water back into the pond or perhaps pump it up to the
> filter being careful not to disturb the bottom.
<snip>

Overtime, my clay has fallen to the bottom and mostly stays there until the
fish or I get in there and stir it up. I have also gotten some out with
cleanings here and there, but what I am looking for is a method to vacu-suck
a large amount from the bottom, or I'll just wait.

--
BV.
www.iheartmypond.com

[Benign Vanilla]

"Remydog" > wrote in message
news:siCjc.54673$_L6.4317350@attbi_s53...
> If your clay is in suspension, I doubt that a settling chamber will help,
at
> least not the one that I'm considering. The basic idea of mine will be
> running the water through all the time, but hopefully the larger and
heavier
> particles won't be going through the pump. Then, once the water is in the
> inflatable pool, I'll leave it to settle out over a few days and then
> carefully siphon the water back into the pond or perhaps pump it up to the
> filter being careful not to disturb the bottom.
<snip>

Overtime, my clay has fallen to the bottom and mostly stays there until the
fish or I get in there and stir it up. I have also gotten some out with
cleanings here and there, but what I am looking for is a method to vacu-suck
a large amount from the bottom, or I'll just wait.

--
BV.
www.iheartmypond.com

[Peggy]

Remydog - Tried to reply and got something from spamex that Im not sure what
to do with. Drop me a note with your e mail addy that I can get you at.
Cudn't figure out quite how to do it . . . don't know if it's a spam killer
my husband put on or something you're using ......

"Remydog" > wrote in message
news:aMijc.43985$w96.3533537@attbi_s54...
> I'm thinking of using my pondmaster 3500 as a vacuum to get the gunk off
the
> bottom of my pond. I don't use a bottom drain for fear that if something
> goes wrong with the external plumbing and I'm not around, the pond will
> drain. Instead, I have the pump connected to two inlets -- first, an OASE
no
> niche skimmer and second to a drain about 18 inches off the bottom. As a
> result, lots of stuff has settled on the bottom, particularly the deepest
> part. My leaf vac gets the larger solids, but the mulm goes right through
> the bag.
>
> I want something I can use for my once a year cleaning to get up the mulm
> and leaves. I installed a T in the line from the skimmer that I can attach
> to a vac hose. I can then shut off the skimmer and drain using a ball
> valves. Doing this, everything will pull through the vac hose on the T.
>
> I was told by the folks who sold me the pump that the impeller is very
> strong and can handle most of the gunk and stuff on the bottom and even
chew
> through the partially decomposed leaves. However, to avoid pulling too
much
> directly through the pump, I as thinking of creating an air tight
settlement
> chamber as follows:
>
> Take a large airtight plastic bucket, much like bulk drywall mud or
sidwalk
> melt is sold in. Add two bulkhead fittings to opposite sides of the
> container. On one of these I would attach a 90 bend directly down the side
> to about 6 or 8 inches off the bottom, add another 90 so it would point
> along the side parallel to the bottom. Now water entering this path would
be
> swirled into the tank. This would be the end to which the working end of
the
> vac would be attached.
>
> The exit line would traverse from the second bulkhead fitting to the
middle
> of the container, then a 90 degree bend down a few inches and place a
> strainer on the end. This way, it will be several inches off the bottom
and
> centered in the container, thus out of the swirl.
>
> This would be attached to my T inlet toward the pump. On the outlet side
of
> the pump I have a similar T which I would drain into an inflatable pool to
> get the dirty water out for final settlement before adding it back to the
> pond. This would keep the filter from being overwhelmed.
>
> Has anyone tried this or something similar? Other ideas welcome.
>
> Remydog
>
>

[Peggy]

Remydog - Tried to reply and got something from spamex that Im not sure what
to do with. Drop me a note with your e mail addy that I can get you at.
Cudn't figure out quite how to do it . . . don't know if it's a spam killer
my husband put on or something you're using ......

"Remydog" > wrote in message
news:aMijc.43985$w96.3533537@attbi_s54...
> I'm thinking of using my pondmaster 3500 as a vacuum to get the gunk off
the
> bottom of my pond. I don't use a bottom drain for fear that if something
> goes wrong with the external plumbing and I'm not around, the pond will
> drain. Instead, I have the pump connected to two inlets -- first, an OASE
no
> niche skimmer and second to a drain about 18 inches off the bottom. As a
> result, lots of stuff has settled on the bottom, particularly the deepest
> part. My leaf vac gets the larger solids, but the mulm goes right through
> the bag.
>
> I want something I can use for my once a year cleaning to get up the mulm
> and leaves. I installed a T in the line from the skimmer that I can attach
> to a vac hose. I can then shut off the skimmer and drain using a ball
> valves. Doing this, everything will pull through the vac hose on the T.
>
> I was told by the folks who sold me the pump that the impeller is very
> strong and can handle most of the gunk and stuff on the bottom and even
chew
> through the partially decomposed leaves. However, to avoid pulling too
much
> directly through the pump, I as thinking of creating an air tight
settlement
> chamber as follows:
>
> Take a large airtight plastic bucket, much like bulk drywall mud or
sidwalk
> melt is sold in. Add two bulkhead fittings to opposite sides of the
> container. On one of these I would attach a 90 bend directly down the side
> to about 6 or 8 inches off the bottom, add another 90 so it would point
> along the side parallel to the bottom. Now water entering this path would
be
> swirled into the tank. This would be the end to which the working end of
the
> vac would be attached.
>
> The exit line would traverse from the second bulkhead fitting to the
middle
> of the container, then a 90 degree bend down a few inches and place a
> strainer on the end. This way, it will be several inches off the bottom
and
> centered in the container, thus out of the swirl.
>
> This would be attached to my T inlet toward the pump. On the outlet side
of
> the pump I have a similar T which I would drain into an inflatable pool to
> get the dirty water out for final settlement before adding it back to the
> pond. This would keep the filter from being overwhelmed.
>
> Has anyone tried this or something similar? Other ideas welcome.
>
> Remydog
>
>

[Remydog]

Well, I built the chamber and it worked pretty well at keeping the bigger
stuff out of the pump. When I was done, I had about 2 inches of settled muck
at the bottom of the chamber and very little settled out into the wading
pool that I used for my discharge.

Here's what I did:

Grabbed a 5 gal. pail with lid from Home Depot. This pail seals air/water
tight when closed. Built two bulkhead fittings by taking PVC plumbing
parts -- essentially a male adapter fitting into a female with two rubber
gaskets in the middle. I carefully cut two holes in the top of the lid using
a utility knife, one in the center (return to the pump) and one near the
outside edge (intake from vac hose). Here was my technique -- I drew a
circle using the inside of one of the adapters as a guide. I used the slip
end, not the threaded end. The slip end is slightly larger and big enough to
allow the threaded end to screw into the hole. I extended the utility knife
out to its first position and then carefully used it as a punch going all
aroung the circle one or two times. Then I connected the dots carefully and
pushed out the circle.

If I was doing it again, I might go buy the appropriate sized hole saw to
speed the process, but it didn't take that long.

The male end of the pvc adapter had a snug fit and screwed in, so the lid is
sandwiched between two of the gaskets. I also used a little silicone grease
on the threads to be able to get completely tightened down.

On the inside of the center hole (discharge to pump), I attached a few
inches of PVC, and to the end of that, I attached a metal mesh basket as a
screen to prevent larger particles from making it in and to the pump. This
is like a wire mesh sock that slips over the end of the PVC. HD sells them
in packs of 2 and they come with a little zip tie.

On the outside hole (intake from vac hose), I attached a piece of pvc and a
90 degree elbow so that the elbow was about 3 or 4 inches off the bottom. I
aimed it along the edge so it will create a swirl inside the bucket.

On the outside of the lid, I attached the appropriate vac hose accessories
to connect either to the pump or to the vac hose.

To operate, I first took the bucket and filled it completely. Then sealed on
the lid, hooked up the hoses and turned it on. Initially, the air in the
hoses will purge into the upper part of the bucket, but because both the
intake and discharge are under water, this did not affect the suction.
Fortunately I made the discharge hose long enough that it remained in the
water after the air had purged from the hose. I had thought about installing
a check valve on the intake and filling the hose with water manually as best
I could, but it turned out it was not needed.

After finishing all of this, I saw an in-line leaf trap that would have done
much the same thing, although lower capacity. However, that device was north
of $50 on line and my device was probably about $10 and it was kind of fun
to build and operate.


"Remydog" > wrote in message
news:aMijc.43985$w96.3533537@attbi_s54...
> I'm thinking of using my pondmaster 3500 as a vacuum to get the gunk off
the
> bottom of my pond. I don't use a bottom drain for fear that if something
> goes wrong with the external plumbing and I'm not around, the pond will
> drain. Instead, I have the pump connected to two inlets -- first, an OASE
no
> niche skimmer and second to a drain about 18 inches off the bottom. As a
> result, lots of stuff has settled on the bottom, particularly the deepest
> part. My leaf vac gets the larger solids, but the mulm goes right through
> the bag.
>
> I want something I can use for my once a year cleaning to get up the mulm
> and leaves. I installed a T in the line from the skimmer that I can attach
> to a vac hose. I can then shut off the skimmer and drain using a ball
> valves. Doing this, everything will pull through the vac hose on the T.
>
> I was told by the folks who sold me the pump that the impeller is very
> strong and can handle most of the gunk and stuff on the bottom and even
chew
> through the partially decomposed leaves. However, to avoid pulling too
much
> directly through the pump, I as thinking of creating an air tight
settlement
> chamber as follows:
>
> Take a large airtight plastic bucket, much like bulk drywall mud or
sidwalk
> melt is sold in. Add two bulkhead fittings to opposite sides of the
> container. On one of these I would attach a 90 bend directly down the side
> to about 6 or 8 inches off the bottom, add another 90 so it would point
> along the side parallel to the bottom. Now water entering this path would
be
> swirled into the tank. This would be the end to which the working end of
the
> vac would be attached.
>
> The exit line would traverse from the second bulkhead fitting to the
middle
> of the container, then a 90 degree bend down a few inches and place a
> strainer on the end. This way, it will be several inches off the bottom
and
> centered in the container, thus out of the swirl.
>
> This would be attached to my T inlet toward the pump. On the outlet side
of
> the pump I have a similar T which I would drain into an inflatable pool to
> get the dirty water out for final settlement before adding it back to the
> pond. This would keep the filter from being overwhelmed.
>
> Has anyone tried this or something similar? Other ideas welcome.
>
> Remydog
>
>

[Remydog]

Well, I built the chamber and it worked pretty well at keeping the bigger
stuff out of the pump. When I was done, I had about 2 inches of settled muck
at the bottom of the chamber and very little settled out into the wading
pool that I used for my discharge.

Here's what I did:

Grabbed a 5 gal. pail with lid from Home Depot. This pail seals air/water
tight when closed. Built two bulkhead fittings by taking PVC plumbing
parts -- essentially a male adapter fitting into a female with two rubber
gaskets in the middle. I carefully cut two holes in the top of the lid using
a utility knife, one in the center (return to the pump) and one near the
outside edge (intake from vac hose). Here was my technique -- I drew a
circle using the inside of one of the adapters as a guide. I used the slip
end, not the threaded end. The slip end is slightly larger and big enough to
allow the threaded end to screw into the hole. I extended the utility knife
out to its first position and then carefully used it as a punch going all
aroung the circle one or two times. Then I connected the dots carefully and
pushed out the circle.

If I was doing it again, I might go buy the appropriate sized hole saw to
speed the process, but it didn't take that long.

The male end of the pvc adapter had a snug fit and screwed in, so the lid is
sandwiched between two of the gaskets. I also used a little silicone grease
on the threads to be able to get completely tightened down.

On the inside of the center hole (discharge to pump), I attached a few
inches of PVC, and to the end of that, I attached a metal mesh basket as a
screen to prevent larger particles from making it in and to the pump. This
is like a wire mesh sock that slips over the end of the PVC. HD sells them
in packs of 2 and they come with a little zip tie.

On the outside hole (intake from vac hose), I attached a piece of pvc and a
90 degree elbow so that the elbow was about 3 or 4 inches off the bottom. I
aimed it along the edge so it will create a swirl inside the bucket.

On the outside of the lid, I attached the appropriate vac hose accessories
to connect either to the pump or to the vac hose.

To operate, I first took the bucket and filled it completely. Then sealed on
the lid, hooked up the hoses and turned it on. Initially, the air in the
hoses will purge into the upper part of the bucket, but because both the
intake and discharge are under water, this did not affect the suction.
Fortunately I made the discharge hose long enough that it remained in the
water after the air had purged from the hose. I had thought about installing
a check valve on the intake and filling the hose with water manually as best
I could, but it turned out it was not needed.

After finishing all of this, I saw an in-line leaf trap that would have done
much the same thing, although lower capacity. However, that device was north
of $50 on line and my device was probably about $10 and it was kind of fun
to build and operate.


"Remydog" > wrote in message
news:aMijc.43985$w96.3533537@attbi_s54...
> I'm thinking of using my pondmaster 3500 as a vacuum to get the gunk off
the
> bottom of my pond. I don't use a bottom drain for fear that if something
> goes wrong with the external plumbing and I'm not around, the pond will
> drain. Instead, I have the pump connected to two inlets -- first, an OASE
no
> niche skimmer and second to a drain about 18 inches off the bottom. As a
> result, lots of stuff has settled on the bottom, particularly the deepest
> part. My leaf vac gets the larger solids, but the mulm goes right through
> the bag.
>
> I want something I can use for my once a year cleaning to get up the mulm
> and leaves. I installed a T in the line from the skimmer that I can attach
> to a vac hose. I can then shut off the skimmer and drain using a ball
> valves. Doing this, everything will pull through the vac hose on the T.
>
> I was told by the folks who sold me the pump that the impeller is very
> strong and can handle most of the gunk and stuff on the bottom and even
chew
> through the partially decomposed leaves. However, to avoid pulling too
much
> directly through the pump, I as thinking of creating an air tight
settlement
> chamber as follows:
>
> Take a large airtight plastic bucket, much like bulk drywall mud or
sidwalk
> melt is sold in. Add two bulkhead fittings to opposite sides of the
> container. On one of these I would attach a 90 bend directly down the side
> to about 6 or 8 inches off the bottom, add another 90 so it would point
> along the side parallel to the bottom. Now water entering this path would
be
> swirled into the tank. This would be the end to which the working end of
the
> vac would be attached.
>
> The exit line would traverse from the second bulkhead fitting to the
middle
> of the container, then a 90 degree bend down a few inches and place a
> strainer on the end. This way, it will be several inches off the bottom
and
> centered in the container, thus out of the swirl.
>
> This would be attached to my T inlet toward the pump. On the outlet side
of
> the pump I have a similar T which I would drain into an inflatable pool to
> get the dirty water out for final settlement before adding it back to the
> pond. This would keep the filter from being overwhelmed.
>
> Has anyone tried this or something similar? Other ideas welcome.
>
> Remydog
>
>