On 20 Mar 2005 18:29:15 -0800, wrote:

I'm planning a new pond and stream and have the following problem
figuring out how to clean out the gunk carried away from the bottom
drain. In short, it's going to be 5' underground where I can't just
open a valve and drain it off.

Look into gate valves (I think they're called) and vortex filters. They are
about 5 feet deep (in ground) with a coned bottom and pumping off the tip.
Gate valves can be pulled up with a hooked tool (or some may have long
enough handles) to open from the 5 + feet level.

The demon pond has it's valve ~3 ft. below the ground, it is a ball valve,
I use a garden claw to turn it.

There's also the threaded stand pipe idea, that you screw into the bottom
drain (of the filter/barrel) but then you have to work your filter material
around this pipe that goes all the way up and slightly above the top edge.
When you want to drain, unscrew. Could be used as an overflow pipe too.
~ jan


See my ponds and filter design:
http://users.owt.com/jjspond/

~Keep 'em Wet!~
Tri-Cities WA Zone 7a
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