Water Flow reduction - pump or line problem?

My pond has been going just fine for a couple years now but lately, I have
seen a decrease in water flow.

When pumps fail, is it a "working" / "not working" scenario or is it a water
flow just slowly starts going down? For some reason, I thought pumps kind
of worked or they didn't. If they failed, they didn't work at all.

Couple notes on the pond:
* Whole thing is about 1000 gallons - 2 ponds - 1 small one flowing down two
35' streams into a lower pond that is about 5' x 12' x 2'. Extenal pump
(forgot name) that goes up 2" PVC - ~6' drop over the 35'.
* the filter is a notched PVC piping system with screen door screen and a
few inches of pebbles (Moorehaven folks in Seattle pointed me in that
direction).
* We have about 5 or 6 gold fish in there for the past year or so. The
water has been very clear but the bottom of the pond has more "gunk" on it -
my guess is due to the fish. Hopefully the extra floating plants and
lillies and grasses I have in there will start cleaning up the stuff more.
* I seem to have more string algae this year (probably fish again).
Hopefully the barely bales will start getting that under control.

Even when I clear off the bottom gunk (which doesn't take too long), the
flow doesn't really increase. Could it be that the gunk has filtered down
through the rocks \ screen and plugged the pvc filter?

I don't want to replace the pump if that isn't the culprit. On the other
hand, I don't want to drain the whole pond and replace all the rocks just to
find out that it was the pump the whole time.

Opinions \ advice is appreciated.

Thanks
Darren

"Darren" wrote in message
...
My pond has been going just fine for a couple years now but lately, I have
seen a decrease in water flow.

When pumps fail, is it a "working" / "not working" scenario or is it a
water
flow just slowly starts going down? For some reason, I thought pumps kind
of worked or they didn't. If they failed, they didn't work at all.
======================
I've only had my ponds for 8 or 9 years and when my pumps failed - they
FAILED! The first thing I noticed were odd noises, then they'd stop
working. The big one that got water in it would flip the breaker. All it
needed was the seal reset. The others were just worn out.
--
McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
EVERYONE: "Please check people's headers for forgeries
before flushing." NAMES ARE BEING FORGED.
Do not feed the trolls.
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o

Have you ever pulled your wet end of the pump apart? It may be loaded
up with debri and other stuff. YOu would be surprised how algae and
other organisms can grow internally in the wet end of a pump. Its also
possible your impeller is worn. If its a major name brand pump odds
are you can replace the impeller and its not uncommon for them to
wear. All it takes is a little reduction on the outside diameter or
some scores from it picking up debri and efficeincy of the pump goes
down......You mentioned a PVC filter, well have you checked it........

Is there any way you can backflush your lines.........You may have
something in there restricting flow as well....and its also quite
common for pipes etc to get a growth of slime and such, which further
more restricts water flow and the pumps output.

From the discription of the pVC notch filter and screen door material
it is all together likely its full of junk......

Yet one more reason i like to dose my pond semi annually with PP and
allow it to clean the plumbing system out of the slime and growths.

I put my money on your PVC nbotch filter is restricted and possibly
algae and other junk possibly builtup in the wet end of the
pump........

On Mon, 20 Jun 2005 13:36:46 -0700, "Darren"
wrote:

===My pond has been going just fine for a couple years now but lately, I have
===seen a decrease in water flow.
===
===When pumps fail, is it a "working" / "not working" scenario or is it a water
===flow just slowly starts going down? For some reason, I thought pumps kind
===of worked or they didn't. If they failed, they didn't work at all.
===
===Couple notes on the pond:
===* Whole thing is about 1000 gallons - 2 ponds - 1 small one flowing down two
===35' streams into a lower pond that is about 5' x 12' x 2'. Extenal pump
===(forgot name) that goes up 2" PVC - ~6' drop over the 35'.
===* the filter is a notched PVC piping system with screen door screen and a
===few inches of pebbles (Moorehaven folks in Seattle pointed me in that
===direction).
===* We have about 5 or 6 gold fish in there for the past year or so. The
===water has been very clear but the bottom of the pond has more "gunk" on it -
===my guess is due to the fish. Hopefully the extra floating plants and
===lillies and grasses I have in there will start cleaning up the stuff more.
===* I seem to have more string algae this year (probably fish again).
===Hopefully the barely bales will start getting that under control.
===
===Even when I clear off the bottom gunk (which doesn't take too long), the
===flow doesn't really increase. Could it be that the gunk has filtered down
===through the rocks \ screen and plugged the pvc filter?
===
===I don't want to replace the pump if that isn't the culprit. On the other
===hand, I don't want to drain the whole pond and replace all the rocks just to
===find out that it was the pump the whole time.
===
===Opinions \ advice is appreciated.
===
===Thanks
===Darren
===


==============================================
Put some color in your cheeks...garden naked!
"The original frugal ponder"
~~~~ }((((o ~~~~~~ }{{{{o ~~~~~~~ }(((((o

On Mon, 20 Jun 2005 13:36:46 -0700, "Darren" wrote:

My pond has been going just fine for a couple years now but lately, I have
seen a decrease in water flow.

When pumps fail, is it a "working" / "not working" scenario or is it a water
flow just slowly starts going down? For some reason, I thought pumps kind
of worked or they didn't. If they failed, they didn't work at all.

Hi Darren,

I'm familiar with the Moorehaven system. Basically an under gravel filter.
They are very knowledgable people, but I wish they'd move to directing
people to the more efficient/modern way of filtering a pond. That is, not
having the filter part in the pond, so when there is a problem you're not
tearing apart the whole dang thing, and having to find some holding tank
for your fish, or working around them, stressing them out.

Try what Roy suggested first, but I'm betting your PVC is clogged. If so,
consider converting to a tetra bell vacuum bottom drain and pump into an
out of the pond filter system.

I like the filter system my husband designed, but when I give advice about
filters, if people got the money I steer them to the vortex system.

See my ponds and filter design:
www.jjspond.us

~Keep 'em Wet!~
Tri-Cities WA Zone 7a
To e-mail see website

I certainly am not at all familiar with most aspects of filtering in
liner type ponds, bottom drains, skimmers and allthe various brand s
of these items, as I have a natural pond. HOwever I do know what they
are and the general concept. I just never needed to know much about
them....but come fall thats going to change when we start on the liner
type pond by the patio.

But algae / slim or other organism buildup inside pipes and wet ends
of pumps does not take much to start reducing flow of water. I see it
on my aquarium filters etc, with reduced output and flow is slowed
down, and a good cleaning of the tubes and impellar usually restores
the usual good flow.......

Even the best made and designed prefilters and filters will still
over time allow minute sediement to get past them and it will
collect. I have seen my one tank with an undergravel filter build up
with junk, to the point it was useless.

Can you run a garden hose down through any of your pipes to sort of
wash or purge them out? I am not familiar with yur undergravel type
system as construction goes, so is it allunder the ponds bottom gravel
bed or what?
Guess one of these days real soon I am gonna have to set down and
orientate myself a bit more on liner pond construction.........

On Mon, 20 Jun 2005 23:12:38 -0700, ~ janj JJsPond.us
wrote:

===On Mon, 20 Jun 2005 13:36:46 -0700, "Darren" wrote:
===
===My pond has been going just fine for a couple years now but lately, I have
===seen a decrease in water flow.
===
===When pumps fail, is it a "working" / "not working" scenario or is it a water
===flow just slowly starts going down? For some reason, I thought pumps kind
===of worked or they didn't. If they failed, they didn't work at all.
===
===Hi Darren,
===
===I'm familiar with the Moorehaven system. Basically an under gravel filter.
===They are very knowledgable people, but I wish they'd move to directing
===people to the more efficient/modern way of filtering a pond. That is, not
===having the filter part in the pond, so when there is a problem you're not
===tearing apart the whole dang thing, and having to find some holding tank
===for your fish, or working around them, stressing them out.
===
===Try what Roy suggested first, but I'm betting your PVC is clogged. If so,
===consider converting to a tetra bell vacuum bottom drain and pump into an
===out of the pond filter system.
===
===I like the filter system my husband designed, but when I give advice about
===filters, if people got the money I steer them to the vortex system.
===
===See my ponds and filter design:
===www.jjspond.us
===
=== ~Keep 'em Wet!~
=== Tri-Cities WA Zone 7a
=== To e-mail see website


==============================================
Put some color in your cheeks...garden naked!
"The original frugal ponder"
~~~~ }((((o ~~~~~~ }{{{{o ~~~~~~~ }(((((o

See my ponds and filter design:

So why'd you remove the island?

C//

"Courageous" wrote in message
...

See my ponds and filter design:

So why'd you remove the island?

C//
==============================
It kept thinking it was Atlantis and sinking..... :-)
--
McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
EVERYONE: "Please check people's headers for forgeries
before flushing." NAMES ARE BEING FORGED.
Do not feed the trolls.
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o

See my ponds and filter design:
So why'd you remove the island?
C//

To give the fish more room now that they are bigger, but it also gave me a
safer place to fall in, which I did last year. ;o) ~ jan

~Power to the Porg, Flow On!~

~ janj JJsPond.us wrote:

See my ponds and filter design:
So why'd you remove the island?
C//

To give the fish more room now that they are bigger, but it also gave me a
safer place to fall in, which I did last year. ;o) ~ jan

_Only_ last year? I think I do it most years :-)
--
derek

"Derek Broughton" wrote in message
...
~ janj JJsPond.us wrote:

See my ponds and filter design:
So why'd you remove the island?
C//

To give the fish more room now that they are bigger, but it also gave me
a
safer place to fall in, which I did last year. ;o) ~ jan

_Only_ last year? I think I do it most years :-)
--
derek
=========================
I do it every year. I "fell in" cleaning it out this weekend. My shoulder
and hip are still sore. I now have only 8 butterfly koi in the 800 gallon
pond. All the goldfish are going into a new 500 gallon pool behind the
house. I have a buyer for most of them. They're just too prolific to keep
in the ponds out front.

--
McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
EVERYONE: "Please check people's headers for forgeries
before flushing." NAMES ARE BEING FORGED.
Do not feed the trolls.
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o