In pond pump input cover... any ideas?

I've been using the "milk crate" type filter around the pump in the pond,
but it seems to be getting clogged to the point o restricting water flow in
just a week with the new higher pgh pump.

Anyone come out with some kind of "cage" to put around the pump, to keep
critters like salamanders out, but not have the furnace filter stuff around
it that clogs that fast?

Pond plant baskets look about right, but are too small. for the pump.

Ideas?

--
Gareee©
(Gary Tabar Jr.)

"Gareee©" wrote in message
...
I've been using the "milk crate" type filter around the pump in the pond,
but it seems to be getting clogged to the point o restricting water flow
in just a week with the new higher pgh pump.

Anyone come out with some kind of "cage" to put around the pump, to keep
critters like salamanders out, but not have the furnace filter stuff
around it that clogs that fast?

Pond plant baskets look about right, but are too small. for the pump.

What if you wrap a milk crate with sunscreen mesh. Something like this
stuff.
http://www.solarshadingsys.com/sss01...s/prod20.shtml

They sell it in the garden section of your local home depot/lowes. The idea
being to wrap 1 layer of it around the crate, just to keep the amphbians out
of the milk crate. Don't cram the entire milk crate full of it.

See if that works.

"Gareee©" wrote:
I've been using the "milk crate" type filter around the pump in the pond,
but it seems to be getting clogged to the point o restricting water flow
in just a week with the new higher pgh pump.

Anyone come out with some kind of "cage" to put around the pump, to keep
critters like salamanders out, but not have the furnace filter stuff
around it that clogs that fast?

Pond plant baskets look about right, but are too small. for the pump.

Ideas?

Small pump, small milk crate. Large pump, large milk crate. I just attached
one layer of furnace filter to the milk crate. When the flow slowed I would
pull it out of the pond (turning it off first) and hit it with a high
pressure hose on every side. Quick and easy. YMMV

--
Nick. Support severely wounded and disabled Veterans and their families!

Thank a Veteran and Support Our Troops. You are not forgotten. Thanks ! ! !

wrote in message
...

Small pump, small milk crate. Large pump, large milk crate. I just
attached
one layer of furnace filter to the milk crate. When the flow slowed I
would
pull it out of the pond (turning it off first) and hit it with a high
pressure hose on every side. Quick and easy. YMMV

That's what I've been doing, but pulling it out every 4-5 days is getting to
be a PITA.


--
Gareee©
(Gary Tabar Jr.)

On Thu, 11 May 2006 22:32:27 -0400, "Gareee©" wrote:

I've been using the "milk crate" type filter around the pump in the pond,
but it seems to be getting clogged to the point o restricting water flow in
just a week with the new higher pgh pump.

Anyone come out with some kind of "cage" to put around the pump, to keep
critters like salamanders out, but not have the furnace filter stuff around
it that clogs that fast?

Pond plant baskets look about right, but are too small. for the pump.

Gareee, you're not buying big enough plant baskets. I know
www.aqua-mart.com use to carry some really LARGE ones. So big that for the
life of me I don't know how one would pick them up and put in the pond if
they were full of dirt... plus rocks. I picked up a bunch during one of our
pond equipment sale/trade meetings. I use them to strain the water from the
muck I pull out of the filter.... basically pre-composting. ;o)

Also used to catch sunflower seed hulls under the bird feeders, rarely use
in the pond. Though I did one year put one on the shelf of my lower pond
(they're so big the tops were above the high water mark) and used as a koi
nursery. ;o) Who'd of thought? ~ jan

-----------------
(Do you know where your water quality is?)

"~ janj" wrote in message
...

I've been using the "milk crate" type filter around the pump in the pond,
but it seems to be getting clogged to the point o restricting water flow
in
just a week with the new higher pgh pump.

Anyone come out with some kind of "cage" to put around the pump, to keep
critters like salamanders out, but not have the furnace filter stuff
around
it that clogs that fast?

Pond plant baskets look about right, but are too small. for the pump.

Gareee, you're not buying big enough plant baskets. I know
www.aqua-mart.com use to carry some really LARGE ones. So big that for the
life of me I don't know how one would pick them up and put in the pond if
they were full of dirt... plus rocks. I picked up a bunch during one of
our
pond equipment sale/trade meetings. I use them to strain the water from
the
muck I pull out of the filter.... basically pre-composting. ;o)

I'm not using a plant basket, it's currently in a milk crate filter. The
only plant baskets I found locally were at Lowe's. Maybe a foot across, but
1/2 the height of the milk crate.

Basically I just need something with holes small enough so the salamanders
can't get sucked it. The filter screens are doing a great job with the new
pump, but they are filtering so much out, that the whole rig needs to be
yanked and cleaned every 4-5 days or so.

Since it's in 3-4 feet of water,with a large piece of flagstone on tops of
it holding it down, it's a PITA to get out every time.

I've already begun work on the upper pondlet/waterfall, and I'm thinking of
using some kind of setup in the upper pondlet to act as a filter, to reduce
stuff down in the main pond. (Might be something as simple as a
filterscreen "wall" between the water inlet, and the waterfall/downstream.)

The uv clarifier's working great, EXCEPT when this damned thing needs to be
cleaned out again. it gets so bad th epump is putting out only 50% of it's
flow.

--
Gareee©
(Gary Tabar Jr.)

We are using a 5 gal bucket with Loads of 1/2 inch holes ...like all we
could put in it. The flow rate is slow enough that nothing seems to get
stuck on it. The top has egg crate light grid to permit flow there as well.
We don't ever have to clean it. It sits at the bottom of a 7 foot well on
bricks to keep it off the bottom.

Jim

--
See our pond at: home.bellsouth.net/personalpages/pwp-jameshurley
Ask me about Jog A Thon fundraiser (clears $120+ per child) at: jogathon.net
"Gareee©" wrote in message
...
I've been using the "milk crate" type filter around the pump in the pond,
but it seems to be getting clogged to the point o restricting water flow
in
just a week with the new higher pgh pump.

Anyone come out with some kind of "cage" to put around the pump, to keep
critters like salamanders out, but not have the furnace filter stuff
around
it that clogs that fast?

Pond plant baskets look about right, but are too small. for the pump.

Ideas?

--
Gareee©
(Gary Tabar Jr.)

"Phyllis and Jim Hurley" wrote in message
. ..
We are using a 5 gal bucket with Loads of 1/2 inch holes ...like all we
could put in it. The flow rate is slow enough that nothing seems to get
stuck on it. The top has egg crate light grid to permit flow there as
well.
We don't ever have to clean it. It sits at the bottom of a 7 foot well on
bricks to keep it off the bottom.

The bucket doesn't rust?

That might be a solution...


--
Gareee©
(Gary Tabar Jr.)

Yea, thayts really ****ing funny Hal. its a barrel of laughs. Don;t
take much to keep simple ****ers happy does it?



On Sat, 13 May 2006 09:36:26 -0400, Hal wrote:
On Fri, 12 May 2006 21:39:35 -0400, "Gareee©"
wrote:

The bucket doesn't rust?

I've been using plastic buckets so long that is almost funny.

You know the stuff we use to build rabbit/bird cages called hardware
cloth? Well they make a similar mesh from plastic in 1/2" squares
and possible smaller. (Fence materials Lowe's Hardware.) I have
some of the 1/2" square plastic mesh, layered, in my filter barrels
just because the fibrous filter material clogs so rapidly.

Regards,

Hal


==============================================
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only worth $1.....but I am entitled to "MY" opinion...
~~~~ }((((o ~~~~~~ }{{{{o ~~~~~~~ }(((((o

"Hal" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 12 May 2006 21:39:35 -0400, "Gareee©"
wrote:

The bucket doesn't rust?

I've been using plastic buckets so long that is almost funny.

You know the stuff we use to build rabbit/bird cages called hardware
cloth? Well they make a similar mesh from plastic in 1/2" squares
and possible smaller. (Fence materials Lowe's Hardware.) I have
some of the 1/2" square plastic mesh, layered, in my filter barrels
just because the fibrous filter material clogs so rapidly.



That might work, Hal! thanks for the idea!


--
Gareee©
(Gary Tabar Jr.)