FilterOverview

Howdy,
I rebuilt my pond and filter system in 2004. Here is an over view of the new
set up:
Each of the items listed here has a separate page. Check the navigation
buttons for what you want.

When I first built our pond in 2002, I did not install a Bottom Drain.
BIG MISTAKE . ALWAYS install a Bottom Drain in a new pond ,when you are
building it, before you regret not having one latter. Now I have had to install
a “Retro-fit Bottom Drain”.

A: Water is fed from the Bottom Drain to and between all filters and up to
the Pump House with 4" ABS black plastic pipe. You can also use PVC pipe.
At the Pump House, I down sized to 2" PVC pipe.
I like the ABS because it is black and hides in the pond easy. But now
Krylon makes a good spray paint for painting plastics.

This is a "GRAVITY FED" system. In other words, all of the first FOUR
containers are set so the top edge is 1" ABOVE the level of the MAXIMUM
water level in the pond. This way an over flow of the pond is not going to
flood the pump house nor the filters.

1st: The Vortex Filter is fed from a 4" Retro-Fit bottom drain. The Vortex is
made out of a 55 gallon plastic garlic barrel. The barrel came with a lift off
lid. MMMMMGOOD STUFF that garlic.
Bought it from a food service company ( Nalley's) for $5.00 .

2nd: The first Mechanical Filter made from a 31 gallon Rubbermaid tote.

3rd: The second Mechanical Filter , is also a 31 gallon Rubbermaid tote.

4th: The Pump House, another 31 gallon Rubbermaid tote.

VERY IMPORTANT
Be sure to install a piece of 1.5" or 2" thick rigid styro-foam insulation board
on EACH SIDE of EVERY plastic tote. That includes BOTH Mechanical
Filters and the Pump House. This will act as a retaining wall and help
support the sides of the plastic totes. They can bow in with the pressure of
the dirt against the sides of the totes.
Do not use the white bead board type of styro-foam because it WILL crumble.
I use the "Blue Board or Pink Board" that most building supply stores have.
Home Depot and Lowes have it.
You also could use Pressure Treated Plywood but the rigid styro-foam is my
choice. And easier to work with.

B: From the pump house to the waterfall is 2" PVC pipe with a "T" that lets a
1" PVC pipe feed the Skippy filter.

5th: Is the 70 gallon "Skippy" filter that only 33% of the water goes through.

6th: The other 67% of the water goes to a waterfall that feeds into the Veggie
filter.

7th: The Veggie Filter , about 100 gallon pond at the head of the stream.

8th: 25feet of stream going back to the main pond.

I am using 4” "Uniseals" instead of bulkhead fittings in the 55 gal. Vortex.
They work fine in this filter because the barrel has thick sidewalls. And the
Uniseals are easy to install.

I was going to use Uniseals in the Rubbermaid Totes also.
But the totes' I bought have sidewalls that are to thin. I discovered after the
fact that the totes I had purchased where a "special" buy ( read CHEAP) batch
that a big box store bought for the seasonal market.
LIVE AND LEARN.
They allowed leaks around the Uniseals. The Uniseals fit tight against the
pipe but the sidewalls flex enough and water leaks out between the Uniseal
and the sidewall.
So after I found the leaky spots in the totes ( I filled all the filters up, before I
filled the pond, for a test), I had to go to Home depot for some toilet flanges to
make some 4" bulkhead fittings out of. The Mechanical Filters page
explains how I build the Toilet Flange DIY Bulkhead Fittings.

I use "Oatey" brand ABS plastic shower drains for the 2" bulkhead fittings.
These are for the drain lines out of each separate filter.