Folks,

Got a mate who just installed a new garden fountain at his house in
Gracemere QLD; one with a 240v submersible pump. There is a filter on the
pump, and it seems to clog up within 18 hours, and it needs to be cleaned
out. Mate says there is barely a few bits of gunk in the filter, but they
then get another 18 hours of steadily diminsihing pressure till they need to
clean the filter out again.

Now, it sounds to me like there is something more like an air-lock
occurring, which is reduced when the filter is removed, rather than simply a
blocked filter. Mate says the amount being cleaned out of the filter is a
very small amount of crud, and they then get another 18 hours run-time.

Anyone run across this? It sort of sounds like there is an additional
problem, or alternately the filter is unbelievably fine. Doesnt sound quite
like the filter, though, as the amount removed doesnt sound enough.

Thoughts and ideas I can feed back to him welcomed.

Cheers,

Rod.......Out Back

g'day rod,

dunno mate not into fountain pumps or realy have no experience,
generally from what i have heard all that is needed for a pond
fountain is one of those little pumps from the pool/pond shop.

maybe just maybe the pump isn't quiet right for the job?

does he get a lot of algy growth in the pool?

maybe the inlet for the pump should be higher from the bottom?

if the pump is too small i would imagine it wouldn't take much algy or
such to cause it problems.

anyway mate keep us informed, sorry i can't be more helpfull.

len

snipped
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"Rod Out back" <someone [at] IHATESPAM.BIGPOND.COM> wrote in message
news:RB%9e.19505$5F3.8751 [at] news-server.bigpond.net.au...
> Folks,
>
> Got a mate who just installed a new garden fountain at his house in
> Gracemere QLD; one with a 240v submersible pump. There is a filter on the
> pump, and it seems to clog up within 18 hours, and it needs to be cleaned
> out. Mate says there is barely a few bits of gunk in the filter, but they
> then get another 18 hours of steadily diminsihing pressure till they need
to
> clean the filter out again.
>
> Now, it sounds to me like there is something more like an air-lock
> occurring, which is reduced when the filter is removed, rather than simply
a
> blocked filter. Mate says the amount being cleaned out of the filter is a
> very small amount of crud, and they then get another 18 hours run-time.
>
> Anyone run across this? It sort of sounds like there is an additional
> problem, or alternately the filter is unbelievably fine. Doesnt sound
quite
> like the filter, though, as the amount removed doesnt sound enough.
>
> Thoughts and ideas I can feed back to him welcomed.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Rod.......Out Back
>
>
I have 2 x 24v ones on my pond and I had the same problem, that is until I
went to a supplier and bought larger filters, my filters are roughly 200mm
long and about 100mm square with a hole in one end about 25mm diameter but
not all the way through the filter, in the hole goes a pvc extension pipe
that goes into original hole of pump and the filter pulls up over that. I
normally now clean my filters about 1-1/2 to 2 weeks and longer in winter,
the filter pores get clogged normally and a little bit of stuff on the
bottom of the filter that is on the bottom of the pond, that is why you
don't see anything, hope this helps with your problem.

Rod Out back wrote:
> Folks,
>
> Got a mate who just installed a new garden fountain at his house in
> Gracemere QLD; one with a 240v submersible pump. There is a filter on the
> pump, and it seems to clog up within 18 hours, and it needs to be cleaned
> out. Mate says there is barely a few bits of gunk in the filter, but they
> then get another 18 hours of steadily diminsihing pressure till they need to
> clean the filter out again.

If it has steadily diminishing pressure, then it could be the filter.
How big a filter does he have? Mine was bigger than the pump > house
brick. where I purchased the pump joined the enormous filter (core is
hole plastic pipe) to the pump for me.


I think air lock is unlikely unless the pump has a spiral leading down
from the surface.

jim wrote:

> I have 2 x 24v ones on my pond and I had the same problem, that is until I
> went to a supplier and bought larger filters, my filters are roughly 200mm
> long and about 100mm square with a hole in one end about 25mm diameter but
> not all the way through the filter, in the hole goes a pvc extension pipe
> that goes into original hole of pump and the filter pulls up over that. I
> normally now clean my filters about 1-1/2 to 2 weeks and longer in winter,
> the filter pores get clogged normally and a little bit of stuff on the
> bottom of the filter that is on the bottom of the pond, that is why you
> don't see anything, hope this helps with your problem.

Beauty, we have the same thing. I just stood everything on a couple of
bricks to ensure it was off the bottom. Seemed to need cleaning roughly
monthly.

Finally died after 3-4 years.

On Fri, 22 Apr 2005 05:04:49 GMT, "Rod Out back"
<someone [at] IHATESPAM.BIGPOND.COM> wrote:

>Folks,
>
>Got a mate who just installed a new garden fountain at his house in
>Gracemere QLD; one with a 240v submersible pump. There is a filter on the
>pump, and it seems to clog up within 18 hours, and it needs to be cleaned
>out. Mate says there is barely a few bits of gunk in the filter, but they
>then get another 18 hours of steadily diminsihing pressure till they need to
>clean the filter out again.
>
>Now, it sounds to me like there is something more like an air-lock
>occurring, which is reduced when the filter is removed, rather than simply a
>blocked filter. Mate says the amount being cleaned out of the filter is a
>very small amount of crud, and they then get another 18 hours run-time.
>
>Anyone run across this? It sort of sounds like there is an additional
>problem, or alternately the filter is unbelievably fine. Doesnt sound quite
>like the filter, though, as the amount removed doesnt sound enough.
>
>Thoughts and ideas I can feed back to him welcomed.
>
>Cheers,
>
>Rod.......Out Back
>
g'day all,

This problem seems similar to what farmers face when getting water
from their dams when they are getting low.

Have a look at the ABC site fro the "New Inventors".

I think there was something made up to solve this problem on a larger
scale but could probably be scaled down for your pond pumps.

It was all about "Slowing" down the flow into the intake filter.

This was effected with a dish like arrangement. whereby they were able
to get just about the "last Drop" out of an empty dam without the
problems.

Tony