Conveting a Swiming pool filter to a pond filter

[mikebike]

Hi Folks,
my concerns on filtering my ponds inspired me to convert a Hayward canister swimming pool filter into a pond filter.

the photos:
Filter pictures by mbikes - Photobucket

I started with lava rock in the bottom to cover the drain/outlet:


Then I added 10 gallons of Bio Balls


Here the bio balls are floating:


Then I cut and put in 2 layers of coarse pond filter matting:


This is the startup of the filter pumping water from my 100+ gallon tub which has 5 five gallon bags of Bio Balls and a thick layer of floating water plants.
eventually the pond water will be pumped into the Bio Tub then into the filter and returned to the pond.


Another of my ongoing projects<G>

[Diztrbd1]

cool Idea Mike, it actually looks like a Hayward filter...personally I think you could do without the bio-balls and maybe filled it half way with the lava rock and then a layer of somewhat fine filter media, then top it off with the fiber you have in it now .....but good idea. Hope it works well for ya

[mikebike]

Yes you are correct it is a Hayward filter.

I had the Bio Balls so I thought I may as well use them.

My next step will be a pre-filter on the pond intake so I don't have to mess with putting the top on the filter.

[Diztrbd1]

I worked on in-ground pools, spas & water features most of my life not too many filters out there I don't recognize at a glance lol I can understand using the bio-balls since ya had em lol As for a pre-filter, always a good idea, however I find they usually clog up within a couple days. Tho it's probably less time consuming cleaning them than it would be taking the filter apart lol

[mikebike]

I'm considering a gravity fed pre-filter.
I have a 13 gallon Olive barrel.

I was thinking of putting a through hull fitting in the bottom and pumping the water from the pond into it and having multiple layers of the fiber filter material in it.

The top layer will be fiber from a $2 Wal-Mart polyester pillow.

One pillow will make about 20 grunge traps<G>

the flow will go in the top and trickle down into the Bio Tub.

I think I can make a flow stop with a toilet filler or Stock tank water level control.

I have some micro switches with double contacts that can be used to shut off the pump via a solid state relay and at the same time turn on a visual or audio indicator to let me know the pump has been shut off due to the pre-filter backing up.

I was a millwright/electrician/fabricator in a plastic pipe manufacturing plant before retiring and have many odd items saved and collected to re-purpose.<G>

[timbit1985]

Cool idea's mike. You should hook up the micro-switches as an analog signal input to a micro-processor (i.e pic or arduino) and then you could have your filter text or twitter you when it needs changing

[gklaw]

I have a Hayward reverse sand filter sitting waiting to be hooked up. So is there much diff using filters sand vs. bio-balls? I would imagine that the sand will provide far more media area than bio-balls ? Well I do have a bunch of bio-balls as well

[mikebike]

I was afraid the sand would plug up sooner.
Also it is easier to move a filter with 10 gallons of bio-balls that 10 gallons of wet sand<G>

[mikebike]

Yes the swiches could easily light an LED or bell/buzzer or signal to a computer to indicate backpressure.