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  • Results 1 to 20 of 20

    Thread: near disaster,

    1. #1
      gatorkoi's Avatar
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      near disaster,

      I got a call this morning 2am to be exact. My down the hill backyard neighbor (Ft. Worth sheriff that works the late evening shift) calls to tell me that there is a torrent of water coming into his back yard. I get up and go to the pond and there is on 18" of water in it. I go to the pump house and shut down everything but aeration. The yard below the pond is a soggy mess. I quickly look for obvious leak points but at 2am I could not find anything. Not knowing how long the pond has been pumped down this low. I take parameter readings and all is fine. I start adding some water and Fritz ACCR. I grab an 8k gph submergible and quickly hook it to the bio-falls. I did this because I know the BD pump circuit has to be the one leaking because it pumped down nearly 2’ past the bottom of the skimmer. Fish are fine but I’m sure a bit stressed. I added enough water where I know the fish will be comfortable and allowing the bio-fall to be the only filter in operation until I find the leak later today. I have never had an issue with piping but it has to be between the BD pump and pre-filter or between as the water seems to be hold fine after i shut in the pump on that curcit. Now to find it later today. Another hard lesson learned. Time to put a low water shutdown on the pumps.
      Last edited by gatorkoi; 07-24-2014 at 09:23 AM.
      Warning! Koi trained to feed from dangling fingers.
      For your protection, bathing suits required when swimming with Koi
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    2. #2
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      Nice neighbor, hope he did not get flooded and you are easily able to repair your leak. We are also at the top of the hill so have to be aware of our lower neighbors when doing pool work.
      Last edited by KurtG; 07-24-2014 at 10:03 AM.

    3. #3
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      I hate it when that happens. I once had an accident with a goldfish pond that reduced the volume to about six inches before I caught it.

      In my current filtration design, the two 4" bottom drains are gravity fed into a sump, and the pumps take the water from the sump back to the pond (through filters and UV light). The pipes from the bottom drain go into separate chambers where the water passes through stainless steel mesh baskets first to filter out debris before the water goes to the sump. The pipes coming into these chambers are about 2 feet above the bottom of the pond, so there is no way for the pond to completely drain since there is no direct suction on the bottom drains. When the sump gets dry, float switches cut power to the pumps.

      While this design protects me from pumping the pond dry, it has one obvious disadvantage. Heavy debris tends to collect in the pipes between the bottom drain and the straining chambers, so I have to periodically snake a vacuum tube into the pipes to suck them out. Now that I keep my pond netted year round, this is not as big of a problem as it used to be. The flow through the 4" pipes is fast enough to prevent most debris from settling in them.

    4. #4
      Spaun is offline Senior Member
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      I also have mine set up with "air locks" to avoid losing all the water in case of a leak. But i cant fully drain my pond through the BD circuit so I have to use a sump pump. Hope its a easy fix for you.
      Click for Southgate, Michigan Forecast

    5. #5
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      only flood the grass with about 4k of water
      Warning! Koi trained to feed from dangling fingers.
      For your protection, bathing suits required when swimming with Koi
      ______

    6. #6
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      Well, He won't have to use the sprinklers at least in that area. I am glad he found it and called you. Glad your fish are ok.
      Glenda





      Only GOD can turn a MESS into a MESSage, a TEST into a TESTimony, a TRIal into a TRIumph, a VICTim into a VICTory. GOD is GOOD... all the time!

      Lord when you build my cabin in the corner of Glory-Land, Please be sure to include a fish pond. Thanks

      God closes doors no man can open and God opens doors no man can close.

    7. #7
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      me to!
      Warning! Koi trained to feed from dangling fingers.
      For your protection, bathing suits required when swimming with Koi
      ______

    8. #8
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      All is well. had a buried run of pipe break lose at a coupled joint just out side the pump house leading to the filters. like a dump butt I used a short coupling when I ran the pipe. I use regular deep throat couplings almost every where else but needed to save some span length in this area. Never again will I use a short throat slip coupling for any plumbing.
      Warning! Koi trained to feed from dangling fingers.
      For your protection, bathing suits required when swimming with Koi
      ______

    9. #9
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      Happy to hear you found your leak. Sounds like it will be a easy fix also.....
      Susie


    10. #10
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      Thank goodness for your neighbor!
      Vicki


      "Some of my best friends have scales!"

      Member Dallas Koi Kichi Club (www.dallaskoikichi.org)
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      Always learning!
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    11. #11
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      well the pond could not pump down any further finally got to the point the pump air locked but you are right if not for the neighbor I suspect the ammonia would have gone over the safe threshhold befor morning
      Warning! Koi trained to feed from dangling fingers.
      For your protection, bathing suits required when swimming with Koi
      ______

    12. #12
      ademink's Avatar
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      I had a line break two years ago and I lost almost all of my koi that I had for about 8-10 years. Heartbreaking. The pond drained overnight and they suffocated and cooked. UGH. SO SO glad you didn't lose any!!!
      Andrea
      Koi Health Care Committee Member

    13. #13
      Pond James_Pond's Avatar
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      Was the slip joint a bonded joint? Glad everything worked out. Whew!

      steve

    14. #14
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      PVC glued joint been in operation for over a year
      Warning! Koi trained to feed from dangling fingers.
      For your protection, bathing suits required when swimming with Koi
      ______

    15. #15
      Pond James_Pond's Avatar
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      Ow. I have several of those!!!!!!!!!!!!!


    16. #16
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      I always use Christy's hot glue. IMO the best ot there. looking at the coupling after the failure it appears as if the prep- solvent did not soften the PVC in the middle of the slip enough for the the glue to make the best bond. not sure why. I have never had an issue with Christys ever not bonding. in fact i use Christy's because it is such a hot glue.
      Last edited by gatorkoi; 07-25-2014 at 12:23 PM.
      Warning! Koi trained to feed from dangling fingers.
      For your protection, bathing suits required when swimming with Koi
      ______

    17. #17
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      I agree, Christy's is the best out there. So, on this line that let loose, was this hard line pvc or was it flex pvc where the "short cuff" coupler was attached?
      Mike

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    18. #18
      gatorkoi's Avatar
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      it was sch 80 PVC pipe not PVC flex pipe
      Warning! Koi trained to feed from dangling fingers.
      For your protection, bathing suits required when swimming with Koi
      ______

    19. #19
      gatorkoi's Avatar
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      The cuff was connecting from the pump discharge as it leaves the pump house into a 25' long run over to the filters. While has ben in operation for over a year it had just recently be buried after I built up the grade in that area. I was thinking about this this afternoon and rememberd that I had driven my skid stear over that area a few days before this happend. That probably put the stress on it that caused a not quite perfect glue joint to give
      Warning! Koi trained to feed from dangling fingers.
      For your protection, bathing suits required when swimming with Koi
      ______

    20. #20
      koiman1950's Avatar
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      Well, THAT explains a LOT!lol
      Mike

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