I also think the "Pond Return" and "Waste Outlet" should have their own separate pipe like the Tried and True design Birdman posted.
I also think the "Pond Return" and "Waste Outlet" should have their own separate pipe like the Tried and True design Birdman posted.
member
It's my lovely deck I am trying to run around. So if you look at the birds eye view... the joists run left to right. So the pipes run in the joints from the pond... . then step down out of the joists in order to run up to the raised barrel in the corner. Kinda like running HVAC in your basement.
HA... i know i Know... it's pretty much blasphemy
I ask this , because You are making changes to a tried and true design . The elbow steps are not the issue, the issue is combining both waste , and pond return into the same 3” line. I understand Your intentions here , but the reason that we add a separate waste line , and use a plug or cap to seal it off , is because it is impossible to keep even a tiny bit of sand from going down the waste line when blowing it clean. Sand will destroy a valve in a very short time , and will have constant leaks , and 3’’ Ball valves are very expensive
Ahh... see good info. SO to get around this... ... what if I changed out the 3" ball valve to just an end cap? I also forgot about the screen cap for the 4" intake in the barrel on top.
Your asking for trouble , if the cap comes off , or leaks , You will drain Your pond . The reason that I make the separate waste line 1/2’’ above the pond return line , is because it gives a safety factor . The water level will only reach and overflow into the waste line when the filter is flushed. And , as the filter is flushed , the cap/plug is placed onto the pond return line so that no sand goes down that line.
mmm.... and since I would have to use a tool of some sort to remove the cap anyway... what if I just swap in a cleanout plug and then have the tool by it laying handy? This would reduce the chances of leaks. I have these parts already since I would use them to drain the set up even with a separate waste line? what do you thinK?
(Just want to check all my options before doing the separate line... though opening and closing separate lines will be easier i guess then this singular run.... it will just be more exposed pipes)
Last edited by Nevermore; 09-20-2018 at 03:48 PM.
I think that will be a lot of unnecessary work every time You flush the filter , plus those threads will need to be resealed with Teflon tape or plumbers putty every time , in addition to the threads getting sand in them and having to be cleaned out every use.
Here’s a pic showing the water level at 1/2’’ below the waste outlet while in filter mode , with no chance of accidental leakage
.
.
.And here’s a video showing the filter in both cleaning , and filtering modes
.
.
https://youtu.be/D8DszwRvme0
That dang sand ruining my clean setup! So back to the original plan (below). So anyone got go answers for the three questions?
Question 1:
- I read that people run these systems through winter, but I was wondering since there will always be portions of any set up that just holds water (i.e.: the bit of water that sits in the bottom wast line before the ball valve) …. Do they just not cause any freezing issues since the water around them is moving enough and not freezing?
Question 2:
- I picked up four 50lb bags of chicken grit. They offered to two types. One was starter and then developer grit. The starter seems so fine that I instead got the developer which was closer to the size of crushed oyster grit. Below are picks from the companies web site showing the two sizes. Did I pick wrong?
Question 3:
- Any worth in adding in a mesh bag of bio balls or something in the top of the chicken grit?
It doesn’t get that cold here in So Cal , so I don’t know about what You Folks in cold climates should do .
It’s hard to tell the size of Your grit , but I think Your fine .
Here’s what We use here in the big city .
.
.
And yes You can add mesh bags of media in the top of the filters .
I do, and I remove them weekly when I flush my S&G filters , otherwise they would get buried in the sand when it fluidizes when flushed .
I have 10 of these in every S&G filter, bought them prefilled in the mesh bags from Tom at Seaside , it’s the same ceramic as His shower filter media , but in about 1’’ balls
.
.
Here’s the grit I got. Poor chickens !! What do you think ? Seems too chunky.
The manufacturer description of what i purchased is: "The Developer layer is the same size as #2 chips"
The other option they carry is the starter grit... described as "The Starter layer is the same size as #0 "
Last edited by Nevermore; 09-20-2018 at 08:32 PM.
I would get the smaller grit , and make sure it’s granite . If can’t find it , go to a roofing supply , and get #10 granite roofing grit like I’ve shown . 80 lb bags for $8
The “#0 granit grit they had was too fine based on your pic. I’ll continue the hunt.
I’ve called around to a ton of roofing supply stores in town (Cincinnati) and no one carries the roofing grit. Most have never heard of it. I’m am going to contact some masonary supply stores tomorrow and check for #8 sand.
Well I found that for the brand Gran-I-Grit... the "Grower" is the right size. So i'm all set. Should be able to finish the build this weekend. Thanks for all the help!
Starter... too small
Developer ... too big
Grower... juuuuust right.
Better call the cops... looks like someone stole your roof there!
The flat roof isn't used for any typical homes around here... though there are plenty of flat roofed 2 story apartment buildings and offices with them. For those I only see them with larger stone or gravel.
I wait till it rains , then collect the grit that washes of the composition shingles. I’ve collected about 3 lbs so far , figure I will have enough to build another S&G filter in about 43 years , it hardly ever rains in Calif.