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  • Results 1 to 18 of 18

    Thread: Pressurized 55 gallon drum filter.

    1. #1
      koimystic is offline Koiphen Kid
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      Pressurized 55 gallon drum filter.

      Is there anyway I could make my 55 gallon drum pressurized? It is completely sealed except at the top there are 2 female threaded things so that it can be sealed. I also have the threaded caps for it, but how could I create a filter out of it? Thanks
      Thanks Marshall
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    2. #2
      CarolinaGirl is offline Inactivated
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      Quote Originally Posted by koimystic
      Is there anyway I could make my 55 gallon drum pressurized? It is completely sealed except at the top there are 2 female threaded things so that it can be sealed. I also have the threaded caps for it, but how could I create a filter out of it? Thanks
      55 gallon drums were not designed to be pressurized. It could rupture or split. A beer keg would work though, although they are not very big and I don't know the pressure rating on them.

    3. #3
      turtleguy89 is offline Senior Member
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      I will be building a 55 gallon drum bead filter shortly, once I buy a barrel. It will be built after the pump, and sealed off completely. Is that considered pressurized??

      ---Kenny--

    4. #4
      dcny is offline Senior Member
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      Here's a set of plans - http://home.netcom.com/~larry_l/diy_bead.htm

      I'm not saying that you should do this though, because I agree with Cindy. It could come apart on you.

      -Dan

    5. #5
      MCA is offline Senior Member
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      Two major problems with a closed filter system in a barrel...

      • being a closed contain it will not have the ability for to add the air (and therefore O2) that is so critically needed by the filter bacteria. That means the bacteria is taking their O2 from the water that is passing through.
      • trying to clean a narrow barrel full of anthing could be a royal pain. that is what is so neat about a fluid bed for bio...it is self cleaning. And a static bed can be cleaned with a blast of air.
      MCA
      Too much sanity may be madness and maddest of all is to see life as it is and not as it should be.



    6. #6
      Steve E. is offline Super Member
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      Typical metal 55 gallon drums will deform at 8-10 psi and rupture violently at 35 - 40 psi, i.e. explode. I have seen these types of results in several instances. One of them was due to a paint store owner using air pressure to "pump" out solvent. The others were during fires. I have also seen a video tape of testing performed on ordinary metal 55 gallon drums filled with several levels of water and using air to pressurize them. Even our low head pumps will reach pressures sufficient to deform them and possible rupture them if the barrel had any weak spots in the walls. I personally would not use a drum (either metal or plastic) for a pressurized filter unless it was designed to be used as a pressurized vessel.

      Steve

    7. #7
      koimystic is offline Koiphen Kid
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      Quote Originally Posted by turtleguy89
      I will be building a 55 gallon drum bead filter shortly, once I buy a barrel. It will be built after the pump, and sealed off completely. Is that considered pressurized??

      ---Kenny--
      Yip, Thats what I was thinking. Also the set of plans that Dan posted. When I say pressuized, I don't mean get and air compresser... I was just thinking if it were filled completely w/ filter brushes... Thanks Cindy, MCA, and everyone else who posted.
      Thanks Marshall
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      2800 Gallon Pond - Homemade Filter - 4,080 GPH Wlim Pump
      Member of the Triad Koi and Watergarden Club
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    8. #8
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      Quote Originally Posted by CarolinaGirl
      55 gallon drums were not designed to be pressurized. It could rupture or split. A beer keg would work though, although they are not very big and I don't know the pressure rating on them.
      The "closed" top barrel that you have, can be made into a bead filter. I made several from DIY plans that I originially got from the Colorado Koi club website but added pool filter valves to assist in backwashing. They served me well for a number of years until I decided to go to a single, converted sand filter tank. In normal opperation, pressure is not an issue since water is flowing through the barrel, freely. If yor mess up during maintenance/cleaning and closed the barrel outlet valve and keep the pump running, built up pressure in the barrel could be an issue. this isn't even a good situation if using commerially made products in that it's going to test your plumbing system somewhere along the line.

      I also made a 55g pressurized pre-filter out of an "open" top barrel. These are the barrels that have the removable gasketed lids that is held on with a metal ring. I bought a straight sided barrel so I could wedge a round Matala cartridge into the barrel. This has also worked great for me. I did get confused one time and forgot to open the filter outlet, before turning the pump back on and the lid split, which I keep patching for a few years before I got another barrel and rebuilt the filter.

      MN Mike

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    9. #9
      dcny is offline Senior Member
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      Very nice setup Mike! Great DIY job.

      -Dan

    10. #10
      koimystic is offline Koiphen Kid
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      Quote Originally Posted by mpageler
      The "closed" top barrel that you have, can be made into a bead filter. I made several from DIY plans that I originially got from the Colorado Koi club website but added pool filter valves to assist in backwashing. They served me well for a number of years until I decided to go to a single, converted sand filter tank. In normal opperation, pressure is not an issue since water is flowing through the barrel, freely. If yor mess up during maintenance/cleaning and closed the barrel outlet valve and keep the pump running, built up pressure in the barrel could be an issue. this isn't even a good situation if using commerially made products in that it's going to test your plumbing system somewhere along the line.

      I also made a 55g pressurized pre-filter out of an "open" top barrel. These are the barrels that have the removable gasketed lids that is held on with a metal ring. I bought a straight sided barrel so I could wedge a round Matala cartridge into the barrel. This has also worked great for me. I did get confused one time and forgot to open the filter outlet, before turning the pump back on and the lid split, which I keep patching for a few years before I got another barrel and rebuilt the filter.
      wow! That put some thoughts through my head! Lol. Thanks for the ideas!!!
      Thanks Marshall
      _____________________________________________
      2800 Gallon Pond - Homemade Filter - 4,080 GPH Wlim Pump
      Member of the Triad Koi and Watergarden Club
      _____________________________________________
      Southern Koi Show Site
      My Koi Site
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    11. #11
      Simi Koi's Avatar
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      I would think that as long as the water was able to leave the filter at the same rate as it was entering the psi would be very low. Just make sure and reduce the head after the filter as much as possible. too much head and the pop goes the barrel.

    12. #12
      vrap393's Avatar
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      POP goes the barrel, pop goes the pond water,pop goes the fish when it goes bad when you are at work, then you come home and die!!!

      Is it worth it? I think not, buy a real filter, hell go find an old pool sand filter and convert it to bead, will end up being cheaper than DIY.

      Look in the want add press, peaple give old pool filters away!!!!!!!!
      The more you think know, the less you learn.

      MIKE S.
      DISCLOSE THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    13. #13
      kdmatrix is offline Senior Member
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      Sand filters on ebay are cheap... I got one and converted to bead filter. Work great.
      Kevin D.

    14. #14
      koimystic is offline Koiphen Kid
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      Quote Originally Posted by vrap393
      POP goes the barrel, pop goes the pond water,pop goes the fish when it goes bad when you are at work, then you come home and die!!!

      Is it worth it? I think not, buy a real filter, hell go find an old pool sand filter and convert it to bead, will end up being cheaper than DIY.

      Look in the want add press, peaple give old pool filters away!!!!!!!!
      Ok, my uncle moved into a house that has a pool. It has nice sand filter, pump, and everything, except, the pool is gross and drained, probably irreparible(He said he wasn't going to fix it back up). I was thinking of asking him if I could buy the pumps and sandfilters (It even had a heater!). The only thing I noticed, was the valve(The one for backwashing, rinsing, everything) wasn't rated very high for GPH, maybe I could just have a way to have some water not go through it, like have a bypass partially opened... Thanks. Could I just put normal beads into it? Will i need to change the laterals? Sorry for all these questions, But thanks very mucho!
      Thanks Marshall
      _____________________________________________
      2800 Gallon Pond - Homemade Filter - 4,080 GPH Wlim Pump
      Member of the Triad Koi and Watergarden Club
      _____________________________________________
      Southern Koi Show Site
      My Koi Site
      -High Point

    15. #15
      vrap393's Avatar
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      How much presure are we talking? I have a hayward sand filter converted to bead being run by a 5800 gl. per hour sequence pump, it then feeds into my diy vortex settling tank. Backwashing not a problem, filtering not a problem.

      Most pool pumps/sauna pumps are rated at the same outputs as pond pumps, they just tend to be cheaper because they gobble up more electricity, but the presures are all in the same nieghborhood.

      Would help to know your specs of your pump and the make of the sand filter?

      You wont be under that much presure in backwash anyway as the flow output is leaving the chamber to a waste hose.

      The only added costs beside the media to replace the sand is designing a blower installation to make the backwashing more effective, trust me a must have!!!!!!

      I can help you with that as well as others here. Lets start with the size of your pump?
      The more you think know, the less you learn.

      MIKE S.
      DISCLOSE THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    16. #16
      kdmatrix is offline Senior Member
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      Do not use the Pool pump.. get the pump that design for pond. If you use Pool pump.. watchout for your electric bill.
      Kevin D.

    17. #17
      koimystic is offline Koiphen Kid
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      Quote Originally Posted by vrap393
      How much presure are we talking? I have a hayward sand filter converted to bead being run by a 5800 gl. per hour sequence pump, it then feeds into my diy vortex settling tank. Backwashing not a problem, filtering not a problem.

      Most pool pumps/sauna pumps are rated at the same outputs as pond pumps, they just tend to be cheaper because they gobble up more electricity, but the presures are all in the same nieghborhood.

      Would help to know your specs of your pump and the make of the sand filter?

      You wont be under that much presure in backwash anyway as the flow output is leaving the chamber to a waste hose.

      The only added costs beside the media to replace the sand is designing a blower installation to make the backwashing more effective, trust me a must have!!!!!!

      I can help you with that as well as others here. Lets start with the size of your pump?
      Ok, I have a Wlim Wave 1 1/6 HP hooked up. The good thing is, I already have the plumbing read for some kind of filtration addition. So I could just pop a filter right in there. The Wave 1 pumps 4,080 GPH at 3.47 ft. head. So you don't think I would need to change the laterals in it? Or would I? Thanks alot for helping me with this, same to you KDMatrix and everyone else!
      Thanks Marshall
      _____________________________________________
      2800 Gallon Pond - Homemade Filter - 4,080 GPH Wlim Pump
      Member of the Triad Koi and Watergarden Club
      _____________________________________________
      Southern Koi Show Site
      My Koi Site
      -High Point

    18. #18
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      Well, most sand/bead filters are designed for high presure pumps. If sand was in the filter it would be hard to stir with a low presure pump.

      As I said my Hayward is running directly off a 5800 gph Sequence, and even that is undersized for what could go on to my Hayward.

      Ok, what are the specs and make of the pool filter, most likely Hayward.
      The more you think know, the less you learn.

      MIKE S.
      DISCLOSE THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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