4” BD pipe reduced to 3” then 2” okay?

[KoiFan84]

Can a 4” BD pipe get clogged if a 4” to 3” reducer pipe fitting then 3” to 2” reducer fitting are installed just before a 2” elbow up and a 2” horizontal elbow go into the ball valve then directly into external pump?

The 4” pipe runs 5 feet under pond floor, then vertically 3 ft, then horizontally 13 ft. It will have one or two 45 degree 4” horizontal elbows about halfway along the 13ft horizontal distance.

My pump is artesian performance pro 1/3 hp 7,320 gph. I’ve attached graph for ft head that reduce gph. I would assume bypassing the seive would increase gph?

I do have an air line for the diffuser that had to be run inside of the 4” pipe starting about 5 ft from the 4” elbow that makes the pipe descend down to under pond floor. No clogging at all has occurred for the 2 years I have had the pond. Currently the 4” pipe runs to an aquaforte ultrasieve whose output pipe is a 2” pipe only about 2 feet away from the external pump.

So like I said would the 4” to 3” reducer then 3” to 2” reducer cause clogging? What would be the best distance for the reducers to be away from the 2” elbows that go through ball valve into pump? My pond gets very very few leaves that get sucked into bottom drain. It’s only small strands of string algae and half inch poop balls that get sucked in. Thanks for any help!!

[kimini]

While the reduction won't cause clogging, it does make it easier for it to happen. Things that won't clog a 4" pipe obviously have an easier time clogging a 3", and even easier with a 2" (like leaves mixed with small branches). Also, due to the 2" restriction, it's highly likely that even without leaves, sediment will settle out in the 4" section, due to the slow flow, eventually reducing the flow to a 2" equivalent. I don't think anyone's going to say that it's a great idea, but it'll work for a while. No pond system is perfect, and most of us have to reduce down the drains to the pump at some point - the differences being where in the system the pump and filtration are.

[BWG]

Why do you want to eliminate the sieve? BD directly into a pump with a basket not ideal.

[Grumpy]

What model of aquaforte ultrasieve do you have? Does it only have a 3" input? So the top of the sieve is level with the water surface?

[KoiFan84]

Why do you want to eliminate the sieve? BD directly into a pump with a basket not ideal.

I’m on the fence about it. The floating door on it is very temperamental as far as allowing the correct flow to fall over it. The float does not have water in it so that’s ruled out. I found a better plug. I’ve come to realize that gravity flow can be a big pain considering the limited range of inches that allow it to operate correctly.

The sieve is a 4” inlet. Sieve level is correct for the water level.

[Grumpy]

I have 2 Cetus sieves and I deal with the limited range when pumping at high flow rates. When I maintain the pond close to full (less than 1" low), we can pump +8,000 gph reliably without sucking air. I have no experience with the ultrasieve, but if the float is empty, the guides must be binding??? What I like about the sieves are their simplicity. If your problems are worse when the pond level is down a bit, perhaps an auto-fill would help?

Do you have a second pump that handles a skimmer or is it also going into the sieve?

Rotating drums are the replacement for our sieves, but you have the cost associated with buying them, and they also aren't entirely maintenance free either. Plus mechanical breakdowns can be expensive.

[BAVOTOI]

Can a 4” BD pipe get clogged if a 4” to 3” reducer pipe fitting then 3” to 2” reducer fitting are installed just before a 2” elbow up and a 2” horizontal elbow go into the ball valve then directly into external pump?

The 4” pipe runs 5 feet under pond floor, then vertically 3 ft, then horizontally 13 ft. It will have one or two 45 degree 4” horizontal elbows about halfway along the 13ft horizontal distance.

My pump is artesian performance pro 1/3 hp 7,320 gph. I’ve attached graph for ft head that reduce gph. I would assume bypassing the seive would increase gph?

I do have an air line for the diffuser that had to be run inside of the 4” pipe starting about 5 ft from the 4” elbow that makes the pipe descend down to under pond floor. No clogging at all has occurred for the 2 years I have had the pond. Currently the 4” pipe runs to an aquaforte ultrasieve whose output pipe is a 2” pipe only about 2 feet away from the external pump.

So like I said would the 4” to 3” reducer then 3” to 2” reducer cause clogging? What would be the best distance for the reducers to be away from the 2” elbows that go through ball valve into pump? My pond gets very very few leaves that get sucked into bottom drain. It’s only small strands of string algae and half inch poop balls that get sucked in. Thanks for any help!!

Why don't you reducer pipe fitting from REFILTER 4" or 3" out to 2" pump to Biofilter. Do you think it's bester.