When should I "stir" the media beads in my Medium Tank?
I have a Pond Company come out from time-to-time and the last time they came out, they had me unscrew the clear lid on the Bead Tank and stir it? My pond over the last 2 years takes forever to prime. Literally, during a backwash I have to stop at Rinse, prime directly at the Pump basket and start the process each time. I backwash once a week and "try" to water-change once a month. I use Salt maybe once or twice a year... Mostly, end of Winter to jumpstart the gel on my Koi.
I have a few questions:
1. How often should I remove the clear cover and stir the beads?
2. Should I use the hose and blast water in there?
3. What is the remedy for the long prime time?
A. My pump is an Artesian 2 and over 5 yrs old
B. I get it serviced around every 18 mos by a Motor Company and very familiar with the seal replacements, operations, etc.
C. At the beginning, my backwash process was under 5 mins... it can take up to 20 because I have to keep going back and priming it...
Any help or .02 would be appreciated! I noticed when I do stir it, it backwashes fast again, then goes back to taking forever to finish.
I would ask the pond cleaning company for assistance. It sounds like your check valve needs replacement if your pump is losing prime.
Is the bead filter your only biological filtration too? Removing the beads and dipping in potassium permanganate or chlorine would reduce channeling and improve mechanical filtration but reducew biological. Your pond maintenance company is best to advise.
Also possible your multi-port valve is leaking. If it's only during the backflush, a cheap work around could be to add an inline manual valve on the mainline.
Most of my multi-port valves dribble out the discharge to waste line during normal filter operation so I cap them with a manual valve. (Sometimes slide - gate valve, sometimes ball valve, depending on what I've scrounged up).
For stirring the beads, I'd say do it every couple of months or when the backwash slows down. A gentle rinse with the hose can help, but don't blast it too hard. The long priming could be from a faulty check valve or a leaking multi-port valve.
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