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  • Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
    Results 21 to 32 of 32

    Thread: Birdman's Sand/Gravel Filter

    1. #21
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      Quote Originally Posted by boggen View Post
      with mary, which is inlet and which is outlet? and do you have some sort of water manifold in the bottom?

      seems like if ya just put a 90 and ran pipe straight down to grating. that you still would get alot of channeling. due to very little to no clearence once weight of rock / sand gets on the grating.

      or is grating off set from air manifold, via legs or some sort?

      and how are you handling waste. either via wye valve on the outside of filter. or some sort of stand pipe inside the drum?

      how much sand has worked it way back down to the bottom. due to so much air?
      The water from the pump comes in the filter in the center bottom of the barrel right under the air blower manifold through the 2 inch shower drain. The air blower manifold has legs built into it (4 way "T"s) to keep it and the grate off the bottom of the barrel.

      Water goes out of the filter either to the pond via the top 3" line left side in picture or to waste via the lower 3" line, right side in picture. Look again at this picture, there is a plug that can be moved from waste line to pond line depending on where you want the water to go.

      I posted pictures of one of these I cut apart a couple of weeks ago. It had been in service 6 months or so and the layers of sand and gravel were still inplace.
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    2. #22
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      Quote Originally Posted by Cowiche Ponder View Post
      Steve you don't show how the water comes into the filter??
      Yes I do, 1st picture, cutting hole in bottom of barrel for 2" shower drain fitting. The wording shower DRAIN can be miss leading. It's not a drain, but an easy, cheap, DIY-ers bulkhead fitting.

    3. #23
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      Good morning Steve You're up early.

      Nice design and clear instructions. Is there a reason you used the 'bulkhead' fittings or do you just prefer them over Uni-seals? I may have to make one of these just for grins...... LOL.
      Bruce

      "The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." Albert Einstein

      Every good landscaping project starts with a hole!



    4. #24
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      another way of cleaning/backwashing ...

      instead of using blower to backwash/clean this kind of filter have anyone tried to T the inlet from the bottom of the barrel into the top of the barrel? for cleaning, close the valve going to the bottom then open the valve going to the top the idea is to flash down whatever have been 'filtered' then obviously another shower drain is needed at the bottom. in comparison the blower is 'forcing' the trapped crud upwards. if this will work then you'll save on the blower cost. what do you think?

    5. #25
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      Quote Originally Posted by BruceP View Post
      Good morning Steve You're up early.

      Nice design and clear instructions. Is there a reason you used the 'bulkhead' fittings or do you just prefer them over Uni-seals? )
      For me the male and female adapters are available locally, less money, and easier to use than uniseals. And sense I offer these filters in Kit form I wanted it to be as easy to assemble as possible. Sometimes uniseals can be a pain th install.

    6. #26
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      Jocel, I think the agitation of the air is needed. To get a filter good and clean using a gentle flow of water would be nearly impossible I think. It might work for media that can float and tumble but I dont think it would be a good option on these.

    7. #27
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      Quote Originally Posted by Mississauga Ponder View Post
      instead of using blower to backwash/clean this kind of filter have anyone tried to T the inlet from the bottom of the barrel into the top of the barrel? for cleaning, close the valve going to the bottom then open the valve going to the top the idea is to flash down whatever have been 'filtered' then obviously another shower drain is needed at the bottom. in comparison the blower is 'forcing' the trapped crud upwards. if this will work then you'll save on the blower cost. what do you think?
      I don't think it would work, at least not as good. 1st just reversing the flow will not dislodge waste from the sand. You need something more violent than just water flow. Without the large movement of air your sand would eventually plug and/or channel. This is where the air comes in. Plus if you changed flow directions you would try and force the sand down through the gravel. What you are talking about is your basic swimming pool sand filter.

    8. #28
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      luke and steve,

      in theory you are using a bit more 'force' (water coming down instead of going up) due to gravity. the force/inertia of the water that let the crud stuck is the same force of water you are using to dislodge them. but again, that's only in theory. i agree that you're actually forcing the sand down wards during cleaning but you will force it up again during normal operation. anyway, just a thought. i guess its worth trying because the benefit out weighs the effort to test.

      how'd you know if it cleaned the filter enough? if you were able to get the same dirt when you clean using the blower. test plan: clean the filter using blower. capture the dirt it was able to dislodge from the filter. take a picture. then for the same period clean the filter using water, capture the dirt that has been dislodged, take a picture then compare.

    9. #29
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      Quote Originally Posted by Mississauga Ponder View Post
      luke and steve,

      test plan: clean the filter using blower. capture the dirt it was able to dislodge from the filter. take a picture. then for the same period clean the filter using water, capture the dirt that has been dislodged, take a picture then compare.
      There you go Jocel. Let us know how it works. I can't began to tell you how many experiments I have thrown away because my idea didn't work. But this is how we learn, and develop new things, just like Kent before me, and Burt before him. Someone comes up with an idea and we take it, and refine it to suit our own needs. Then pass it along to others to help them out.

    10. #30
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      i'll let you know. but this has to wait until spring.

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    11. #31
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      Quote Originally Posted by Mississauga Ponder View Post
      i'll let you know. but this has to wait until spring.
      Don't blame you, it's cold up your way.

    12. #32
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      Quote Originally Posted by Mississauga Ponder View Post
      luke and steve,

      in theory you are using a bit more 'force' (water coming down instead of going up) due to gravity. the force/inertia of the water that let the crud stuck is the same force of water you are using to dislodge them. but again, that's only in theory.
      True, but we are only talking about a few more inches of force. Im still negative on this one....go ahead and prove me wrong.

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