[CarolinaGirl]

Last year I build a static and fluid K1 filter. It worked.....but not as well as I wanted to. I have fought with it's deficiencies ever since, and finally had enough. The problem is has are as follows:

The slotted pipes had horizontal slots, but not enough of them. This filter has vertical slots that I cut on the table saw. The vertical slots should be much more efficient.
the holes in the air lines were too big, making aeration inefficient. The new air rings have 1/32" air holes. I tried it out in the nexus....the aeration looks like it will be fantastic.
the pump suction pipe went up, drawing air bubbles with it. This suction pipe enters the filter low down and has a slotted 3" pipe .

So here is the new, improved design. I built it but have not installed it. I will edit this post with pics this evening, and will edit again with new pics once it is installed. Questions? Comments? Bring 'em on!! :D

edit...some pictures added. The second barrel does not have the 3" slotted stand pipe in it yet, but the reducer is there.

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This post has been edited by CarolinaGirl: 20 August 2007 - 04:45 PM

[MCA]

Great start!!!

On the first chamber...a gazillion holes......that would be at least two more than you want to drill. Been there done that on the shower crates. :surrender:

On the fluid chamber why not just do a Uniseal or curved tank connector (beneath the grate) and put a 45 or 90 to spin the water and then use the central large slotted pipe as the exit to the pump?


Can't wait for the pictures and another fine DIY project for the KoiShack collection! :thumbsup:

[sellis]

MCA, on Aug 20 2007, 03:57 PM, said:

On the fluid chamber why not just do a Uniseal or curved tank connector (beneath the grate) and put a 45 or 90 to spin the water and then use the central large slotted pipe as the exit to the pump?

Thinking the same but with the exit under the grate. Would help prevent air getting in the exit.

[CarolinaGirl]

I see what you mean. Hopefully air won't be a problem since the bubbles will want to rise, they won't get sucked into the inlet. Looking at how a nexus is designed....the air bubbles pass in front of the grate where the water exits and is not a problem. I hope this will work this way....I got a bunch of great stuff already sealing that grate in place. No getting that thing back out now!! lol!!

[Bonnie]

Cindy, I assume you are using some type of stand for the 15" barrel?
Is it actual Kaldnes that you are using or another type for this?

Also what do you use for grating and how do you hold it up?


Thanks for sharing!
Bonnie

This post has been edited by Bonnie: 20 August 2007 - 12:51 PM

[CarolinaGirl]

Bonnie, on Aug 20 2007, 03:48 PM, said:

Cindy, I assume you are using some type of stand for the 15" barrel?
Is it actual Kaldnes that you are using or another type for this?

Also what do you use for grating and how do you hold it up?
Thanks for sharing!
Bonnie

I had the fab shop where I work to make a ring with 3 angle arms that extend to the sides of the barrel, so the center part hangs from that frame. In my nexus, the frame sits in the bottom of the nexus and the 15 gallon drum sits on top, but I don't like that as well. Stuff hangs up in the legs when I drain it. I may switch it out for a top hanger too.

The media I am using is a mix of "real" kaldnes and also that AK-11 stuff. It looks just like K1 but is a little larger.

The grate is made from the top of one of the barrels. I cut the top out and then drilled a bunch of holes in it. I made some temporary legs from PVC to hold it up until the Great Stuff set up, so now it is held in place by the foam.

[CarolinaGirl]

Here's a couple more pictures. I have never used vertical slotted pipes before, but I believe the vertical slots will allow a much greater water flow than the horizontal ones. I cut these slots on a table saw. Also, I am pretty sure this filter will operate just fine with the pond 8" low.

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This post has been edited by CarolinaGirl: 20 August 2007 - 06:21 PM

[luke-gr]

Cindy, Im afraid you're going to be pulling air into your pump. I had problems with that with my 4" pipe. I recently re-did mine with 6". Finally fixed it. The problem is the velocity inside the column of the 3" pipe, it'll suck the bubbles right on down the pipe.

Ive been running similar for two years. Unless Im just incompetent, I fiddled and goofed and drilled more holes in my 4" and never could run it as a moving med. Ive run my bio media static until recently when I converted to the 6". Ive seen several others in this boat install another small chamber of some type after the moving bed to allow bubbles to rise out.

Given all that, pumping out a few bubbles probably isnt the end of the world. :)

[CarolinaGirl]

Hmmm....well, maybe this won't work then.....I'll know soon enough. right now, the existing set up I have the 2" pipe enters the moving bed high up, and goes down into the water. there is a colandar (for cooking) fashioned over the end of the pipe to keep the kaldnes out. When I first started this system up, it ws sucking a LOT of bubbles, but now it only sucks a few. I hope that because this one draws the water down, the bubbles may go up and not get in the pump. I guess in the grand scheme of things, bubbles are ok except that it may be a little hard on the pump.

[luke-gr]

Cool. I probably could have gotten away with the 4" pipe, but the bubbles bugged me :rolleyes: I even tried doing a 4" Tee in there and still got bubbles and that was using half the air from an AV50. Now Im sharing an AV150.

[kntry]

I have a small problem with the air bubbles in my system, Cindy. They don't really cause a problem, just an annoyance when I have to look at them. :rolleyes:

My filtration is not set up correctly but it's the best it can be for now. My moving bed is before the pump (I know, wrong) but it gravity feeds through 4" pipe about 15' to the pump so the strainer basket usually has some air at the top of it.

There has to be some way to get rid of the air before it causes a problem. Some type of bleeder valve.

A friend just bought a pump a pump that has a bleeder valve built into the top of the basket.

[CarolinaGirl]

Puutting a third barrel in the system and using it as another static filter (like MCS suggested in the bead filter thread) would solve the problem, but i don't really have room for it with the size of my filter pit. I'll just live with the bubbles.

[luke-gr]

CarolinaGirl, on Aug 22 2007, 04:50 PM, said:

Puutting a third barrel in the system and using it as another static filter (like MCS suggested in the bead filter thread) would solve the problem, but i don't really have room for it with the size of my filter pit. I'll just live with the bubbles.

Wouldnt even have to be another barrel. Could just be a 6" pipe. I fought it for a long while because of the price of the fittings.....6' stuff is way up there. With the plastic welder I feel like Ive opened a new door. Again the bubbles probably werent hurting anything. What kind of flow rate are you planning through this?

This post has been edited by luke-gr: 23 August 2007 - 07:13 AM

[CarolinaGirl]

I have a 1/4 hp wave pump that will go on it, but part of the flow will be shared by the skimmer line, which does not go thru the filter. the skimmer line uses the filter mats that are in the skimmer and ties into the pump line right before the pump. The skimmer line and the filter line will each have a 2" ball valve so I can regulate the flow between them. right now, the skimmer line is pulling WAY more than the filter because the existing filter just can't handle the flow. With this new design, I'll be able to pull more thru the filter.

[PaNancy]

Day ummm! And I can't figure out how to do a simple barrel filter. :rolleyes: Good Luck with it Cindy! :thumbsup:

[luke-gr]

Cindy, what is the theory with the vertical slits? I bet they are a lot easier to do that way on a table saw.

[CarolinaGirl]

thanks Nancy.

Luke, the vertical slots were much easier to do on the table saw than the horizontal ones on the miter saw. I noiced when the static filter starts clogging up, the water level drops inside the center pipe and only the bottom couple of horizontal slots were passing any water, which further restricted the flow. I think with the vertical slots, I will have a greater flow at low water levels. Also, I was able to get the slots much closer together without weakening the pipe like the horiz. slots did. When you cut the horiz. slots, you basically make two slots, leaving a section of un-cut PVC between them on each side. With the vert slots, there is no need for any un-cut PVC so I am pretty sure these slots will pass much more water.

[Dwight]

Probably a dumb question but what is the 15" barrell ? Source ?

[CarolinaGirl]

They are sold on Ebay as drinking water barrels. This one came from a car wash and had soap in it. They are hard to come by for free....but I do see them for sale on Ebay for around $20 all the time. They are very strong....just like the 55 gallon barrels.

[luke-gr]

Thanks CG, I know well the draw down concerns as the media clogs. Ive removed and cut more several times. Ive learned a lot from piddling with these. I borrowed a friends radial arm saw for my originals and did three slits around so there were three uncut rows which was much stronger than just having two. I was NO good at doing them on a miter saw. But, after I needed more holes, I ended up just drilling holes. Everything I do starts out so pretty then I butcher it trying to make it work right. LOL!