homemade pondmaster pump prefilter

[spud1035]

Hi Gang,

Just checking in with those folks that have ponds and pond pumps with prefilters that like to clog in less than six hours. I have a pondmaster mag pump and works great and is super durable but clogs quickly, typically not even a half a day. I have experimented with different ideas and finally came up with a homemade prefilter made out of ice cream buckets and fully vented vinyl soffit. You take the vinyl soffit (two pieces) and make a tube out of it. Slide ice cream buckets on each end and fasten with screws. Stuff cloth or some type of fabric in grooved ridges of soffit were it meets the bottom of bucket. Drill hole in one end of bucket and use PVC connector, male threads on one end and smooth female on other to make inlet for pump. Fasten smooth end of pvc to pump with clamp and your good to go. The surface (vinyl soffit) still needs cleaned (I use car wash bush, only takes a second) and at times organic matter still slow flow at impeller, but backflushing sometimes works and taking apart typically doesn't take to long. Will post pics tomorrow. Any body else have solutions for this common problem. Jeff

 

[Kevin565]

Sounds very interesting

,.Can't wait for the pictures

 

[spud1035]

So here are some pics, this is how the pump attaches to the ice cream bucket, the female end of the pvc fitting must be cut (I did mine with a hacksaw blade ) so it compresses over the male end of the pump. I also made some plastic washers to give the ice cream bucket some extra rigidity. Of course there is a nut on the inside of the pvc fitting to hold it in place.

 

[spud1035]

So here the main body of the prefilter. The soffit were it joined needed to be fastened together, I used sheet metal screws. When I didn't, it would come apart at the seam and large chunks of weeds would get through and plug the impeller. Also, I had to attach the buckets to the soffit near the end of the bucket, it formed a better seal that way. It's so easy to clean, I just use a long handled car brush and wipe it off even when it's running but it more effective when unplugged d/t water flowing from tank pushing debris out. When most of the pores of the soffit get plugged it will collapse and almost always will return to shape when cleaned off