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Thread: Diy rotary drum filter
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26-11-2018, 09:51 PM #1
Diy rotary drum filter
Due to issues with my current setup I'm interested in building my own Rotary drum filter
has anyone here successfully made one? have any plans or know where I can get some free plans so I can customise a similar system for the space I have .
thanks
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27-11-2018, 12:01 AM #2
By the time you have payed for all the bits you need you will have spent not much less than one of the lows end drums on the market. Would probably be easier to make a shop bought one fit. But good luck ether way
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markini5 Thanked / Liked this Post
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27-11-2018, 12:24 AM #3
you may well be correct!
I do have some materials, wood 3x2's, ply sheets, aqua safe pond paints (g4) left over from painting my pond I need to check it can be used on wood. Amalgam UV
im thinking of making a floating bio chamber as part of an all in one and utilize the space
just need some plans and come up with idea for my own, if any good will share them here .
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Mike tsk Thanked / Liked this Post
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27-11-2018, 01:35 AM #4
This guy might be worth a look on youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmu...NL23yryPOchkXQ
His website is - https://diypondfilters.com/
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27-11-2018, 01:58 AM #5
after buying 2 old kc10 drums and having major problems with the sensors not working as they should,probably me not doing it correctly,my advice would be to forget about making one and buy a new one,if you cant afford it all in one go then look at kitsu koi,they do 0% interest free over £250,i wish i had gone this way instead of thinking i was saving money buying used,i could of got a new drum with enough inlets on for both bottom drains and a spare for about £300 more than i spent,i know wrighty built one and sells the plans but i bet your still looking at £700+ for parts,plus if something goes wrong you have no warranty,unlike buying a drum thats been fully R&D'd and is covered if anything happens,andi
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27-11-2018, 11:34 PM #6
i wouldn't pay £25 for some plans, its crazy , im still conflicted its a lot of money new £700+ for a homemade just seems so over the top to me surely £350-£450 should be ample .
ive got lots of engineering skills inc the fact im a time served aerospace tig welder so knocking one up in S/S 316 is no issue for me, even have a tig set at home, could do with a plasma cutter otherwise id have to cut sheets the hard way with a jigsaw.
in my job I have to manufacture turbine engine components(RR) that have to pass crack testing and xray daily .
My only concern is the electrics side of things , ie automation of cleaning finding reliable water/float level switch.
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28-11-2018, 10:27 AM #7
im actually thinking of swapping the capacitive proximity sensors on mine for just normal float sensors,if i cant get the stupid things to work,there was a guy on another forum who retrofitted a kc30 drum with an arduino kit,went straight over my head lol,i looked iinto just putting drum and clean pump on a float switch but its getting it to stay on for long enough to do a clean,also looked at just putting on a timer every 20 mins,ive found out on mine that the drum rotates as long as pump is washing,a 4 second wash turns drum halfway,so only cleans top left and bottom left if you get me,so its now on an 8 sec clean which rotates drum fully,it cleans every hour if sensors dont set it off,if i could set this to every 20 mins i wouldnt bother with sensors but i cant so need to figure something,i would honestly buy a new one or keep eyes open for an upto date used one,something thats been proven,andi
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28-11-2018, 05:25 PM #8
sounds a rite pain, maybe a timer (plug in 3 pin type) might be the best solution if that is compatiable with yours . you could easily adjust for summer and winter
if I could ever find a second hand drum I may consider it, never seen one for sale. im not going to pay new prices which are extortionate nearly £2000 for a combio drum/bio ,basic version. the manufacturers are making a killing on these and 70 micron isn't even all that great , they could of easily made one with much finer mesh and decreased time between cleaning and/or made drum larger .
looking into stainless steel prices , gone up a lot since I last used any for my never ending projects lol
roughly worked out material cost is approx. £250 - £300 for 316 marine grade stainless 0.9mm thick sheet cut to order
316 marine grade mesh 25 micron £55
other option is fiberglass mould or buy a large cistern tank or similar.
I wouldn't ever buy on credit, if I have got the money I just come up with other idea's or wait.
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28-11-2018, 07:53 PM #9
Hiya
This now goes back a few years but it is still going strong. It is fairly straightforward to build one. Cost wise there is no real advantage over the AEM unit.
https://www.koiforum.uk/pond-diy-tip...ished+business
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markini5 Thanked / Liked this Post
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28-11-2018, 09:32 PM #10
Hi, just into testing phase with mine and dont want to post until it has proven itself reliable. Its built around two 450mm plastic drain manhole risers, held in an old fibreglass water tank between marine ply bulkheads(then fibreglassed to tank. Drive is by plastic 1/2inch chain via pushbike gears and driven by Ford Focus wiper moter. Controller is based on this-DC 5V/12V/24V Infinite Loop Cycle Timing Timer Time Delay Relay ON OFF Module (£4.56ebay) tripped with a float switch(-New Hot Sale Small Liquid Water Level Sensor Horizontal Float Switch Pop VH £2.17ebay). This has adjustable cycle time of 0-15mins and it trips a 12v relay to open valve onto mains(1/2" 12V Electric Solenoid Valve For Water Air Flow N/C Normally Closed Device £3.98ebay) and power up wipermotor. Cycle time is about 35 secs for one revolution and it has a 7 jet spraybar made from old parts I had at work. All in all it has cost me about£150-200 and a huge amount of time, great fun and really pleased so far. I would recommend anyone to have a go but only if you have comprehensive diy skills and a small workshop at your disposal. Will get around to posting more detailed description/photos etc. soon.
Good Luck
Alan
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28-11-2018, 10:03 PM #11
looks like a professionally built drum, a pat on the back is in order. well done.
ive ruled out lexan/polycarbonate sheets way too expensive and I dont have a plastic welder.
like you I want to prove to myself I can do it and got abit too much time on my hands.
im certain I could make a quality item that will function as I hoped it would.
im planning upto 25,000ltrs flow internal drum measurements so far 300mm dia x 800mm long external size 1000mm Length x 500mm width x 500mm height to fit in a narrow area ,
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freddyboy Thanked / Liked this Post
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28-11-2018, 10:20 PM #12
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markini5 Thanked / Liked this Post
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28-11-2018, 11:56 PM #13
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29-11-2018, 12:07 AM #14
thanks Dave,
ive got 500mm width maximum to play with, making the drum larger will take up more space, I could possibly go to 420mm but I think a longer drum will give more advantage rather than a shorter drum .
I plan on using a 316 s/s 8mm rod running the entire length, sealed roller bearing to outside, and gearing housed outside possibly driven via v pully.
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29-11-2018, 09:50 AM #15
Not sure what the objective would be in running a rod the entire length?
What you will find with a long drum unit is 1) there is a significant amount of leverage on the bearings created by the additional length.2) the chute and spraybar arrangement becomes difficult to support.
In terms of components there are often some really nice, powerful Parvalux 24V DC motors (ex stairlift units ) that come up on ebay.
One of the biggest practical issues is getting some form of access to the chute,
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29-11-2018, 12:28 PM #16
I would agree with Dave- the big problem is the waste chute. Once you shrink the drum diameter there is very little room to fit in the chute above the waterline before you end up with only half the drum submerged. I built mine partly because I had a tight place to fit it in and off the shelf ones were not quite what I needed, and the fun of doing it. 300mm sounds a bit too small to be practicable, my 450mm rings are fitted with only about 25mm clearance to the tank sides and this seems more than adequate for water flow through the system so I would go as large as you possibly can.
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29-11-2018, 02:32 PM #17
if I rotate the drum 90 degrees I can then make it much larger, easily 20" dia or more, but length would be limited to 400mm max due to inlet side 110mm x 2 and 110mm x 1/2 outlets to floating oase helx media 100ltrs min then pumped back to pond.
would mean 200mm pump head height and no restrictions on flow using 90mm returns
I think your correct on long drums create management issues, and full length rod wont work with waste chutes ect.
its going to have to be taller to house the drum spray bar above/slightly to one side, and space for free flowing water falling through the sieve which has to take into account of space needed for exit pipes .
will be a fun project
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06-12-2018, 07:55 PM #18
quick update as been a while,
had to get my welder repaired not used in a while, turned it on and blew a PCB, repaired then returned from manufacturer to find another fault , HF start failure think they would check for additional faults .
ive since rounded down materials list to,
marine grade.
stainless steel
aluminium
sieve will be 316 marine grade.
due to my job I can get trade prices on materials and argon gas
possibly an area of additional work for me
once built in the new year, I will post some pics .
if worth while I may even custom make them for anyone here for a fee of course.
hopefully save you guys some money
cheers
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john1, fishyFinger Thanked / Liked this Post
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