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  1. #1

    What’s your drum filter arrangement?

    I have had gravity fed systems for years, currently have a Draco drum fed from 4” bottom drain and 4” skimmer. This then feeds via two 4” pipes to the Draco bio, then the pump sucks from the 2No 2” outlets to a UV and a shower via a single pump with valves adjusting flow.

    Now I have a bigger pond at 4500gallons it’s time to go for a bigger drum filter - which means that it won’t all fit in my in-ground filter bay area.

    I’m considering putting the drum only in the bay giving loads of maintenance space, then pump from the outlets to the bio chamber that would be above ground (as per the shower) so that it turns to the pond via gravity from the bio filtration. My initial thoughts are it will be noisier as it’s fluid bed, potentially susceptible to the cold, and that the flow rate will be reduced for the same amount of electric being used. It will be easier to service everything with this arrangement though.

    Anyone else do this arrangement of pumping from drum to bio? Pros/cons welcome…


    Last edited by DiabloDave; 15-04-2025 at 02:45 PM.

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  3. #2
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion john1's Avatar
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    Hi Dave, I dont have that system with the bio pump fed as mine is same as your original one but no shower.
    What size is your current Draco and what one are you thinking?

    If you go for the raised bio it will be a large lump to see,but it could be enclosed with insulation and cladding.
    John

  4. #3
    Bio would be hidden behind shrubbery (I’ve got a huge amount of space to play with but don’t fancy digging another bay by hand given all the tree and shrub roots that I’ll encounter).

    None of the combi drums on the market that will fit the bay will give me sufficient bio; had a thought overnight to ask Profi and Burtons to see if they can make me a bigger bio chamber on a combi……That would free up some bay space for me to try an air lift - this would be a huge win and reduce my running costs significantly.

    The thing that’s frustrating is that the Draco bio is such a great bit of kit that has consistently given me excellent parameters.

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  6. #4
    Senior Member Rank = Mature Champion Twhitenosugar's Avatar
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    If you did the latter, the air lift can sit outside of the filter area close to the pond return, so that should help reduce the space used up In the filter area.

    Also if you go for airlifts, then you'll ideally need an amalgam UV in the drum rather than an inline UV. So that could free up the space currently needed for pumps and UV.

    Sent from my Pixel 8 using Tapatalk
    13,000L fibreglassed raised pond with window

  7. #5
    Senior Member Rank = Mature Champion Twhitenosugar's Avatar
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    And as you can tell I'm a big fan of air lifts. They are just so cheap to run and require no maintenance once they are all set up.

    I installed mine in October 2019 and it has been running without any issues since then. The only thing I do is clean the air filter on the air pump once a year.

    And it's just so economical to run! I have a 58w air pump ( a second hand hi blow 80xp I got for £100) supplying air to the air lift and bio filter (210l of k1).

    Plus if the air pump ever fails, it's so easy to swap out. I can easily swap my 40lpm air pump over (that I have for the BD) as an emergency back up whilst I order a new one.

    I have 2 425w solar panels on the pergola over the pond. On a fairly sunny day they easily cover all of the power needs for the pond and my whole house.

    Sent from my Pixel 8 using Tapatalk
    13,000L fibreglassed raised pond with window

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  9. #6
    Thanks, if I put a 4” air lift in with say a 40 or 60lph pump - what kind of LPH will I get and how deep does the air lift need to be below water level?

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  11. #7
    With an 55W air pump I am running at 17,000-20,000 lph. It varies constantly with the drum filter rinse cycle as the clean side level drops before rinsing and going back up again. I'm only working with an average head of 12-15cm.
    The deeper the air lift the better, but there's a sweet spot. Go too deep and the pressure required either reduces air flow or requires a higher wattage pump.
    Like 2WNS mine runs beautifully - here's the important bit:
    pd44.jpg
    My DIY ponds from 1988 until present day.
    All can be found here:
    https://www.ukzero.com/pond.htm

  12. #8
    How does that work? Does the bottom of it sit in a sump type arrangement filled from the drum?

  13. #9
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion davethefish1's Avatar
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    my drum is gravity fed and then pumps to a 500 litre bio unit i welded up myself.
    gravity returning to the pond.
    https://www.koiforum.uk/pond-constru...tml#post426472


    Last edited by davethefish1; 16-04-2025 at 11:15 PM.

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  15. #10
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Rokusai Andymadd's Avatar
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    I have 2 ultra sieve 3 running they then go to large bead filters, you could site the bead filters anywhere as they are under pump pressure. They are silent easy to clean and I have never had any issues with this set up water is spot on and crystal clear.

    Andy

  16. #11
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion john1's Avatar
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    https://www.koiforum.uk/pond-diy-tip...light=Air+lift

    Have a read of this when I did mine,T whitenosuger helped me do a " U "
    Bend air lift so much easier to do and works great useing just 1 air pump for my whole system.
    John

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