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  1. #321
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion john1's Avatar
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    Hmm, thanks Rs.
    No noise at all from the motor but just some flexi play on the drive cog,maybe a call to Tony at Draco see what he says.
    John

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  3. #322
    Quote Originally Posted by RS2OOO View Post
    Hi all,

    Almost 2 years into this thread, just wondering how everyone is getting on with their drums now?

    @NickK-UK How have you found reliability long term, and any further issues following the repaired/replaced PSU?

    @mcwatson1974 How has your larger mesh performed over the long term, did the fines eventually clear themselves up? (I suspected they would but didn't want to give false hope)?

    Did anyone who swapped to the larger mesh run gravity fed, and if so how has it performed compared to the 57 micron?

    Comparing drum prices, a Solum 25 and midi bio combi seems to offer good value compared to the competition, and being British made is a plus for me. Ultimately the eventual choice of drum and bio comes down to size and what will fit, but the Draco's seem slimmer than most other drums.
    I didn’t realize there was a larger mesh available. I bought my machine about 18 months ago and after a few initial hiccups it’s running great. I would be very interested in trying a larger mesh so that I could decrease the amount of washes but still maintain good water quality. Please can you give me the details of the larger mesh and is it available from Dracodrum?


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  4. #323
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion RS2OOO's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ndwgolf View Post
    I didn’t realize there was a larger mesh available. I bought my machine about 18 months ago and after a few initial hiccups it’s running great. I would be very interested in trying a larger mesh so that I could decrease the amount of washes but still maintain good water quality. Please can you give me the details of the larger mesh and is it available from Dracodrum?


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Have a read back through this thread - a few people have done it now.
    I believe there are cheaper places to buy it from than Draco themselves, but yes, they can supply a larger mesh.

    Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk

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  6. #324
    Quote Originally Posted by ndwgolf View Post
    I didn’t realize there was a larger mesh available. I bought my machine about 18 months ago and after a few initial hiccups it’s running great. I would be very interested in trying a larger mesh so that I could decrease the amount of washes but still maintain good water quality. Please can you give me the details of the larger mesh and is it available from Dracodrum?


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    I changed mine last April after having 5 min washes during Spring time. I ordered a 77 micron mesh direct from Draco and paid £46.06 which included delivery and VAT.

    Wanted it from Draco directly as I knew it would have been cut to the right size and all tested out, I think it was more expensive from resellers to Draco, but you can also get it cheaper if you buy mesh off the likes of ebay but not sure how successful it would be.

    Glad I did mine, for sake of my water bills and not been particularly detrimental to the water. When you look at the water coming out of the return, you'd be hard pressed to see anything in it that wasn't caught by the 77 micron.

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  8. #325
    Quote Originally Posted by mcwatson1974 View Post
    I changed mine last April after having 5 min washes during Spring time. I ordered a 77 micron mesh direct from Draco and paid £46.06 which included delivery and VAT.

    Wanted it from Draco directly as I knew it would have been cut to the right size and all tested out, I think it was more expensive from resellers to Draco, but you can also get it cheaper if you buy mesh off the likes of ebay but not sure how successful it would be.

    Glad I did mine, for sake of my water bills and not been particularly detrimental to the water. When you look at the water coming out of the return, you'd be hard pressed to see anything in it that wasn't caught by the 77 micron.
    I talked with Tony just a few days ago. He recommended I stick with the 70 mesh………..


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  9. #326
    Quote Originally Posted by ndwgolf View Post
    I talked with Tony just a few days ago. He recommended I stick with the 70 mesh………..


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Had mine come with a 70 micron, I'd have probably stuck with that too as not worth the aggro going from a 70 to a 77. But my Solum 16 drum came with a 57 micron when purchased so was worth changing.

  10. #327
    Quote Originally Posted by mcwatson1974 View Post
    Had mine come with a 70 micron, I'd have probably stuck with that too as not worth the aggro going from a 70 to a 77. But my Solum 16 drum came with a 57 micron when purchased so was worth changing.
    I think mine came with the 57 originally but when the screen got damaged I ordered 2 replacement screens and they were 70s. He mentioned that the 77 mesh was very fragile compared to the 70 mesh hence his recommendation to stick with 70.
    I’ve got my drum on a timer……… on for 45 seconds off for 12 minutes working great.
    Neil


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  11. #328
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Adult Champion NickK-UK's Avatar
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    An update.

    The new pond is built and operational. I estimate somewhere between 13,000 and 14000l - rain added a good couple of inches to the pond. Powered entirely by two 110mm airlifts I would happily guess the capability is well over 20,000lph in total.

    IMG_9242.jpg

    IMG_9274.jpg

    What is not shown on the list is that there are two 110mm connections between the drum and bio and the bio to the anoxic/airlift chamber. The entire system runs on a 58W air pump with valves to adjust the airflow to various parts of the system. The remainder of the XP80 air output is used to drive the bio unit air into a rolling boil.

    The old pond has been shut down, dismantled and backfilled.

    The Draco Solum16 + bio has been moved into its final home, connected up and is now operational. This means the installation has moved from being pump-fed to gravity fed filter. I have removed the pump-fed sensor on the dirty side and replaced it with the gravity-fed water sensor on the clean side.

    IMG_9504.jpg

    The pond is still clearing as I'd left it to establish the biofilm on the edge of the pond. The process was sped up by moving the water from the old pond over to the new pond.

    I'm happy to report that the drum is performing better than on the previous pond in terms of litres per hour.
    14000l, my mutts: Chargoi (2010), Doitsu (2022), Tancho (2022), Kujaku (2022), Hi Utusri (2022)

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  13. #329
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion john1's Avatar
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    Interesting set up Nick,what depth is the anoxic for the uplift?

    Have you any pics of the uplift and how they are returned to the pond,this is the part I am trying to plan.
    John

  14. #330
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Adult Champion NickK-UK's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by john1 View Post
    Interesting set up Nick,what depth is the anoxic for the uplift?

    Have you any pics of the uplift and how they are returned to the pond,this is the part I am trying to plan.
    Hi John,

    There's an airlift thread here that may be interesting: https://www.koiforum.uk/pond-constru...tem-using.html - at the back of that thread I have some photos and videos.

    The anoxic chamber is the same depth as the pond 184cm. It was easier for me to have a deeper chamber and one that was fibreglassed at the same time as the pond.

    You could do a U bend style airlift separate from the filter chambers and that way the chambers can be whatever shape you like then have the U bend as deep as you need (just use a post hole digger for example).


    The drum is working well on the larger pond, only adjustment I've made is a notch in the waste chute to allow water to overflow when it rains or the cycle threatens to overflow. The skimmer isn't quite level so the back spills just before the chute overflows and I didn't want to do more work in resetting the depth of the drum/bio.
    14000l, my mutts: Chargoi (2010), Doitsu (2022), Tancho (2022), Kujaku (2022), Hi Utusri (2022)

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  16. #331
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion Ajm's Avatar
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    This is the way am hoping to do it nick after talking to you over pm . Think the u bend will be much easier. And also hoping I can rig that up to my multibay now get it running and take my time finding all the new bits for anoxic filters. Just priced at toolstation and should be about 50 quid to get it running . So get back from London and get that done and sorted .

    Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk
    Freddyboy the legend

    "we are water keepers first"

    Johnathan

  17. #332
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Adult Champion NickK-UK's Avatar
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    Just a little update, and probably the last as the system seems happy and stable.

    I worked out using the level difference of the water level to calculate the psi. From that psi+pipe diameter it's possible to work out the flow rate.

    So at full pelt with a good foot of water drop difference, with the flow coming from the pond direct into the chamber - the flow rate is 22,000lph for each airlift or ~44,000lph total. Bananas!

    The system us now running with all the pipework and filters, turned down so that the flow back into the pond doesn't suck the drum dry and the fish aren't been swept away. The water difference demonstrate's it's running at ~11,000lph for each airlift or 22,000lph. Given a 10% error margin that's 20-22,000lph through the 16,000lph drum. I have the drum running with the 99 minute wash over-ride and it seems happy to hit the override.

    Happy with that.
    14000l, my mutts: Chargoi (2010), Doitsu (2022), Tancho (2022), Kujaku (2022), Hi Utusri (2022)

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  19. #333
    Hi Nick/How long are your Airlifts?

  20. #334
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Adult Champion NickK-UK's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Maddog1 View Post
    Hi Nick/How long are your Airlifts?
    Probably about 1.4-1.5m and then with the bend on the top. The anoxic to top of blockwork was 1.84m but the anoxic-to-pond pipe that's FG'd into the divider is below the water line IIRC at least 15cm below it. So with the long bend T rubber flex boot on the bend, it's about 1.5m overall I'd guess.

    The reason I got the flow rate is the 110mm diameter of the pipe. The psi then doesn't have to be too high.

    Airlifts - pumping water around a gravity system using only air-img_8956-jpg

    Since that photo was taken I moved the T from the horizontal to the top of the up pipe so that the air comes straight up and out. The result is better performance.
    14000l, my mutts: Chargoi (2010), Doitsu (2022), Tancho (2022), Kujaku (2022), Hi Utusri (2022)

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  22. #335
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Adult Champion NickK-UK's Avatar
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    4K void (just the quality setting) - this is the same drum on my 14000 litre pond with the airlifts now the UVC has been put into operation:



    In this setup the 16,000lph drum flow rate is too small for a 14,000 litre pond. Remember the 16,000 is clean flow rate so drop to about 60% of that (16000*0.6 = 9,600) to account for waste. Another way to look at this would be I would need (20,000/0.6) a 35,000lph drum for waste and reliably operating without a frequent wash cycle.

    I found, although the column16 could operate at 18-20,000lph the flow rate causes the drum block to almost binary switch between clean where it keeps up with the flow rate and too low rate which requires a wash. You want some time between that. This is evident from the lower flow rate from the old pond where it seemed most happy (flow rate was 6-8,000lph).

    I find the welded poly design a possible issue in the long term - I noted a few areas where the weld is not 'true' and the plastics from both sides are not homogeneously melted into one. This has caused the weld to separate but the design of the joints has, fortunately, kept it together. Draco seem to have made most of the joints lock together and the design itself of the locking parts seem to support one another - except the end pieces (there's no through holding interlocking joint for the end piece welded joints).

    I don't have a pump for the wash, I use the mains water which offers some chlorination to clean the drum but at the same time (in a hard area) will result in scale on the drum. It would have been useful to have a drum that could be lifted out in one piece for cleaning without removing the entire drum filter.

    Also another takeaway is that the drum needs to be in a completely level plate under it (same as the bio needs to be on a completely level base) to prevent any warping of the plastic.

    I've not (touch wood) had any issue with the motor. I am electrically minded so if the drum has a problem with the motor I may end up modifying the drum design to move the drum out of the wet area.
    14000l, my mutts: Chargoi (2010), Doitsu (2022), Tancho (2022), Kujaku (2022), Hi Utusri (2022)

  23. #336
    Senior Member Rank = Nanasai rolo's Avatar
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    good morning all and a happy new year. Im in the planning stag of pond MK 2. Having read all 17 pages on the draco drum is everyone still happy with the performance of the drum . im looking at the solum 25 only problems that kept coming up is water level and cleaning intervals both of which have being sorted by yourselves.

    keith

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  25. #337
    To be honest, I’ve had my drum now for about 3years. When I build my next one (having only just built my current one this summer), I doubt I will be using a drum again. It’s only convenient and time saving when it works. Personally given I have plenty of space I wish I’d gone for a multi vortex system and I may put one into my filter system next time around.

    For me, a drum has far too many points of failure.

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  27. #338
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion john1's Avatar
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    Had mine for about 5 yrs now Keith and it was the first 25 that Tony made.
    Only problem was the float switch failing which was surprising, made up a new one and a spare with longer pipe so it can be lowered more and works well.
    I do like the curved bottom but I used to get a little crud in the bottom of the dirty side so dropped an air stone in and that keeps it moving.
    I also changed the mesh to just over 100 microns so it doesnt wash as often and cant notice the water any different.

    Very pleased with the solum25, i was going to get the Filtreau but Tony gave me a very good deal on this one which I couldn't refuse.
    As in anything mechanical they can break but that is your choice.
    John

  28. #339
    Quote Originally Posted by john1 View Post
    Had mine for about 5 yrs now Keith and it was the first 25 that Tony made.
    Only problem was the float switch failing which was surprising, made up a new one and a spare with longer pipe so it can be lowered more and works well.
    I do like the curved bottom but I used to get a little crud in the bottom of the dirty side so dropped an air stone in and that keeps it moving.
    I also changed the mesh to just over 100 microns so it doesnt wash as often and cant notice the water any different.

    Very pleased with the solum25, i was going to get the Filtreau but Tony gave me a very good deal on this one which I couldn't refuse.
    As in anything mechanical they can break but that is your choice.
    Interesting point about the mesh as I swapped mine to I think 120micron and my water quality is the worst it has ever been (can’t get rid of the green water). I’m planning on going back to the original but I must thrown it away so will have to spend out on another one.

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  30. #340
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion john1's Avatar
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    There is a firm near Stoke who does mesh,can get the link for you if you like.
    John

 

 
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