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  1. #1
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Adult Champion NickK-UK's Avatar
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    Draco Drum Solum 16 + Standard Bio review

    I've had this for a couple of weeks hooked up so I thought it was time for a review.

    IMG_7129.jpg

    Solum 16 left, standard bio right, additional gravity-fed sensor middle (the pump-fed was already fitted) and the control box.

    Specifications

    Solum 16

    • Dimensions – 610mm wide x 560mm long x 571mm depth
    • Height above water level - 180mm
    • Capacity – 3,000 Imp gallons per hour / 16,000 litres per hour (in gravity mode, pump fed less 25%)
    • Pond Volume – Approx 7,500 UK gallons
    • Twin 4” inlet and outlets (Nick: actually 110mm, waste also 110mm)
    • Easily removable Bypass plate (Nick: actually there are two that are bolted)

    I would say that these figures are about right - given a 2x pond cycle rate.

    The build is made of plastic, welded and the design is such that the base is curved. There is a water drain tap at the base. The tap is supplied. The quality of the plastic welding is functional. The drum is a full mesh and the spray heads and bars are removable for cleaning. The system runs off 24V with a internal motor inside the drum chamber, and a solenoid for water on the outside. A decent cable connects the small box on the drum filter itself and the the main control box that connects to the mains. Hooking up is easy and foolproof - the only issue I had is that the brass pipe thread and the solenoid brass block is not entirely sealing so the 3bar water mains pressure I use causes a little spray of water - even after attempting to PTFE it, to bond sealant it and fitting a rubber o-ring.

    The drum control box has an emergency stop cut off, a manual wash trigger button, and a selector for 1-4 on the wash period. Inside there are, visible, a number of LED lights for status and a two digit LED display that shows the time in minutes since the last wash (or a weird character to indicate if's longer than 99minutes). Inside there's the power supply and the microcontroller. Only concern is that the rotary selector shaft doesn't look sealed however the same box is used on all other Draco drums. Also it's been out in the rain.. no condensation or moisture inside.

    There's no UV built in although putting UV with plastic is not typically a good idea. The plastic in the Draco is UV stable, but personally I have mental barrier on that one!

    It's design gives it rigidity but for longer term use I would certainly ensure it's on a flat mounting to prevent warping.

    Arrival!
    IMG_7125.jpg


    Washing.

    In wash - the noise depends on the pressure of the supply and with the selector set to 1 the drum washes the majority of the drum but not all. This sounds bad but actually the portion of the drum that isn't washed is the portion between the wash jets and the water level that has already been washed. I noted that a number 2 wash did take longer, used more water but seems to clean the drum better. 3 & 4 didn't really seem to provide additional benefits at 3+ bar mains pressure. I suspect the lower the pressure the more these may be useful.


    In use - the ultimate test

    I have run this with a 20,000lph pump through 1.5 flex pipe into one inlet (the other is blanked off). The filter is set up as pump-fed, the sensor sits in the inlet chamber and is hieght adjustable. I also have the gravity-fed sensor - this fits on the clean side. This review is only for pump fed at the moment (and pump-fed is stated as 25% lower flow capacity).

    I put all the old pressure filter media (including the mess) into the bio filter .. the pond was a mud pit at this point. I used the existing 6000lph pump (~4-5k). With this amount of waste (possibly a worst case scenario) the drum was triggering every minute. I increased the hieght of the sensor and switched to '2' on the wash selector. There was a little longer between but not much! I would say this was maxing out the drum capacity but that would be mean. The amount of waste appearing out of the drum filter waste pipe was obscene... and it kept going... and going... and going..... The system taking the situation in it's stride and given the small size of the pond I wasn't going to push the pump rate up (it would have caused and overflow into the waste chute). So after a good 24 hours.. the drum was washing about an hour between until the dish or I churned up the water again.

    After a few of hours from the initial mud pool mess from 'washing' the old filter bio (pressure filter).. not even food could tempt them.. Using the old 6000lph (more like 4-5000lph) pump. This was before I had the delivery with all the rubber boots, connectors, piping and the new 20,000lph pump..
    IMG_7174.jpg


    That was possibly the baptism of fire and it soldiered through well. That was on the 7th.. now as I write this it's the 18th. The pond has been clear as a bell for over a week and I mean clear as a bell. Now the drum may wash once or twice a day, and maybe again through the night as my fish seem to be more active at night. The bio media was added on about a week ago, so there's 50 litres of media this is now going through too - along with the old media, to mature before the pond build..

    The vast amount of silt, poop and stuff.. appearing out of the waste chute is now poop and small filaments of string algae maybe 1-2mm in size. This was unexpected, that it seems to extract the young free floating blanket weed filaments too. The result is there's little in the pond. The water has nothing other than a little remaining tanin (this is a natural pond). I've noted that any fine sand collects in the inlet chamber and just on the seal flat (not in the seal). A quick blast on the pump pushes that into the drum and end up being removed. I wouldn't recommend this - using a vac or having a prefilter for this before the pump is probably more preferable. The last thing is to have grains of sand breaking things.

    I am running the variable pump rate at 5000 or 6000lph. I figure the rate is maybe a little lower in reality but the pump goes through new 1.5" pipe straight into the drum. It feels that that filter is ticking over.. However from the initial experience it can cope with this rate regardless of the state of the water coming through the inlets. It seemed happy running at 50% (10,000lph) with mess. I've not run it with mess at 75% for a prolonged period simply because the pond is too small and the fish come first..

    At 100% (20,000lph) it will just cope, however the drum will easily backfill and trigger the sensor. If the input overloads the drum then it will overflow into the waste chute so install a pond water level pump cut off to be safe (all pump fed should have this). I also note that the turbulence if you have the water coming into the inlet under the sensor will trigger earlier as the water level is artificially higher due to the large flow turbulence. There isn't much time for the drum to clear itself given the speed that the inlet chamber will fill at this rate - I would probably say this is about 17000lph in reality so the rate specified by Draco is at it's very limit but is workable (and not just clean water). However it would not cope with a mud pool at this rate.

    So I am looking forward to seeing the filter setup on pond 2.0 as a gravity fed 110mm bottom drain and the difference between the two!


    Attached Images Attached Images

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  3. #2
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Adult Champion NickK-UK's Avatar
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    Standard Bio

    • Twin 4” inlet / 2" outlets but can be modified for individual needs (Nick: I have 4" outlets)
    • 3/4" Ball valve drain
    • Dimensions - 610mm wide x 700mm long x 680mm depth.
    • Holds 100 litres of typical bio media in 185 litres of water. (Nick: I have 50l of Hel-X)
    • Single central air line.
    • One unit capable of filtering ponds of approx. 4,000 UK gallons.

    The build for this is the same as the Solum. Decent functional welding (not entirely pretty) but works. I would also definitely make sure that the bio is sat on a level flat surface or it could warp.

    Inlets at the top of the photo, outlet at the bottom:
    IMG_7127.jpg

    Water flow rates are very good - it doesn't blink when running at 20,000lph! There is a mesh over the outlet ports at the bottom, and the inlet ports at the top of the inlet chamber. The media doesn't seem to just stick which is good. I have 4" outlets, one blocked off and the other that raises up to control the water level in the unit to overflow back to the pond. In "combi" with the drum and bio put together, this dictates the water level in the drum and bio for pump fed.

    Air rates - well Tony has indicated that 50lph should be more than enough. I suspect that with only a 1/2 load of media that you may get away with less. What I do know is that 8lph only does 1 hole on the bar so I will be ordering a new air pump.

    It's too early to give feed back on the bio performance, however 10days in and the bio has an off-white colour but not tea colour yet The fish seem mellow and relaxed sunbathing.. when they don't see me!





    I can't remember if this was out of the pond or the output of the bio filter.. I think the pond.
    IMG_7185.jpg


    Earlier this week - the Mrs was impressed by the clarity. That Lilly pad sprouting new leaves is 70cm down. Bit of surface
    IMG_6017.jpg

    The windows are dirtier than the water.. (the large black pipe is the temporary return)
    IMG_7267.jpg


    Dimensions

    Here's the official numbers:
    solum16-complete.png

    Additional information on the DracoDrum website

    I would say with 4" flex 90 degree boots on - the length is closer to 1600 long.


    Final impressions.

    So, the thing that gets me is.. it simply removes everything. I know this is a drum thing. If the fish have a field day and stir up anything.. two minutes later it's gone (there's a lot less mess in the pond). The drum wash is less than a litre but seems to always come out like condensed soup - it removes bits of algae too which was unexpected. Does it cope with the specs stated? yes I believe it does (given you're not attempting to clean the river nile of silt!).

    The fish hang in ... well space. I don't have a pond full of water.. I have a pond of space.. and the fish gently cruise around like spaceships. For the first time in 7 years, I have crystal clear water on a continuous basis. Not one day, not two.. but continuously.

    This pond (the old one) is 1700l or so. In full sunlight with growing koi. Gone are the days of cleaning a bioforce 4500 canister with little fish, with cleaning a Bioforce Revolution 9000 on a regular basis. The filter is overspecced for this pond, but I feel confident that the new ~7000l pond will stay as crystal clear as the trouble makers continue to grow (although I suspect they'll never be massive). However they seem more relaxed (although being so clear spooks them a little).

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  5. #3
    Senior Member Rank = Kyusai Rapleyr's Avatar
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    Thanks for this....my Solum 25 arrived yesterday and pipework and fittings should be here Monday so going to try and get it a plumbed in next week


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  7. #4
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion RS2OOO's Avatar
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    Great review mate, thank you for posting.

    The brass solenoid leaks on my Draco 2 as well, not squirting but always a drip hanging from it.

    Mine also has dirt settle around the seal on the waste outlet.

    Overall though it looks good value considering the capability. Even though more expensive than the Draco 2 it is probably better value. Just the option to bypass is a great addition that is bound to come in handy if you have to treat the pond.

    Not all your photos are showing (reading on phone), but the difference in your pond clarity is incredible.

    Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

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  9. #5
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion freddyboy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by RS2OOO View Post
    Great review mate, thank you for posting.

    The brass solenoid leaks on my Draco 2 as well, not squirting but always a drip hanging from it.

    Mine also has dirt settle around the seal on the waste outlet.

    Overall though it looks good value considering the capability. Even though more expensive than the Draco 2 it is probably better value. Just the option to bypass is a great addition that is bound to come in handy if you have to treat the pond.

    Not all your photos are showing (reading on phone), but the difference in your pond clarity is incredible.

    Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk
    On the by pass for treating. Agree it is a great addition.
    But when I treat the pond I don t lose pond water. Only the cleaning tap water. Which goes down the drain shute. And just carry on treating as normal. And cleaning. I can understand
    Using the bypass if you clean with pond water for the cleaning of the drum. And your losing water and treatment down the waste shute
    I have even stopped tricking in and out.
    And went all the way through winter with the same water level.
    When I start feeding heavy I may run the trickle again. And then I will lose pond water. In the trickle out.
    So when treating I just turn the trickle feed off.
    Hope that makes sense
    Fred


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  11. #6
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Kyusai Scamp's Avatar
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    Good review, great to have your thoughts. I have a Draco in my Nexus 300 and your description of fish hanging in space is spot on. Drums are amazing for removing all the crud, best addition to my pond by far, particularly as I could keep the bio side of the Nexus in place.

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  13. #7
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Adult Champion NickK-UK's Avatar
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    I use mains tap water so the pond water is not exchanged as part of the wash cycle.
    Some will undoubtedly get into the pond water (The drum rotating and the spray itself condenses on the walls etc) so i hope it doesn’t impact the biofilm in the next chamber. I assume not.

    I would add to the review that all drum filters are a trade off for delicate handling of soft waste (lower flow rate) and raw litres per hour causing back pressure and breaking the waster into small particles as it is forced through the drum by the water.
    For this reason it is worth sizing your drum to try to handle waste softly (lowering a pump-fed sensor too to reduce the difference in water level between dirty and clean sides to reduce back pressure of water).

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  15. #8
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion RS2OOO's Avatar
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    Fred,

    I was thinking for treatments like fluke solve where the drum can capture the powdered treatment and send it to waste.

    Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

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  17. #9
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion freddyboy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by RS2OOO View Post
    Fred,

    I was thinking for treatments like fluke solve where the drum can capture the powdered treatment and send it to waste.

    Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk
    Right mate. Did nt understand the powder side of things.
    I was nt having a pop mate. What I was trying to say. Is if all the seals are tight.
    Water levels don t drop. So the treatment stays in the pond.
    Obviously trickle in and out will dilute it.
    Over time.
    Some people would forget about that. Just like forgetting UV s turned off on certain treatments.
    I agree with you 100 % on it would be nice for to have a bypass. To give other options.
    Hope your well. Grow ons adapted to there
    New pond lol

    Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

  18. #10
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Adult Champion NickK-UK's Avatar
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    Just to demonstrate the 20,000lph (not minute as I say in the video).

    I run the normal level of the drum quite high, this is governed by the waste pipe on the bio as the excess water overflows the into the pond return pipe. Normal stuff for the pump fed system (gravity fed, the water level is maintained by the bottom drain inlet).

    This is a run from 30% (6000lph) to 100% (20000lph). The inlet feed from the pump comes in just under the sensor - hence the height of the turbulence bounces the sensor around triggering it. It just keeps up with the rate of water but I would probably reduce running water level by reducing the height of the pond return to ensure a faster rate of water. The specified max rate is 16,000lph with gravity not causing the same turbulence.

    Cycle rate of the pond little pond - 13x or the entire pond in 4 minutes 36 seconds so I wasn't going to run it for any length of time.


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  20. #11
    Senior Member Rank = Kyusai Rapleyr's Avatar
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    No video attached. Would be good to see it running so I have an idea next week when I install mine.

    Thanks for all the info


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  22. #12
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Adult Champion NickK-UK's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rapleyr View Post
    No video attached. Would be good to see it running so I have an idea next week when I install mine.

    Thanks for all the info


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    Should be a YouTube link: https://youtu.be/30qNbYasOA4

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  24. #13
    Senior Member Rank = Kyusai Rapleyr's Avatar
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    Great, it’s there noe


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  26. #14
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Adult Champion NickK-UK's Avatar
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    From this morning - a high res image. Still clear as a bell.

    IMG_7312.jpg

    Fines removal? Ohhh yes.. this is from the "condensed soup" waste (the jpeg picture compression doesn't help but you can see it):

    IMG_7320.jpg

    edit: addition of the fines picture.

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  28. #15
    Senior Member Rank = Adult Champion Twhitenosugar's Avatar
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    I have had a Solum 16 running (gravity fed) on a 12,500l pond since October 2019 and have to say I've been impressed with it so far - the water is really clear and I've had no major issues.

    The only minor issue i've had is I've had to lower the float switch to such an extent that the screw clamping it in place is actually clamping (only lightly) on the wire. And this is the case even though the water is running as high as I can get it on the dirty side before it starts pouring down the waste chute. Perhaps the pump is running too fast, making the water on the clean side run lower than the drum was designed for?

    But I'd still recommend it - its reasonably priced, British built meaning parts are easily available. Plus I hear the after sales support is spot on (although fortunately I've not had to contact them for help).
    Last edited by Twhitenosugar; 22-04-2020 at 05:07 PM.
    13,000L fibreglassed raised pond with window

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  30. #16
    Senior Member Rank = Kyusai Rapleyr's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Twhitenosugar View Post
    I have had a Solum 16 running (gravity fed) on a 12,500l pond since October 2019 and have to say I've been impressed with it so far - the water is really clear and I've had no issues.

    The only real issue i've had is I've had to lower the float switch to such an extent that the screw clamping it in place is actually clamping (only lightly) on the wire. And this is the case even though the water is running as high as I can get it on the dirty side before it starts pouring down the waste chute. Perhaps the pump is running too fast, making the water on the clean side run lower than the drum was designed for?

    But I'd still recommend it - its reasonably priced, British built meaning parts are easily available. Plus I hear the after sales support is spot on (although fortunately I've not had to contact them for help).
    Thanks. Just trying to get all the bits together to tackle the switch over from sieve to drum. Lockdown is a nightmare with deliveries!


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  32. #17
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Adult Champion NickK-UK's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Twhitenosugar View Post
    I have had a Solum 16 running (gravity fed) on a 12,500l pond since October 2019 and have to say I've been impressed with it so far - the water is really clear and I've had no major issues.

    The only minor issue i've had is I've had to lower the float switch to such an extent that the screw clamping it in place is actually clamping (only lightly) on the wire. And this is the case even though the water is running as high as I can get it on the dirty side before it starts pouring down the waste chute. Perhaps the pump is running too fast, making the water on the clean side run lower than the drum was designed for?

    But I'd still recommend it - its reasonably priced, British built meaning parts are easily available. Plus I hear the after sales support is spot on (although fortunately I've not had to contact them for help).
    It may be that the water pressure is not cleaning the mesh well enough, so it never gets clean enough to catch up? I know that biofilm can occur on drum meshes reducing the aperature diameter, resulting in finer extraction but lower water flow rate. I found that a lower pressure water supply (tap more closed) left more mess on the drum that mean the washes triggered more frequently and needing a longer wash cycle to clean it.

    Also if the water is higher on the inlet side, there is more mesh for the water to pass through which means a higher flow rate.

    It would be good to see a photo of your water levels in the filter. As you're right I would expect that the sensor be long enough not to need clamping the cable to work!

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  34. #18
    Senior Member Rank = Adult Champion Twhitenosugar's Avatar
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    It did cross my mine if the mesh is starting to get coated in bio film, but when I wipe my fingers on the inside (above water level) I don't get anything come off. I'm thinking of either pressure washing it or getting some vinegar on it and old tooth brush.

    In terms of the water pressure for the cleaning noozles, I get 3.2 bar of water pressure at my boiler and the cut off valve before the drum is fully open (mind you it's only 15mm pex) so should be good (bearing in mind my boiler is on the first floor).

    In terms of water levels, i just checked and there is about 6 - 7cm difference in height between dirty and clean side and the drum is on the verge of cleaning, yet there was only 22mins between the last two cleans (Not fed them since this afternoon). As you can see from pics below, the water in dirty side is right up to the lip of the waste tray.

    Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk
    13,000L fibreglassed raised pond with window

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  36. #19
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Adult Champion NickK-UK's Avatar
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    That does look like a flow issue given the height on the inlet side. Also I don't see much water appearing on the drum sides so it looks like perhaps it needs a little clean. It looks to only by about an inch and looks like the level is quite low even then.

    Do all the sprays operate? Worth a check before removing the drum for a clean..

    October to now about 6 or seven months. Hmm..

  37. #20
    Hi, I'm about to order a Draco Solum 16 and Bio so good to read your experiences. I'm glad I did as I've just noticed the outlets on the Bio are 2" and not 4" which is better for what I want but I was filling my shopping list with 4" bits.

    My DIY skills are toilet and I'm getting a little confused on the pipework required as 4" doesn't convert to 110mm! I don't want to spend on Pressure Pipe (unless someone says I must) but can I assume that where Draco says it's 4", it's 110mm if I'm buying solvent weld pipe? And where it's 2", I need 50mm?

    My pump is currently 1.5" flexi hose so do I get a 4" to 1.5" reducer boot for the inlet of the Draco 16, then a bit of 1.5" solvent tube and then slide the flexi hose over that?

    And finally, I intend to use the house hose pipe to connect to the cleaning bar, not use a pump. When I've played the video's, it comes across as very loud/noisy but this maybe the smartphone microphone exageratting it. But how loud is it really? My drum will sit in filter house made of sleeper sides and a slatted top but is not far away from the neighbours fence, would it be intrusive? I've not got the opportunity of visiting anywhere for obvious reasons and don't want to wait to order one especially as I have so much time on my hands.

    Many thanks,

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