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Thread: How often does your RDF cycle?
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27-05-2021, 06:34 AM #21
I bought a Draco 2 drop in for my Nexus 220 a few weeks ago and since install has been perfect, cleaning every 30-60 minutes.
I did a lot of reading up and discussed with Tony from Draco who delivered it himself.
Im with others on here and wouldn’t have it on a timer, the float switch principle is the main reason of having a drum, it washes only when it needs too.
I think the key is getting the install height right.
Too high and it triggers too often, especially if you haven’t got an auto top up and the water level drops, it could be washing when it doesn’t really need to.
The water in the drum should be lapping the height of the waste and no higher, or it could overflow.12’500 Litre - bottom drain - lined pond
Nexus 220 + Draco2 - Jebao 12000 - EA UV
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27-05-2021, 07:22 AM #22
Like in my last message above, we are in the process of lifting the drum about 6” to get the top of the overflow shoot level with the water in the main pond. My problem with that is I think it will be impossible to utilise the trigger mechanism that came with the drum as it will be to high
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27-05-2021, 06:12 PM #23
i only use timers, as float switches i have found unreliable
but then for me as my drum is many times larger than required for my 3000 gallon pond its currently cleaning once every hour with zero drop in water in my bio , i could extend this further to upto 2 hours between cycles
dont knock what you havent used. never had a problem now since drum installed 1 year ago.
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27-05-2021, 06:16 PM #24
mine flushes every 3 to 4 hours
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27-05-2021, 06:42 PM #25
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27-05-2021, 07:16 PM #26
and ive read many posts with faulty/temperamental float switches and the hassles with adjusting the height as well which i also had on my first drum.
its easier for me to see the benefits of a timer over a float switch due to going from a small drum which most you own/use to a drum thats capable of 120,000lph flow for which it take forever to block up inspite of using 50 micron screen and ive got scope to go to 25 micron screen should i wish .
they come with float switches due to costs float switch a few £ vs timer £100 as well as timers do need some setup and adjustment until you get the required cleaning time and cycle
took me a few hours adjusting the timer until my water cleared of debris but once its running its faultless and very accurate
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27-05-2021, 07:34 PM #27
That scenario only works on your drum if i fitted a timer on my profi 55/40 and turned the variable speed pump right down in winter like i and most others do surely the drum would be cleaning when there was no need .I imagine with their buying power,profi/aquasource/burtons,aquadrum etc would fit a timer as opposed to a float if it made sense .Floats do go wrong occasionally.so do timers and anything else electrical Mine is 5 years old and hasnt yet.If a timer works for you ,thats great.It certainly doesnt make sense for the majority of drum owners
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27-05-2021, 07:51 PM #28
Winter, i could turn it down if i wish , but once every hour all year round is great anyway,, doesnt use much electric maybe £0.50p a week tops , and 2 1/2 -3 litres of water per clean cycle.
my main point is, with such a large drum its cheaper to run , in winter i could easily turn it down to every 3 -4 hours despite high ish stock levels , vs smaller drums already working to or near full capacity which increases wear and tear , someone ( every 6 mins cycle) is very excessive
with floats you also have to keep them clean or they clog up and stop working.
anyway with a huge drum to pond stock and volume you give yourself a massive buffer just like using a biofilter or a pump far bigger than needed as most of use end up needing bigger in the long run.
i would agree a float is better ,, when cleaning cycles are so short in between as i think many on the market are not that great and labelled as being suitable for a pond much bigger than the reality they claim .
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27-05-2021, 07:59 PM #29
Your drum size may work better with a timer,but normal sized drums work fine with floats.I can never understand a drum that flushes every six minutes as its never happened to me. Is it because people put too much water through them with unrealistic flow rates from manufacturers .Ive always over specced,but thats just me
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27-05-2021, 08:14 PM #30
its a difficult one to know, rs2000 mentioned 6 mins cleaning during summer, i guessed over stocked pond with too much fish waste produced, if i remember rightly it wasnt running too high a flow rate.
what does happen with increasing flow rate as i can do it without it effecting cleaning time, is the more flow rate the clearer the pond becomes during the first few hours its processing larger quantities of waste but then as the pond becomes clearer due to increasing flow rates the debris going into the drum also reduces ,, if that makes sense .
ive ran my drum to 35,000 lph and you have to look closely to notice the water flowing, my inner drum is 650mm dia x 550mm width
id advise anyone to always go as big as you can afford or give me a shout and i might make one now and again..
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27-05-2021, 08:24 PM #31
Yes,it makes sense but with a float ,the drum flushes more when first installed then settles when fines are removed .I can turn my pond over every 30 mins if i want to and after a couple of flushes it will settle again because any fines are removed which werent dislodged at lower flow rates .IMHO,we we still be using floats (or probes) for a long time to come
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27-05-2021, 08:49 PM #32
with a timer ,, the drum flushes alot more at first too,,, you have no choice but to watch it for a few hours and adjust it longer as time goes by ,, when i first plumbed in needed to cleaned every 5 mins ,,, due to 3 weeks with zero filtrations . pond was ditched.
these timers are great, i got it at trade price from a mate (electrician) he uses these and said never had a report of one failing.
very simple to setup
i think its the more expensive branded drums that use probes ?
119104775_1211840712506012_6116216574174452356_n.jpg
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28-05-2021, 05:36 AM #33
My profi uses probes.Replacements are £25 for the pair .
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28-05-2021, 01:13 PM #34
Yeah I don’t understand this timer VS float switch thing. My drum has probes.
There is no float switch and no timer. It never breaks or jams.
I understand some of the cheaper drums have float switches as a cost saving measure. I would think it would be relatively simple to switch this for a probe system if you wanted. The probes in my drum are available as a separate item- there are 2, one is the level probe that triggers a wash cycle when it’s tip falls below water level and the other one is a longer low water level shut off probe that switches all the pumps and UV off if the water falls too low. That would happen if for some reason the screens blocked, the drum didn’t turn, or the pond water level was dropping for some other reason.2016 new 6000 gallon pond
https://www.koiforum.uk/pond-construc...ghlight=feline
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28-05-2021, 01:33 PM #35
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28-05-2021, 01:44 PM #36
My drum is the Draco 25 standalone. I’m waiting for a new screen as the one I have has a tear in it.
Once that arrives I will change it and lift it at the same time as per my previous message. I will try the float at the higher level but if it is a pain in the arse then I will go back to using the timer
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28-05-2021, 02:14 PM #37
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28-05-2021, 09:06 PM #38
You can repair that screen, glue gun, I had a tear in mine, dabbed with the glue gun, still holding 18 months on.
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28-05-2021, 09:52 PM #39
Spares for my drum are all available here https://www.coastal-koi.com/shopping.php?class_id=294
If your drum control panel didn’t have the necessary relay to turn off pumps etc. With low level you would need to wire that in yourself, but not rocket science and even I could make that work with only a relay, choc block and enclosure.2016 new 6000 gallon pond
https://www.koiforum.uk/pond-construc...ghlight=feline
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29-05-2021, 01:00 AM #40
Best plants to remove Nitrate
pug has a very impressive veg filter on his pond, have a look at some of his his youtube videos....