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  1. #1

    Pump and drum query

    I am in the process of building a new pond which will be 4200 gallons. It will have a drum, bio, 3 returns, a skimmer, UV and a ashp. There are two aerated bottom drains.

    I must have planned out my pipework and filter system a 100 times. Initially I was going to run the BD's straight into the Draco Solum25 with the skimmer run into a blade. I'm now contemplating running everything through a drum but I want to make sure that putting the skimmer through the drum won't stop the BD's working as efficiently as possible. Would a pump such as a EA 30000 still pull sufficiently?

    Now I am wondering if I need to have additional outlets from the drum to run to the ASHP and for this to bypass the bio completely. I have looked at the Burton TF as it has more outlets to give me more flexibility and the possibility of adding a Baki shower in the future.

    I know a UV can be added into the Burton drum. Does anyone know if a UV can be added into the Draco drum?

    The choice of drums is mind boggling and I keep changing my mind!



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  3. #2
    Senior Member Rank = Hassai Mike Bass's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Skippy View Post
    I am in the process of building a new pond which will be 4200 gallons. It will have a drum, bio, 3 returns, a skimmer, UV and a ashp. There are two aerated bottom drains.

    I must have planned out my pipework and filter system a 100 times. Initially I was going to run the BD's straight into the Draco Solum25 with the skimmer run into a blade. I'm now contemplating running everything through a drum but I want to make sure that putting the skimmer through the drum won't stop the BD's working as efficiently as possible. Would a pump such as a EA 30000 still pull sufficiently?

    Now I am wondering if I need to have additional outlets from the drum to run to the ASHP and for this to bypass the bio completely. I have looked at the Burton TF as it has more outlets to give me more flexibility and the possibility of adding a Baki shower in the future.

    I know a UV can be added into the Burton drum. Does anyone know if a UV can be added into the Draco drum?

    The choice of drums is mind boggling and I keep changing my mind!
    I cannot comment about Draco but my current build in progress of 2300 gallon pond has 2 aerated bottom drains feeding directly into the Filtreau combi drum/ bio High Flow. My test running of the pond using a 30,000 lph aqua flo vari pump initially starved the bio chamber when one pump was ran at 50% but once the water was cleaner of initial debris, it is able to use x2 30,000 pumps at 30% with one supplying the ASHP then x2 2”underwater returns the other supplies the bakki shower. The skimmer line will gravity feed a EA sieve then 22,000 vari pump split to Eazypod/ UV / blade & 2” low level return.

    If & WHEN the drum gets extra work from food waste solids and tree seeds or gets shut down for amalgam UV replacement ,maintenance etc,the skimmer line can continue filtration.
    1kGal BD/Skim RDF/UV/k1 2.3kGal 2windows 2airBD/skim Sieve/Eazypod RDFcombi+bakki 3xVP/UV,ASHP

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  5. #3
    I'm just about to do the exact same thing. I have the same setup also with the exception of only one bottom drain on 2700gallons.

    I spoke to Draco about it who advised a 3000lph pump on the skimmer into the drum and a 12000lph on the bio outlet will give approx 9000lph pull on the bottom drain.

    You have done the right thing with two bottom drains. In my setup I can actually empty the bio with my EA20000 pump. I can't get enough flow on the bd if I crank the pump up.

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  7. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by kitsune View Post
    I'm just about to do the exact same thing. I have the same setup also with the exception of only one bottom drain on 2700gallons.

    I spoke to Draco about it who advised a 3000lph pump on the skimmer into the drum and a 12000lph on the bio outlet will give approx 9000lph pull on the bottom drain.

    You have done the right thing with two bottom drains. In my setup I can actually empty the bio with my EA20000 pump. I can't get enough flow on the bd if I crank the pump up.
    Thanks Kitsune. It's a minefield isn't it. I'm going to ring a couple of shops over the weekend and make a decision. I will certainly give Draco a call as ideally I'd like my 2 BD's and Skimmer to go into the one Drum and i believe they will put an extra inlet into the Solum25.

  8. #5
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Adult Champion NickK-UK's Avatar
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    Just to say - I would recommend multiplying all drum manufacturer flow rates by 0.6 (60%). This will mean you have your desired flow rate even when the drum is seasoned and has build up on it.
    14000l, my mutts: Chargoi (2010), Doitsu (2022), Tancho (2022), Kujaku (2022), Hi Utusri (2022)

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  10. #6
    Nick,

    Thats a good point. I'm on a solum 16 and I feel that everything as far as flow is pretty maxed out. I do find the drums are very sensitive to water levels and how well they wash. I turned my drum off for an hour to do some maintenence, the filter screen blocked enough flow after about 45min to the point that my pump drained the bio.

    Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

  11. #7
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Adult Champion NickK-UK's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Skippy View Post
    I know a UV can be added into the Burton drum. Does anyone know if a UV can be added into the Draco drum?
    They don't have provision for one (at least my Solum 16 doesn't).

    The issue with UV in a drum is that all the plastic needs to be UV resistant including the seals. Although my solum is happy in full sunlight (unlike the UPVC waste pipe used for the return that has bleached light grey from black) I would probably opt for a separate tank as part of the filter and add a UV to that. Inline UVCs seem a real constriction but remember you only need that piece of water to go through a couple of times to UV it.. so in theory a separate line or separate return that is off the main return could house a UVC. That way you get high rate but only UVC a % of the returned water each cycle. If it's on 24/7 then you're going to UVC virtually all the water in one or two days to lethal levels..


    The choice of drums should really be:

    1. Does it allow your rate required at 60% of the advertised rate?
    2. Does it have a bypass to allow the water to be sent around the drum (the solum has removable bypass panels in the filter). This is useful for medication to prevent the drum from removing any.
    3. Does it have the mesh size you want? (smaller - more flushes, finer materials removed, lower flow rate for the size of drum vs larger .. )
    4. Does the controller support normal level based flushing but also allow you to force a flush every 30/60 minutes (useful to prevent waste drying on the drum in sunny but low waste scenarios)
    5. Does it allow you to set the sensor level?
    6. Does it have removable waste chute? (this makes a large clean easier)
    7. Does it have removable wash spray jets (this makes scale removal and cleaning easier)
    8. Does it have a lid - noise reduction, mist/moisture and keeps any insects inside.
    9. Does it allow you to drain the drum section out? (useful but not completely necessary)
    10. Does it allow the pump/gravity setup you need?
    11. Can it be wired into a float switch? (essential for pump fed)
    11. Can it cope with overflow to waste chute?
    12. Does it have teeth on the drum so it removes blanket weed that comes in?
    13. Can it use water pressure or has a pump?
    14. What happens when it goes wrong? Where do you have to return the defective parts to? (Draco is North Wales hence my preference)

    In the end they all do roughly the same thing. There's some things that they each do differently that you need to think through with your pond.
    14000l, my mutts: Chargoi (2010), Doitsu (2022), Tancho (2022), Kujaku (2022), Hi Utusri (2022)

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  13. #8
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Adult Champion NickK-UK's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Skippy View Post
    I am in the process of building a new pond which will be 4200 gallons. It will have a drum, bio, 3 returns, a skimmer, UV and a ashp. There are two aerated bottom drains.

    I must have planned out my pipework and filter system a 100 times. Initially I was going to run the BD's straight into the Draco Solum25 with the skimmer run into a blade. I'm now contemplating running everything through a drum but I want to make sure that putting the skimmer through the drum won't stop the BD's working as efficiently as possible. Would a pump such as a EA 30000 still pull sufficiently?
    Those are 110mm/4" pipes?

    If so you'll get 15-18,000lph through each gravity fed as an average (assuming no abnormal tight turns and long runs).

    I have a single BD 110mm, a skimmer 110mm and then two 110mm returns (via airlifts) plus a 2" pumped for anything else (including blade). The Draco kit was made specifically with 110mm through out. I also have a EA 20000 pump. IIRC the returns have a max capacity of a good 50,000lph,,, way more than the input side or the solum16 that it will feed into.

    Maxed out the 22000 will out pace the Solum16. So shoving 30,000 through a Solum 25, in the long term, may be pushing it in my view.

    If you put a skimmer in the BD line it will impact it and the only way to get an equal draw is to have all the pipework diameter and lengths about the same.
    14000l, my mutts: Chargoi (2010), Doitsu (2022), Tancho (2022), Kujaku (2022), Hi Utusri (2022)

 

 

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