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  1. 23-11-2022, 03:39 PM #1
    Ianb
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    Small pump before drum

    Hi all, could anyone give me their thoughts on my set up and if anyone has tried this as suggested by a good koi dealer.
    I have recently installed an Oase Compact M drum filter which I am really pleased with, however there is one slight drawback which is down to an error when I built the pond.
    I have 4 inch bottom drain with a purge that works great. The skimmer is a standard one with a 1.5 inch outlet that is cemented into the brickwork, so converting it to 3 inch may open up a can of worms. At present the wier on the skimmer just about movers, it will collect leaves and food so is working to some degree but ideally I would like a bit more pull on it.
    I do need to drop the drum a little lower as it is at the minimum operating level which may increase the pull slightly.
    I have had it suggested even though it is far from ideal the a small pump, say a 3000 LPH between the skimmer and the drum may be an option, then have 10000 pulling from my pump which is after the drum.
    Anyone any suggestions or have tried this, not too bothered if it has to stay as it is, just a little food for thought,
    Thanks
    Ian


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  2. 23-11-2022, 04:17 PM #2
    Twhitenosugar
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    Hi Ian

    My immediate thoughts are that the pump could clog up with the aforementioned food and leaves.

    If you have enough space below the level of the skimmer you could try installing a small air lift, to boost flow on the skimmer. The good thing with an Airlift is it should create flow, but should let the leaves and food pass through into the drum whole.

    Plus it'll be relatively cheap and easy to make and run.

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    Last edited by Twhitenosugar; 23-11-2022 at 04:30 PM.
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  3. 23-11-2022, 04:39 PM #3
    Ianb
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    I did have my skimmer pump fed to a sieve before I bought the drum, the flow was about 6000 but it did pull the food etc through, not sure if I want all that going into the drum as i think it may go into excessive cleaning
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  4. 23-11-2022, 04:49 PM #4
    Twhitenosugar
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    I'm a bit confused.

    I thought you wanted to increase flow via your skimmer into the drum to ensure it did it's job. But your last post suggests you don't want the skimmer to pull much floating crud into your drum?

    If you do want to increase flow then an air lift should work well.

    If you want less waste go into your drum can you not put a basket into your skimmer?

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  5. 23-11-2022, 04:56 PM #5
    Ianb
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    Sorry I just thought when I had a pump fed skimmer the sieve was above the skimmer which made the access of the basket difficult so I took the basket out, as the sieve has now gone I have put the basket back in so ignore the last post, just me not thinking, I can increase the flow without any excessive build up to the drum
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  7. 27-11-2022, 01:45 AM #6
    Feline
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    If your drum is gravity fed then you really don’t want to be pumping anything into it- if anything goes wrong and the drum turns off or the screen blocks you would have a big overflow. How many inputs does your drum have? Could you cut the bottom of your skimmer off and fit a rubber boot to it to be a decent size for a second gravity feed?
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  8. 27-11-2022, 06:11 PM #7
    Ianb
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    Thanks Feline, think I will sack the pump idea, the drum has 2 inlets, I am a bit nervous about cutting the skimmer as it has been fitted for sone time and is cemented into the wall, worried about it splitting then it will be a massive job. The skimmer does pull but not quite as effective as I would like, may have to put up with it as it is
    Thanks
    Ian
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