# Air Driven Filter



## Macman6 (1 Jun 2018)

I'm planning building a pond (about 2M in length) as was going to do a Bog filter, i dont really have power access in the garden so was wondering does the lift of an air driven filter (was going to use solar power) only apply from above water level?

going to use it to drive current through a Gravel bed of bog plants.


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## Sakura83 (1 Jun 2018)

solar power + battery should be fine for pomp


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## martin-green (1 Jun 2018)

Sakura83 said:


> solar power + battery should be fine for pomp



To have a pump for a pond filter it must fit several criteria.
1) Be able to turn over the pond volume once every 4 hours.
2) Be able to run 24 hours  / day

In order to achieve this you are going to need batteries to store surplus energy, to charge the batteries you are going to need solar panels that are big enough to charge the batteries AND run the pump. 

There is also some thing else missing, in the UK we don't have a lot of bright sunshine. 

Any one selling a solar pump is never going to say their product needs lots of sunshine, and also watch out for the words "lasts up to" 

I would suggest a better idea would be to make a natural pond and have no filtration or fish.


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## Keith GH (2 Jun 2018)

martin-green said:


> There is also some thing else missing, in the UK we don't have a lot of bright sunshine.



http://www.manchester.climatemps.com/sunlight.php

Going by those figures you are going to be in trouble in running and storing power.

Keith


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## Sakura83 (2 Jun 2018)

There are two types of solar panels, one of them just need a day light (not direct sunshine beam) That can be done!


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## martin-green (2 Jun 2018)

Sakura83 said:


> There are two types of solar panels, one of them just need a day light (not direct sunshine beam) That can be done!



There are actually more than two, but they still need sunshine, and the "really good ones" cost lots of money. 

I once had to "assist" with costings for a "solar fountain" Not your small back garden fountain but a "huge" fountain for a centre show piece. 
I won't go into all the details  but it went some thing like........

Fountain needs mains pump to get water to correct height.
To run mains pump needs an inverter.
Must have "deep cycle" batteries to cope with demand 
Underwater LED lights also required.
Solar panels required to charge batteries
Fountain to run 17 hours / day (Off at midnight, start at 07:00) EVERYDAY

It never got off the ground for 2 reasons, the number of solar panels required to make sure it will work meant that the panels needed their own plot of land (there were that many) The over all cost was considerably more than the budget allowed for, solar panels are not cheap and neither were the batteries.

My point being, often solar is put forward as a suggestion, but when you start looking into it, to get a "decent" job, the costs are just too much


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## zozo (2 Jun 2018)

The other things you don't like as a pain in the butt that usualy emmerses much later, many people do not think about. Batteries have a number of load cycles, very expensive ones maybe 400 + cycles, but mean while reaching this limit capacity slowly decreases, by the time it's 400 it's down half its capcity in max load. With 365 days a year, your about at it's load cycle limit. Which means worst case scenario a new very expensive battery each year or maybe several cheap ones.. 

Think of yuor laptops battery if you have one.. same story.. One a year is not uncommon..


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## Gill (2 Jun 2018)

Could you use a high power Air Pump used for fish rooms etc, And have that plugged in in the house/kitchen. And then run airline out into the garden to the pond.


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## Sakura83 (3 Jun 2018)

martin-green said:


> There are actually more than two, but they still need sunshine, and the "really good ones" cost lots of money.
> 
> I once had to "assist" with costings for a "solar fountain" Not your small back garden fountain but a "huge" fountain for a centre show piece.
> I won't go into all the details  but it went some thing like........


You mean the fountain from your avatar?


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## martin-green (3 Jun 2018)

Sakura83 said:


> You mean the fountain from your avatar?



No, I don't mean the fountain in my avatar. That one is mains and was always going to be mains, and it exists. 
As I said, the one I was involved in costing  was to be huge (bigger than the fountain that is my avatar) and it was never made simply because it was going to cost way too much, all because they insisted it was solar powered. 
Even now if you look at solar fountains they are .......................not as good as you may hope.


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