Journal Freds new pond build

[frederick thompson]

couple of photos and update from dates of missing parts

This is the reason why my walls are to be 3 ft high .My new grandson Ellis james GREAT aint he.

Good looking like his Grand dad ha ha

is these photos large enough

fence part take out for cement mixer and how to put into pond for the 8" inch base
and bottom drain cemented in.

as you can see the sky's let it all hit my new pond base soon under water snow rain the lot, but lucky it went off. great

this photo shows the amount of water

Start Of inner wall which my upper pond and filter house will come off. so this will also be my back wall.

on this next photo of wall for upper pond and filter house you can see brick ties for filter house and upper pond also start of block work in the pond

This is where the inner wall is up to as of to day

More blocks lowered into pond and you can see how deep the water is. the lads had to keep pumping out

Photo of curved walls so as to keep water going around and circulating from mid jet

Notice blocks are laid flat for strength also you can see my mid water level return the white pipe 1 and half inch also leading back to filter house.

also did anyone spot the pump in the bottom drain for pumping rain water out of pond thats on the end of blue hose. better photo of sump pump

thats all for now folks . Lets see what tomorrow brings. For this where they are up to.. Shaun came back today after moving house. also he was a little ill. Like myself caught some bug. But he still turned out.Good on him
getting there. Now starting to see pond taking shape. hope your all enjoying the block. hope the photos are better all the best fred

 

[frederick thompson]

Sorry made a mistake there in photo with white pipe the clump hammer resting on the blocks when i looked in the dark i thought it was the mid water return. with the pipe at the back i was wrong that pipe is there for when he fits it in. when i put my flood light on i noticed it was an hammer and not a return sorry. late. so no return fitted yet. Two of the mid returns now been added.

 

[frederick thompson]

start of morning where we was at

start of brick work to where window is being installed

2 bottom returns being lined up. not fully installed. they will have independent ball valves. and run one at a time. thats why one is running one way and the other the other way

start of upper pond block work

start of corner shape of how we want the shape up to where window frame will sit notice small brick work to get shape

a couple of shot of photos from different angles to give you idea of shape where after

here are a few pictures of the filters and pumps UVs and electrics plus skimmer

12000 speck badu self priming pumps plus 14000 speck badu pump

skimmer inside and picture of outside.bought with intention they fit brick work i am not keeping the inner strainer in though. because it is
running to easy pod

skimmer with lid on it will be 3" inch pipe work

the skimmer line will run to easy pod on 3 inch pipe work with a 20000 super fish pump and 30 watt uv run to TPR returns

Super fish 20000 pump from my old pond

UV 30 watt i had this on my old pond also a 50watt

in the box to the side is a EVO 50 watt UV to run of the bottom drain line to Nexus 320 to upper pond waterfall for return
but after nexus

Ultra sieve 3 from bottom drain

Ultra sieve internal for those who don't know how it works here is a picture of the inside.it runs into four inch line from bottom draine Gravity fed .from bottom to top of sieve then over and drops on to fine mesh.takes the fines out 78 micron mesh
then drops through mesh and gets sucked out with pump then with on to nexus 320

better photo of the mesh. them little bobs and bits are not meant to be in there ha ha

Nexus 320 filter

this will run after ultra sieve to pump to Uv 50 to upper pond which will have gravel and plants as another filter to polish it off.
Here is one of my window frames from Atlantica in box is 4" inch ball vaves there a rip off. ridiculous what you pay for these.

Last but not least electric box 5 way ran from my main board in the house. to another main board in garden this is digital displayed and warns me if pumps are dry.I am led to believe they shut pumps down but not sure.i know it will show pump 1 pump 2 they do shut pump down if a problem accures
light and auto feed. have to read up more on this. it was recommended to me. that it is a good switch box.

that's all for now folks enjoy and keep reading lots to come.. All the best Fred

 

[frederick thompson]

Also on one of the photos above you can see one of the air pumps. The one you see in the photo
Is a evolution Aqua 80 LPM this will be for bottom drain aireation. I have another one evo Aqua 130.for nexus bio and cleaning. Best Fred.

 

[alto]

Congratulations on the Grandson

and thanks for the increased photo size

not a lot of comments but this thread is not lacking on "views"

 

[frederick thompson]

thanks for the compliment alto. on my grandson great aint he. i realise now i should have done this from the start with the photo's
on the subject of of comments on the thread. i realise this is not a pond koi sight. its plants and aquariums.. but it could be a koi and pond sight.
with everything else.
i made a promise to a few people i would do a thread. so here it is and thanks again. stay in touch. its folk like you that makes me carry on.
No progress today delivery of more bricks cement sand and blocks could not be made.
hope it comes tomorrow.

 

[frederick thompson]

also i would like to thank jink 82 nelson and Andy McD for reading and viewing. like i said earlier in the thread
i will eventually get to you all. i am still learning how to navigate this sight. so again thanks and sorry if i have missed anyone
all the best fred

 

[Sk3lly]

Following along with each update. I know nothing about ponds which is why ive kept quiet. Looks like major work and will look great when finished!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[frederick thompson]

thanks all the same SK3lly it aint about what you know, we learn every day with all things. it is about the friend ships we build up with sites like this one.
like now i have communicated with you and said hello. thanks for the reply stay in touch fred

update. not a lot happened to day. for it has been raining. mainly shuttering for the filter house. and delivery s of bricks mortar ballast and a little plumbing.

delivery of some more cement thats shaun in the pond with his dog. mines locked up. they get on though.

truck crane grabber over reaching so we could get it all in the garden

lots of bricks coming of truck

second pallet of bricks coming into garden

noticed out rigger it caved my concrete in. had to lift back up and put a pad under in for support

notice bricks are stacked two high on top of each other. plus one bag of ballast for filter house and upper pond
on the right there where the boards are.

that's 2 bags of ballast on top of each other.

notice my new dog fish in the pond with Matthew . HAHA we had to put him in there because he wanted to go outside where the traffic is now
building up in the doctors surgery next door.

and two bags of soft sand not a lot of room to stow stuff

Matthew and Shaun about to put fence back in place. Remember if you want a pond built these are the lads clear water aquatics
Based in Hull i would recommend them to anyone. had a good clear up for Easter week end that's the building on hold until
Tuesday

a little more plumbing dry fitted not glued just to see what the run is like. there both one and half inch
from both TPRs to filter house. this for those that do not know means
Tangential Pond Return . there the two with the u bends on them. the other two are 4" inch bottom drain
and 1"inch air line to bottom drain

also they did a little shuttering for the base of upper pond and filter house. plus a little back filling around the pond
the base is going to run from near'st Board on ground at an angle But upper pond is going to be built up
from second board in at base. count them six tiles and basicly that is where the upper pond will end.
this wall will act as upper pond wall the filter house will run from just before pipe work to the large board near cement mixer..
i might move in there ha ha.

thats all for now folks hope you enjoy the read and photos all the best Fred

 

[frederick thompson]

picture of bottom skimmer when bought i had a 1 and half inch fitting. so as you can see it is marked
for cut out for a new fitting of 3"inch pipe and fitting.

thats it folks until after easter fred

 

[frederick thompson]

thought i would do a little on the Draco Drum this is a new revolutionary bit of kit in the rotary drum world
that makes it more affordable for the man in the street in the koi world. the oase profi drum is priced at £1.899.99
without pipe work and plumbing.
Oase proficlear is priced at £2,799.99 without plumbing and pipe work.

the draco drum is priced at £999.00 + fittings £1200.00 no pipe fitting.it fit right inside a nexus 300. it is drop plug and play just 2 x pipes to fit. inside filter. just take the easy out
and fit inside with pipes that come with it. brilliant No ripping pipe work out and re plumbing
eric filter and vortex filter
also it runs right of your garden hose. if at just under two bar. Brilliant. i am going to fit this after one year maybe less. i am going to run with the kaldi to build my Bio up then run
one of these. If i was home all the time then i would be able to clean every week. but i am away 3 weeks at a time. so i want something that self cleans its self.and this is the baby.
here are some photos of the draco drum inside a nexus

this one has a pump but like i said if you have just under 2 bar on garden hose you do not need pump
thats the white thing the pump.

pipe work inside to fit after the easy is took out.

Bloke at koi centre fitting it

pipe slides in on plate and fits outside drum

Bottom of nexus

drum showing with jets to waste with no pump running of garden hose

showing drum in an Eric filter

pipe work i nexus 300

The Controller

Dimentions

• Dimensions are 495mm X 310mm X 540mm deep (drum only). 340mm from base of drum chassis to nominal running water level (user adjustable + 15mm, -50mm). Height above water level 210mm
• Filters down to 58 microns
• Can be used without a pressure wash pump - wash cycle runs off a normal garden hose with a minimum pressure of 2.5 bar with good flow.
• Power used when active - Standby 11.5 watts. Active 35 watts. Active with optional pressure pump 78 watts
• All electrics on the drum itself are low - 9v for the sensors and 12v DC for drive and water control, including the optional pressure pump.
• Drive system comprises direct gearing to the back of the drum minimising complexity, the sealed motor unit is mounted on a single pivot swing arm as a safety feature to stop foreign bodies jamming the system
• Simple installation via multiple types of adaptor plate which are interchangeable
• Single, pre-wired connection from controller to drum. Just plug and play
• Ability to site controller up to 4 metres away from the unit
• Status of controller is available via simple, high intensity, colour coded LEDs
• Easily accessible water level sensors that can be adjusted to accommodate any situation
• All parts are modular and are replaceable in the event of any damage or failure
• Wholly designed and built in the UK by DracoDrum

The Solution of why cheaper


From the absolute start, DracoDrum was designed to fit in the front of an ERIC filter to replace the subjectively high maintenance brush box system used in these units. The brief was to come up with a product that could drop in without a single modification to the original filter. It then had to be extremely easy to "wire up" and commission and then it had to be easy to maintain, with everything easily replaceable. It also had to have all the features needed to make a drum work but keep it within the chassis of the drum to allow it to be installed in almost any situation, no matter how tight.

The result is a drum that not only fits in an ERIC filter, but fits the 300 series Nexus units and single inlet vortexes over 33 inches in Diameter. We are also looking at multi chamber units but on a case by case basis as there are so many different types. Spring 2016 will see the introduction of a standalone unit and a smaller drum for nexus 200 series filters and smaller vortexes and larger multibays.

The remotely sited controller has start / emergency stop buttons and a knob allowing you to change the length of wash. It also has 2 leads - one to plug in to the mains supply (110v and 230v, auto selectable) and one to plug in to the drum. Status of the unit is via 4 colour coded LEDs. We didn't think we could make it any simpler than that. Low voltage, sealed water valves and drive units utilising an extremely low geared direct drive system mean that only 12 volts is anywhere near your pond water. It is also designed to run without a noisy and power hungry wash pump in most circumstances, so on standby the unit can use less than 12
From the absolute start, DracoDrum was designed to fit in the front of an ERIC filter to replace the subjectively high maintenance brush box system used in these units. The brief was to come up with a product that could drop in without a single modification to the original filter. It then had to be extremely easy to "wire up" and commission and then it had to be easy to maintain, with everything easily replaceable. It also had to have all the features needed to make a drum work but keep it within the chassis of the drum to allow it to be installed in almost any situation, no matter how tight.

The result is a drum that not only fits in an ERIC filter, but fits the 300 series Nexus units and single inlet vortexes over 33 inches in Diameter. We are also looking at multi chamber units but on a case by case basis as there are so many different types. Spring 2016 will see the introduction of a standalone unit and a smaller drum for nexus 200 series filters and smaller vortexes and larger multibays.

The remotely sited controller has start / emergency stop buttons and a knob allowing you to change the length of wash. It also has 2 leads - one to plug in to the mains supply (110v and 230v, auto selectable) and one to plug in to the drum. Status of the unit is via 4 colour coded LEDs. We didn't think we could make it any simpler than that. Low voltage, sealed water valves and drive units utilising an extremely low geared direct drive system mean that only 12 volts is anywhere near your pond water. It is also designed to run without a noisy and power hungry wash pump in most circumstances, so on standby the unit can use less than 12
watts and in full wash mode, use 35 watts. It is entirely possible to run it off a car battery for prolonged periods of time.

For those of you who like to have some bling, unfortunately the DracoDrum does not have anything shiny on it but does come in a rather fetching polished black polypropylene with a striking logo on top and not forgetting the dapper red drum seal which will certainly make it stand out from the crowd...


Hope this gives you and insight to how the filter system is modernising and now there is a drum that will take the big boys on that most can afford. down by half..hope you like fred

 

[frederick thompson]

drum in vortex filter i forgot to add this one

all the best fred

 

[Greenfinger2]

HI Fred, Love the journal and pond build photos Only wish I had a garden to put a pond in I look after my mates mums pond so sort of makes up for it
Looking forward to your updates

Congratulations on the Grandson

 

[frederick thompson]

thanks for the reply mate, and the Congratulations on the Grandson thats my sixth one but the rest of them are in there teens or there abouts
glad you like my thread. i must be doing some thing right ha ha,sorry you do not have a garden.what do you live in a flat.
just as good though looking after someone's pond though.it aint just about looking at them. though its nice to. it is also about maintaining the pond so that they have
a nice healthy environment to live in. all the best fred.

 

[Wisey]

I'm following this too

 

[frederick thompson]

Cheers wisey thanks for reply. its slow but starting to shape up. big project. saved hard for my dream nice to hear from you all. how do you make another page, like page 4.this third page is getting a little long. so help needed thanks
Cheers greenfinger

 

[foxfish]

Hi Frederick, it great to read about your pond, you are obviously very excited about it all
I spent around 30 years working with Koi & building ponds, I wish that all of my customers were as passionate as you!
A lot of the work I did, was for very wealthy people who wanted a pond but only because the neighbour had one!
Keep the pictures coming.....

 

[frederick thompson]

thanks for the reply foxfish, i have read some of your threads mate and like what i have read. you know what your talking
about mate
and i give you total respect for that. especially the pond building side of things. 30 years is a lot of building of ponds.
i had 4 bricklayers come for a look at what i wanted. and all of them bottled it. so i can gather how hard it can be.
as far as passion goes .i suppose i am. because it is my dream. which such as yourself made come true.
keep in touch mate. i may need advice further down the line. all the best fred

 

[AndyMcD]

also i would like to thank jink 82 nelson and Andy McD for reading and viewing. like i said earlier in the thread

Hi Fred, I think lots of people are getting a lot of enjoyment seeing how your project is getting on (as they'd love to do this themselves). Please keep the photos coming. Congratulations on your Grandson! Andy

 

[frederick thompson]

Thanks Andy for the reply Andy. That really makes me feel good. To know that people are enjoying seeing the thread.
I have had a lot of enjoyment doing the thread. It's took a lot of saving the pennies to be able to do this.
Thanks for the congratulations on my grandson Andy all the best Fred