Overflowing pond filter using King 3 pump in New Zealand pond

I have purchased second hand a Fish Mate Bio Pond Filer but unfortunately the water pressure seems to pop the lid up. Even putting a brick on it does not seem to make it water tight. As I am introducing this into a line which takes water from one pond to another one my pond would soon run dry as I would lose so much water.  Do you have any suggestions please.

Keith

Assuming al mechanically sound and no blockages in system ...

1. Bypass some of the water around the filter ... I think you're using too strong a pump and trying to pass too much water through the filter system. A brick will not help at all

2. Place a valve in line to filter and adjust until lid does not come off ... this is another potential solution but better one is to bypass some water around filter. This will also need valve to be installed and flow to be split in 2 directions

You can check whether this will work by squeezing the pipe from pump to filter to reduce flow and see what happens

If you need to ask any further questions you need to send me detailed description of your system with exact details on pump you're using

Tony

Thanks for that. The pump I am using is a King 3 pump, the specifications are:

• 110V/220V/240V

• 50/60Hz

• 35 watt

• 2400 L/Hr

• Max. head height 2.40M

I have set the pool up by running the outlet pipe from the pump to the filter, from the filter I have one outlet going to another pool which is approximately 600mm above the larger pool, the second outlet goes to a turtle that throws the water back into the large pond.

Due to the fact that the filter lid keeps coming off I have at present bypassed the filter and have the pump directly connected to the turtle and the smaller pond, however this means of course that the water is not being filtered except by the pump.

My question is in two parts:

1. Is the filter too small for the pump?

2. If I reduce the flow into the filter will there then be enough pressure to get the water from the filter to the smaller pool?

As I live in New Zealand it is not easy to obtain filters and therefore I would prefer to adapt this one however if I have to purchase a different filter please advise what I should purchase.

Any assistance you are able to give would be appreciated.

Regards

Keith

My reply ...

You are trying to pump more water into the filter than can come out. I initially thought you had a pressure filter but with such a low head pump I think you have a normal gravity filter with a simple lid (this type of FishMate filter is rectangular in shape while a pressure filter is cylindrical in shape). If you have a gravity filter you cannot pump UP to another pool via the filter. In this case the filter must be above the topmost pool so it can drain by gravity into the smaller pool (sounds like this may not be the case).

If filter is above topmost pool then either (1) the outlet pipe hole is too small in diameter to allow all the water to flow through (2) the pipe attached to the outlet is too small in diameter (3) the pipe is restricted by something inside eg algae, a stone, or maybe kinked or (4) You may well find that something is blocking outlet point inside the filter box (eg a bit of biomedia is actually stuck inside neck of outlet hole (5) line coming out of filter is just too long or (6) filter is not high enough above top pond

The outlet diameter pipe for this pump should be not less than 25mm for this pump

Let me know what you find ... but one thing needs clarifying ... what type of filter do you have? Which FishMate model and is it cylindrical or rectangular. I presume top pond flows into bottom pond somehow.