# DIY filter pumps



## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

I am currently working on a DIY canister filter for my 10 gallon. I am wondering what types of water pumps are out there that are external and inline, in the 125-175gph range. I would rather have to slow down the current than not have enough. This filter will have a built in CO2 reactor to make life simpler so a little higher gph would be fine. Any suggestions other than Eheim's? I find them to be a bit expensive. Are there any power heads that can be used externally? 

I would like something on the output side of the filter and I don't really want a pump/power head in the tank. The canister itself is small so where would only be room inside for a small powerhead, but they don't have the gph I want. If I found something to put into the filter itself, how have you DIYers found to get the cord out. I have thought maybe a small reversible (as the outlet is on the bottom of the filter, as is the inlet) powerhead would work but how to get the cord out without leaks?

Any help is greatly appreciated. I will post pics when I get it going


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## bharada (Apr 17, 2004)

All the DIY cannisters I've seen online have been in the Rainbow vein with an external pump pushing water through the cannister. For this I would guess any reputable pump will do. You might try browsing the reef boards to see what holds up well for them.


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

Anyone know if Pentair Aquatics Quiet One 800 is a suitable filter for dry applications? I can't really tell from their description. They say the intake is a screen but they also state how the quiet one's have special cooling chambers for dry operation. The online catalogs always list this line of pumps as suitable for wet or dry applications. Does anyone know more?

The price of this is great and the output should be perfect for my application.


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## bharada (Apr 17, 2004)

Looks like it has a 1/2" MPT fitting for the intake so you'd need to buy a suitable hose barb to screw into it. I've never used one personally so I couldn't tell you if it's quiet or not.


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

Nice! Thanks Bill. I did a few different searches on this, even went to the Pentair website and nothing was said about it either way. I have email Pentair about this and if they confirm the 800 will work inline I will go with it. Otherwise I might use the 1200, although thats alot of flow. Big Al's has the 800 for $16 and the 1200 for $18, plus shipping of course. That would bring the total of my canister filter to about $40, cheaper than anything else out there, plus it will hold a heater and have a built in CO2 reactor. That price is also a little high as my local hardware store has greatly inflated prices and a limited selection of plumbing fittings. A trip to HomeDepot or something would probably save 5-10 dollars. 

Thanks again. I will post here as to what Pentair says and I'll put up some photos when it is all done.


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## Sir_BlackhOle (Jan 25, 2004)

Cant wait to see photos!


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

According to Pentair Aquatics: 


> Hi Dennis,
> The Quiet One 800 pump can only be used in submersible applications. All
> other Quiet One pumps can be used in submersible or dry applications. Hope
> this helps. Thank you for choosing Pentair Aquatics.
> ...


I guess i will use the 1200 model. I have email them back to check that restricting the flow to about 150 gph(its rated for 296gph) will not be detrimental to the pump. As always, I will update whenI know more


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## bharada (Apr 17, 2004)

Well, the rated gph is probably without any head pressure so once you get it connected to your cannister and plumbed up to your tank's height it may be considerably less. Also, you could always increase the size of your return pipe/spraybar so that the flow rate is disperesed over a larger area so it doesn't create a lot of current.


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

Thats what I figured. Althought he website has a little chart and at 1' head it puts out about 275gph. I figure thought hat by the time th water comes from the tank, through the CO2 reactor, goes through all the foam and floss, past the heater, negotiates a couple 90` bends, through the pump and out the spray bar I will make it should be ok. I can also use a ball valve to adjust the flow if need be and I am only using 1/2" tubing. I ordered the Pentair Aquatic Quiet One 1200 (296gph) tonight rom Big Al's. I should have it by Friday adn once I finish my DIY I will share some photos.

Thanks for the input Bill


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

Bloody shiping people! My stuff did not come on Friday. Usually it only takes a couple days go get here from Big Al's (email conformation said it shipped tuesday morning) Oh well. maybe monday. 

In the mean time, I will have the opportunity to work on my intake and outputs. Does anyone have any suggestions about th econfiguration of the intake and output? I was planning on making an spraybar for the output, drilling holes alon the length of a piece of 1/2" pipe and capping the end. It will run from front to back on one side of the tank, the intake should be on the other side? How many holes and what size? Do they need to be bigger toward at one end to allow for more uniform "spray". I was also planning on having the back holes oriented so they flow almost straight across the back but angling down a bit so that the point almost down in the front, to help keep the foreground cleaner.

For the intake I was going to do basically the same thing but vertically. I can machine in slots rather than holes near the bottom to act as a strainer. Would having some holes near the top help to achieve more even water flow. A hoel near the top might also be insurance for leakes. If the pump of filter sprang a leak, hte suction would break when the water surface reached the hole, about 1" below the normal water's surface. Any ideas about the size of the slots or holes to allow good water flow and suction without robbing it of "power" Remember that the pump is rated for about 275gph where it will be located but will definately be lower than that with all th eresistance from the filter, elbows over the tank rim, CO2 reactor, and there will be a ball valve after the ump for flow control.

Any ideas? Maybe IUknown can chime in about his lilly pipe design


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

Well, I got it to work Pics will follow tonight when I get time. Only problem is that I am not at all happy with the Quiet One. The impeller is quite noisy. I had hopped that it would be quieter than my AC HOB filters but it seems not to be the case. The is a sort of vibration/buzzing that is definately from the impeller, and no htere is nothing in it. Also, the adapter to make the pump work inline is thin ABS plastic that cracked the first time I treaded my barb onto it, with hand pressure I might add. It is also hard to get the adapter to seat well without leakes. 

I do not, by any means wish to knock Pentair, nor do I advise anyone not to by this piece of equipment. It meary has not suitedm y needs, and since the personal experiences for many types of equipment are lacking from the net, I wanted to post my experiences. These are meatly my opinions, and should be taken for what they are worth

Does anybody have any thoughts about this pump. Do not, please, turn this thread into a bashing. It is NOT my intention, nor my desire. I am actually just trying to find a way to make this pump work for my tastes.


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

Well, here it is. This is just a quick pic to show I really made it The filter works great but the pump is noisey I might be able to do somethign about the noise, I don't know. I will try checking the impeller and contacting Pentair, when I have time. In the mean time, it does work good though. I think this will be an excellent filter, but definately more cost effective for a bigger tank. Right now I have about 50$ in it, but my local hardware store is greatly inflated. You could probably save close to 10$ if you went to H*$^depot or someplace


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## Adam (Oct 19, 2004)

Do you notice any small bubbles coming out of the output? If so it might be drawing air at some point in the plumbing.

Or it may be turbulence... I did an closed loop pump istallation on a clients tank with a mag 18 that was sitting above the tank running two sea-swirls, and because of the bends I had to put into to get the plumbing of the intake the way the client wanted it unless you throttled the pump back about 25% it would make a churning type sound. The only thing I could chalk it up to was that the bends in the plumbing were causing turbulence in the incoming water that threw the impeller out of balance and caused the rattling.

The later would be my guess based on all the angles you have in the plumbing. Try straightening some of the angles, using 45 degree angles or use CVT to make the angles more gradual and see if that doesnt fix it. I would be very suprised if the noise was application based and not a manufactuerer defect.


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## Adam (Oct 19, 2004)

Could you post pics of it in an exploded view type thing? How are you sealing the top? Are these all pieces that could be easily obtained from a local hardware store?


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

That was my thinking also, which is why my earlier post said I did not want this to turn into a basing. I was actually mearly wondering if anyone else had had similar experiences. 

That info you give me sounds very reasonable. I think I will try running the pump in a bucket without all the piping to see how it acts. I like it otherwise though. My problem with changing the fittings is that I am very limited for space. As you can see from the photo, the tank is in a corner and the filter will just fit behind it. I might try to figure out if I can set it up below the tank. My canister is smaller so maybe it will fit where a fluval would not I wonder if there is some way I could put in a bleed valve to release any air from the system. As for sound though, even with the valve closed (it is on the output side) the turbulance sound stopped but he pump itself still hums prety loud. I do not know if that would change. Its in my bedroom so...... the humming might get to me. 

Once again, I am not knocking the Pentair pump!

As for pics, I need to put them together into something managable. Yes, all the parts are from the local hardware store. The inlet and outlet pipes are plugged with epoxy and the canister itself has a expandable rubber plug. They are all pretty common. I would like to find better tubing. Like I said, since it sits right behind the tank, making the bends is difficult and the tubing likes to kink. I think I need to find a way of starting a syphon while the canister is capped, thus eliminating any air pockets before I turn on the pump. Hmmmm.....


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## Adam (Oct 19, 2004)

What about connecting the pump directly to the canister via the threaded union? That would elimiate one 90 degree bend, and give you more room to play with on the right side where it returns water to the tank.

The other thing I just thought of, is that the canister might be causing too much resistance. Is there a way to test the filter with no media in side it? That would tell you if its a restriction issue or whether its a plumbing issue.


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

Well, the treaded part for the input on the pump broke (see earlier disgruntled post) so I have to use that larger tubing. Not a big deal really but having to use that and a bigger barb emansanother fitting and the whole assembly will be to long for the space then. I am thinking about removing he longer in/out lets on teh canister and replacing them with shorter ones, that could save some space.eventually I wan to replace the tubing fo rhe intake with a hard plubmed CO2 reactor although I don't think I will need it if I inject directly into the intake of the canister. Notice the pump is after the canister so that the water through the pump is filtered As for to much risistance, I will try it but there is defiantely los of flow the way it is, way to much actually with the valve all the way open. Maybe if I start a syphon using the output in the tank, it wil fill he filter and purge the air from the system as it goes. 

Thanks for your insight Adam


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## Adam (Oct 19, 2004)

I would try to get a replacement... the pump shouldnt have broken at normal hand tightening pressures unless your He-Man. I have had problems with structural flaws in bulkhead fittings similar to what it sounds like your describing. It doesnt hurt to check because if you could thread the union directly to the pump you would be able to solve alot of your space issues.


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

He-man.... notice the sleevless shirt and cool sunglasses

Regardless, of that, I actually like the tubing method a little mora as teh connectionis this case is a little flexible so there is less stress on the connection where the output stud meets that canister.

I aslo took your advice this evening and simply trued th epump without the canister. I mearly disconnected the pimp/valve/spray bar assembly and but it in bucket with enough water to cover the pump. When I plugged in the pump the noise was gone. It seems to have been air in the impeller. Now how to solve that issue. Either I have a leak where the expandable plug seals the canister (I am pretty sure that is fine though) or more likely I had air in the system from fillingn it up. What I had done was placed the in and output in the aquarium, and filled the canister through the top, then sealed it with the expandible plug. I know there was air in the intake lines aswell as in the top of the canister. I figured it would clear itself out but maybe not. I need to attach the barb for the CO2 so I think what I will do is use that barb (probably use a 1/2 to 1/2 barb in the tubing from the intake to the canister, witha 1/8 barb in the connector for the co2 tubing) I can use this to create a syphon to fill the lines and canister before I turn on the pump. If the valve is open then the whole system should be purged of air pockets up to the spray bar tubing at the tanks water level. 

Thanks fo rall your help Adam


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## Adam (Oct 19, 2004)

I'm not having much luck finding anything except industrial expandable pipe caps online. What hardware store did you pick yours up from, and where would I look when I went in?


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

Adam, 

I got mine from a local mom and pa hardware store. I am sure you could get it at places like Home Depot though. It would be in the plumbing section, near the larger piping. i believe it is used to seal sewer service ports. Should be 4-6 dollars.


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