October 16th, 2004

Another day with two day labors and mucho progress. The pond is filled, running, and getting close. Still a bunch or rock work, a little plumbing (especially the air lines), need to install filter media, plants, and fish - but really close.

October 16th, 2004

The mulching and landscaping is mostly done. I couldn't find the last two bushes at Home Depot, but the yard is really close.

October 16th, 2004

The filter was dug out, leveled, reinstalled, and dirt refilled. This was probably $120 of the $180 for day labor today.

October 23rd, 2004

The filter is done. The center settling chamber contains the mechanical "answer" - a screened cylinder that water must flow through to get to the outside biological chamber. The electrical cord goes to the motor/pump that powers a rotor inside the cylinder that backwashes the screen The air line (horizontal 3/4 PVC on right side) supplies air to a circular ring at the bottom of the outside biological chamber. The air allows the small plastic "Kaldnes" media to curculate. The benefitial bactera grows on the media, eating the fish and other pond waste.

October 23rd, 2004

The skimmer is installed. A fixed basket attaches to the through-liner fitting, a floating top piece allows just the right amount of water (and leaves, etc) to fall into the interior removable strainer.

October 23rd, 2004

The final plumbing shot. The left is the filter settling chamber drain. The center is the main filter return from the biological chamber. The right is the skimmer return. The main filter return is 4" going into a 3" flapper check valve and fainlly to 2" right by the pump. The skimmer is 2" all the way. The idea was to balance the return flow so that most of the water came from the filter and just a bit from the skimmer. I got it right, so the default is both valves completely open.

October 23rd, 2004

Another view of the final piping. The foreground is the circulation pump output. Usually the drain valve is closed, the main supply to the UV light and then falls and the smaller feed to the sclupture open. In the background is an energy ineffecient old spa pump, only used to empty the settling chamber of the filter. The blue air pump is also visible.

October 31st, 2004

I decided to repull the electrical wires from the house to the pond area. This is the waterproof pull box in the middle of the run to make it easier to pull. I never use direct burrial wire - that would be a disaster when someone dug a deeper hole. When I opened the outside electrical panel to measure the total current draw, the GFCI tripped. I found that the I could position the wires different ways and it would sometimes trip the GFCI. Examing the wire showed a place where it was nicked, and the new wire works fine.

October 31st, 2004

The pond is effectively done. The landscape lighting is installed in this picture. I do need to friim some of the foam and add some river rock by the falls, and the lilies need to go in the pond on the cinder blocks near the sculpture, but otherwise things are good.

October 31st, 2004

No rock stacked on the path - for the first time since July. Just plants and fish left.

July 7th, 2005

I replaced the previous winter pictures with these, when the yard is all nice and green (and the water isn't). It had just rained fairly heavily.

July 7th, 2005

The view of the pond from the back patio (or den). This is my favorite view.