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Monday, May 1, 2017

Vortex Chamber For Koi Pond

Vortex system

KOI POND FILTER -- Vortex chambers has recently become very popular that is used today and has been used as part of the main filtration system now for many years. The cone shape of the filter design aids in the settling of debris and ensuring gentle action of the dissolved waste throughout the filter process. Many People said they cannot work because it requires very high revolutions for sufficient centrifugal force to be generated. The efficiency of the unit does depend a lot on it's design, especially the diameter, height, and especially the positioning of the inlet and outlet pipes. The pumping rate can also be very important. Koi Pond filter with vortex chamber very recomended to get clean pond water.


How Vortex Chamber Work?

If you have any doubts about the efficiency of a vortex chamber then do try to visit a pond keeper that has one in use as I am sure you will be quite impressed with it. Careful thought must be given to the correct size of your vortex chamber(s) when designing your koi pond, taking into account the necessary pump rate.How Vortex System Operate


Vortex system
Flow in Vortex Chamber Filter

This rough sketch shows the basic idea for the Vortex chamber. The inlet from the bottom drain passes through the inlet just above the cone section of the chamber. The inlet is positioned so that the water flows around the side of the vortex, and then rises up and out through the outlet at the top, and then passes into the next chamber of the filter. The solids will then fall to the bottom of the cone, and can then be flushed away several times a day.




Used as Primary chamber, fits into the filtration system as the 'First Line of Attack' and should be placed at the front end of the filtration system . Normally the water from the bottom of the pond - together with waste and other debris is fed directly into this via the 4" or 110mm pipe from the Bottom Drain where it then adopts a 'spiral' motion inside the vortex chamber.


Vortex system
Vortex Chamber System Cyclus

This allows the waste and debris to settle into the bottom of the vortex chamber where it then collects at the conical end of the vortex - waiting to be 'Flushed' via the Slide Valve which should be fitted to the external pipework that has been installed as part of the filtration system . Please note that for 'Gravity Fed' systems the water level in the pond should be no more than 1/2" from the Top edge of the Vortex Unit with the pump switched off. less if you can manage it. So if preparing a solid or concrete base for your Vortex units to stand on the base should be laid at the height of the vortex less 1/2"or less 







Advantages to a Vortex Chamber Filter system

1.Vortex Filter Systems remove undisturbed solid waste before entering the pond's pump. The majority of other pond filter systems "puree" the solid waste from the bottom of the pond through the pump, creating a more heavier load for the filter system.

2.The Vortex System is an "open bed" allowing for atmospheric oxygen to interface with the surface water in the filter chambers, thereby acting as an oxygen supply safety net during power outages.

3. Closed, or pressurized filters, by design, can lose all of the dissolved oxygen present at any given moment in time if the flow is stopped. This process of oxygen depletion in many environmental cases can occur within an hour's time.

4. All systems have some unwanted, undesirable anaerobic environmental conditions which can "biologically bloom", given the circumstances. Example: a pressurized filter system operating at full capacity during hot weather conditions, loses its flow of water (and its source of dissolved oxygen).

5. The small population of anaerobic bacteria always present, but subdued can now flourish in an environment which is quickly becoming ideally suited for their populations to increase. As anaerobic populations increase, aerobic bacterial populations decrease.

6. When the pressurized filter begins to flow again, toxic waste products
(hydrogen sulfide - rotten egg smell) from the now-active anaerobic bacteria flow into the pond.





Three Chamber Vortex




3 Chamber Vortex system
Exit the pond: The water should exit the pond (drain) from its deepest point, where most of the heavy debris will have settled. Obviously, the best thing to do is get rid of the heavy debris before transferring the remaining waste to the useful bacteria, in the biofilter. The water should be gravity-fed to the filter chambers. The flow rate should be low enough to allow the heavier solids to settle within the chamber and great enough to allow a complete water turnover every 2 hours or so. (The efficient match between pond design, pump selection and filtration system is essential.)

The first chamber: The water enters the settling chamber, which is shaped something like a cone, on a tangent to the cone and therefore begins to swirl in a vortex. This gentle swirling action encourages the heavy debris to sink to the bottom of the cone, where you can simply open the drain for ease of removal. The water then proceeds from the lower portion of the cone, wells up and exits through a port in the uppermost portion of the chamber.

The second chamber: The water then enters the second chamber, a prefilter. The prefilter contains filter media - such as filter brushes, which filters out some of the finer debris which gets by the first chamber. Now this filter media is likely to get rather mucky, in time, so it is beneficial that this filter brush media is light and easy to clean.

The third chamber: The water then proceeds in the same low to high path, past the baffle into the third chamber, the main biofilter. The main biofilter contains filter media which millions of bacteria call home. Here's where the dissolved waste products, primarily ammonia, meet the bacteria. The main portion of the nitrogen cycle takes place here.



chamber vortex filter


Example Pond Design With Vortex System
Pond Design With Vortex


REFERENCE:
1. http://www.koicymru.co.uk
2. http://www.aquaart.com
3. http://www.koiofindonesia.com
4. http://www.koifooddirect.co.uk

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