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mledford

Question...Maybe Idea?

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15 Comments
by
mledford
, 07-24-2012 at 06:08 PM (4033 Views)
Hey all,

Been a little while since I've posted anything. I've been stupid busy here lately. I pop in here from time to time and read the latest blogs etc...

On to my question or maybe a idea I am sure someone has thought of, maybe even tried. Let me start by prefacing that I hate filter socks in my sump. I have tried all different sump socks... Basically they suck. What I hate even more is all the junk in my sump. I like to keep my sump clean, and find cleaning my sump to be a pain the ... I enjoy seeing everything in my fuge grow etc...

So here it goes, has anyone ever tried using a pool style cartridge filter to pre filter the water into their sump. I know a bit pricey but if it would keep the junk out of my sump than potentially worth it. I've thought of the cleaning factor of cleaning the cartridge, they are re-usable. This could potentially introduce bad stuff from cleaning with a garden hose. I think I have over come this fear by obtaining two filters. Once the filter requires cleaning, remove the dirty filter and install a new one. Clean the dirty filter, maybe a dip in a light vinager water solution and let dry until the next time. I'm thinking this may allow for clean (free of solid waste) water to pass through my sump. What I'm not sure of is the potential pressure needed to pass the water through the filter basically using the gravity pressure.

Some of you may think this is a stupid idea, and potentially so. I thought about this a couple years ago and I myself thought this was a stupid idea. It's recently resurfaced in my head and thought "what the heck, let me ask and see if anyone has tried this before"

Ok, so punch holes it and let me hear how stupid this idea is... (LOL) Don't worry you wont hurt my feelings.

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Comments

  1. NeenahFoxxe's Avatar
    It actually sounds pretty good... But wouldn't it be the same thing as a filter sock? Isn't the filter sock there to catch gunk? I've never used socks myself because I've read too many threads on how much of a pain in the arse they are. I guess my question is what would the pool filter do different than the sock? Or would it be easier to clean?
  2. wrx1908's Avatar
    It may clog when you are not home and overflow your tank
  3. melev's Avatar
    If you want to do this, be there to keep an eye on things. However, what you are doing is coming up with yet another method of trapping particulates, which is what the socks do. Pulling a sock out of the sump is actually easier than removing a filter cartridge in a housing. How often were you changing your socks? And how many did you have total?
  4. Alaska_Phil's Avatar
    I just line my sump with little feather duster tube worms to filter out particles. Some of those particles are pods and large bacteria that are food for your corals.
  5. SoLiD's Avatar
    If it really bothers you that much, design a new sump that will allow for a filter floss pad section. I did and couldn't be happier.
  6. mledford's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by wrx1908
    It may clog when you are not home and overflow your tank
    Very good point... This is a concern I did not consider.
  7. mledford's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by melev
    If you want to do this, be there to keep an eye on things. However, what you are doing is coming up with yet another method of trapping particulates, which is what the socks do. Pulling a sock out of the sump is actually easier than removing a filter cartridge in a housing. How often were you changing your socks? And how many did you have total?
    I have two socks in the sump with a total of 6 different types of socks. A total of 12 socks I would rotate out. I would rotate the socks out based on how high the water head was inside the socks. As they get dirty the water head rises. Of coarse when it's clogged the water overflows over the top. I would just wait until the water was within a couple inches of the top. The frequency varies.

    A filter sock has like 1 or 2 sq ft of filtering surface (at the most). A cartridge style which I'm thinking of would have like 50 sq ft of filtering surface. The cleaning frequency would be considerably less. (I would think).

    Considering the previous comment, should this clog up the tank would overflow; something I didn't consider. That alone would kill this idea as a viable solution unless I could figure out some kind of automatic bypass.
  8. melev's Avatar
    Yep. I'd almost suggest you consider an in-line Diatom filter. Those are old school, but polish the heck out of the water. You'd only need to run it a couple of days, monthly, but it wouldn't help keep your sump sparkly clean. A shopvac will.
  9. SoLiD's Avatar
    Unless you have some power heads blowing the water around in your sump, you'll never be able to keep debris from settling.
  10. Midnight's Avatar
    Marc, how many shop vacs have you burned up from salt water use?
  11. melev's Avatar
    None, but I don't use it like that all the time. It's good to pump out the last of the crude once the majority of the water is out. Now ask me how many I burned up doing floor stripping...
  12. wrx1908's Avatar
    I came up with this idea hope it will work for trapping some stuff

    hope you guys can help me with some thumbs up and views thanks guys
  13. SoLiD's Avatar
    Without the filter sock, I don't see how that would work to keep a sump free of detritus. Trash will just flow right out of the container. Might be a good idea to help have less micro bubbles enter the sump. IDK
  14. melev's Avatar
    It looks like you've made a settling chamber. It should trap some of the organics that don't stay in suspension, and it will smell terrible more than likely when it's time to dump out.
  15. wrx1908's Avatar
    I will run it for a month and see if it works