DIY Multi-Canister Filter

[Olly613]

Update: Just pricing up the parts right now for the PVC assembly. Managed to find a couple of pumps out of old washing machines that I'm hoping will do the trick, otherwise for more power/flow I have a belt powered water pump & electric motor that I can hook up to a rheostat for control. Gonna play around with which is best once I'm done fixing up a separate pond project (hopefully will be complete early this weekend ) and then start assembly. I'll report back with how it goes, and if it's good I'll make a new thread with more of a step by step photo tour. (Thanks everyone btw!)


Any idea where one could get something like that OughtSix? It's a great suggestion and I'd like to look into it. If it's possible to have two valves/pipes (or more) attached and a screw top, they could be very useful.

 

[Oughtsix]

They are Cornelous kegs. (Corney kegs). They used to be used in pretty much every soda fountain / commercial soda dispenser until the soft drink manufactures switched over to the cardboard boxes with a plastic bladder. So now there are literally tens of thousands of these lying around waiting to be re-purposed.

Check out your local Craigs list. The home brew guys use them a lot for kegging their own beer. Any home brew store will carry them and the replacement parts and seals. Most soft drink distributors will have them around for a very cheap price. The kegs that Coke (Left 2 in picture) used are a little bigger in diameter and a little shorter than the Pepsi (right 2 in picture) kegs and the Coke kegs are usually a little cheaper because most of the home brew guys prefer the connectors on the Pepsi kegs.

They are not a screw top though.

They are a pressure fit lid. The more pressure in the keg the tighter the lid gets.

This is a Pepsi keg, the Coke kegs are a little bigger opening.

 

[Dan F]

They are Cornelous kegs. (Corney kegs). They used to be used in pretty much every soda fountain / commercial soda dispenser until the soft drink manufactures switched over to the cardboard boxes with a plastic bladder. So now there are literally tens of thousands of these lying around waiting to be re-purposed.

Check out your local Craigs list. The home brew guys use them a lot for kegging their own beer. Any home brew store will carry them and the replacement parts and seals. Most soft drink distributors will have them around for a very cheap price. The kegs that Coke (Left 2 in picture) used are a little bigger in diameter and a little shorter than the Pepsi (right 2 in picture) kegs and the Coke kegs are usually a little cheaper because most of the home brew guys prefer the connectors on the Pepsi kegs.

They are not a screw top though.

They are a pressure fit lid. The more pressure in the keg the tighter the lid gets.

This is a Pepsi keg, the Coke kegs are a little bigger opening.

Great idea! I have a couple of cornelius kegs in the barn, I never thought about using them as filters...

 

[5280critters]

Great Idea can not wait to see one in action

 

[kamikaziechameleon]

looking at your design I thought why not just put two bio towers? PVC pipe with filter sock on top and then a layer of bio-balls then egg crate sitting in a tub/reservoir for return to tank. Easier than making a canister in that fashion and as easy to clean I imagine.

That being said your design is awesome and I might use that on a tank coming up.

 

[KaiserSousay]

Look at how this project has grown.
Hardly a cheap, simple little DIY attempt at a canister anymore.
DIY canister attempts pop up all the time with allot of interest at first.
Seems like such a simple thing.
A guy should be able to put one together with a great deal of performance along with substantial cost savings.
Then all the problems show up.
Once pricing out all the stuff needed and all the extra steps needed for service, an "off the shelf" can starts to look better and better.
Not saying you shouldn`t keep on with it, just been there myself.
After a number of leaking buckets and odd containers I found commercially available filters too be a much better bargain than I originally thought they were.