Tetra Pond Filter on 240

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
JAFRIAS;3397035; said:
the TETRA is a simple gravity flow filter it must be placed above the pond/ tank it has a loose fitting lid
Click to expand...


http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=5332

There they are… the smallest one has a max flow of 500 gph… The larger has a max flow of 1000 gph…

The filter unit has a 1.25” OD outlet… which means it has a 1” ID outlet…

A 1” ID Outlet will not allow a flow rate of 1,000 gph to ‘fall’ out of it by the force of gravity alone… Thus, the filter will build up pressure, forcing the water to flow at a higher rate…

A “loose fitting lid” would thus fall off…

This unit is a "pressurized pond filter"

It’s becoming obnoxious to have people who have not taken the time to educate themselves on the topic… challenging logical suggestions of someone who has… It took me 2 minutes to look that filter up and determine it is a “pressurized pond filter”… and is not “a simple gravity flow filter”…

If you do not have the time to learn the correct answer to a question… don’t spend the time blurting out any old random answer… It is only misleading…
 
According to the stats listed on both links above… they are the same filter…

The Dr Foster & Smith page do not use the term “Gravity” anywhere in it’s title nor product description…

The Tetra Site uses the term “Gravity BioFilters” as the heading to the page, but drops the term “Gravity” on the actual filters heading as well as on the specs page…

But regardless of titles… reading just a bit about the specs and understanding the general function of the filter…


The larger model is rated for up to 1,000 gph… The outlet on the filter is 1~1.25” ID…

Those of us familiar with flow rates can easily understand that a 1~1.25” hole will not allow 1,000 gph to “fall” out per the force of gravity… Instead pressure will build up in the filter pushing water out of the outlet hole…

Reading the product description in either of the two links provided above, one is lead to believe the “Gravity” idea is because water and air is fed into the top of the filter and “gravity” pulls it down through the Bio Media. I confess the product description, if used at it’s max flow rate, is very misleading. But misleading product descriptions are common with manufacturers.

I do acknowledge that Tetra also makes a filter they clearly label as a “pressure filter” Which is meant to deal with higher flow rates thus higher levels of pressure. These styles are much more like the Bio Force Filters I’ve references previously… and I feel would much better serve the needs of the Author of this thread…


Neither of the pages linked here, including the Tetra page, mentions where to plumb the pump, although I would suspect that the instruction manual with the filter would suggest placing the pump before the filter…

The modification I suggested, which has been repeatedly claimed would not work… was to place the pump after the filter. This would create a “sucking” pressure equal to the “pushing” pressure putting the pump before the filter would make. It would in no way increase the pressure. Also since it is a sucking pressure, It would be pulling the lid into place, as opposed to pushing the lid out of place. It is assumable that putting the pump after the filter would allow higher pressures (sucking as opposed to pushing) to be handled, yet I would discourage anyone from making such assumptions…

Again, my suggestions are based on understanding the actual product we are discussing, as opposed to simply reading a page…
 
It is not a sealed canister so the suction would result in sucking air, not water.

The misleading information in the product description is the flow rate.

I agree that a 1" pipe would not handle 1000gph through gravity alone and from looking at one of these awhile back I don't think the spraybar will either.

I also agree that one of the pressure filters would serve the purpose better
 
nc_nutcase;3397110; said:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=5332


:nilly::nilly: i do own 2 they do work as i suggested the lid does screw down but leaks with too many gph.. :cheers: http://flexpvc.com/WaterFlowOnPipeSize.shtml



It’s becoming obnoxious to have people who have not taken the time to educate themselves on the topic… challenging logical suggestions of someone who has… It took me 2 minutes to look that filter up and determine it is a “pressurized pond filter”… and is not “a simple gravity flow filter”…

If you do not have the time to learn the correct answer to a question… don’t spend the time blurting out any old random answer… It is only misleading…
Click to expand...
http://flexpvc.com/WaterFlowOnPipeSize.shtmli
 
houie925;3397784; said:
It is not a sealed canister so the suction would result in sucking air, not water.

The misleading information in the product description is the flow rate.

I agree that a 1" pipe would not handle 1000gph through gravity alone and from looking at one of these awhile back I don't think the spraybar will either.

I also agree that one of the pressure filters would serve the purpose better
Click to expand...

http://flexpvc.com/FlowBasedOnPipeSize.shtml
 
I’ve often wondered exactly how they test to gain such information, as I see a few variables that they do not account for…

If you have a 55 gal drum full of water… and you poke a hole in the side near the top… the water will be under little pressure and will come out at a given rate…

If you took the same drum and poked the same size hole in the in the side near the bottom, the water would come out of that hole much much faster than the hole at the tap…

Being practical… and having used a few 1,000 gph pumps… and having used 1” plumbing before… I do not believe for one minute that a 1” ID hole will allow 1,000 gph, or 960 gph, to flow out of it without the assistance of pressure…

Many people use similar charts when planning sumps… and I can point out many variables that are not taken into account in those situations as well, although I do not want to distract this conversation with that one…

I will suggest, that I believe we can all agree that using the Tetra “Pressure Filter” will better serve the purposes of the OP here…

I will admit that I have never held the Filter pictured here in my hands and cannot say that it’s lid is “sealed”… I can only say that it seems a lot of information the manufacturer suggests appears exaggerated…

I do apologize if my bluntness came across as rudeness to others attempting to help out here…

I do ask that people try to be more thorough in their responses though, as this could clear up a lot of confusion early… Such as saying WHY you believe the pump should go before the filter instead of after… Most people come to a forum to learn something, not be told what to do :D
 
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