# 600gph, 20micron, HOB



## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

I`ve had this thought kicking around for awhile.
A decent volume, external capable pump hooked into a whole house water filter that would be a HOB unit.
Like a Magnum Pro, with more flow, cheaper price, and way cheaper media replacements.
I already have a CA1800 pump that has 650gph, @-0 head. This cost $30+ shipping.
Whole house water filter is $20, but does not come with filter cartridges.
Cartridges from W-M for $8 a twin pack. These are the Ã¢â‚¬Å"rust/sedimentÃ¢â‚¬Â


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## Cognition (Oct 14, 2009)

no suggestions, but I do wanna know how that goes.


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

My only question is how much will the 20-30 micron filter restrict flow? Would it still be worth it if you only ended up with 300-400GPH?


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## FishyOne (Jan 21, 2010)

I have been thinking of using whole house filters for mechanical filtration. I was going to put it underneath. I'm a little concerned about what pump to use to push/pull water through the filter. I think your setup sounds like it would work out nicely. Do you plan on mounting the pump to push or pull through the filter? Where did you find pumps for $30?


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

*Would it still be worth it if you only ended up with 300-400GPH*
I already know how the flow is, since I use this on my powered gravel vacuum system.
Loss from the 20/30 filter cartridge is marginal. No accurate figures as I don`t have a flow meter. I know what the flow looks like with just the pump, and when the filter is in the system there is hardly any change.
My guess is the amount of surface area these cartridges have offset the pore size.
The only time I have had reduced flow rates is when I put the 10 micron Ã¢â‚¬Å"taste/odorÃ¢â‚¬Â


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## FishyOne (Jan 21, 2010)

Thanks for the info and the link. I'm going to try and put something together. I see the pumps you are using have barbed fittings, what are you using to adapt your hose to these? I have been looking at pumps with threaded fittings, it would probably provide for a cleaner installation but the pumps are more expensive.


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

*pumps you are using have barbed fittings*
Both can be adapted to PVC.
Epoxy is a wonderful thing.
A short piece of tubing between pump and hard lines is a good vibration isolator, though.
I would rather do the humming and my pipes stay silent.








If I was going to go for a perminent mounting the above would be hard to beat.


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## Pali (Dec 22, 2009)

@KaiserSousay Nice filters !

Have you ever thourt about getting the filters with the bottom valve for easy and fast cleaning?

I used to run simular filters and found that there where disk filters with a bottom vavle, for a easy rinse of the filters. Once in a while it was nessesary to take them apart and wash them in hand, but most times I would just open the bottom valve and flush out alot of dirt and that was it.

:thumb:


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

*filters with the bottom valve for easy and fast cleaning? *

A drill and a 1/8-1/4npt pipe tap will let you put a drain in the filter housing.
Would be like the drains used on water traps in a compressor`s air line.


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

Almost all glued up.
Missing a couple of fittings, isn`t that always the way.
Instead of always getting 2 of all the miscellaneous fittings, I`ll start getting 4. With all the fittings I have, it`s almost always the 1 I don`t have that I need.
Got a bucket up on the workbench, full of water. 
Put the HOB on it to give it a test, without the elbow I need for the return. Just cobbed some pieces on for a little run.
Works just like I had hoped.
Back to the store for some more fittings.
Will have it glued up and on the tank front today. I will let it run that way for awhile, before paint and final positioning.
Might even get some pictures up.


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## FishyOne (Jan 21, 2010)

Anxiously awaiting pictures opcorn:


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

FishyOne said:


> Anxiously awaiting pictures opcorn:


Will need to make a couple "adjustments".
Being hard plumbed, the pump`s vibration is giving off an annoying hum.
Thinking of angling the return line closer to the intake. It takes up a foot of tank rim now.
Going to go back to my original plan for the return.
I found a ball jointed, duck bill that I thought would be "trick".
It is, just gives the return a bit more force than I want.


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## aji1217 (Aug 22, 2009)

Looks good. Curious to hear how long the filter pads last. 20 Micron is great for tap water, but gunk and sediment will most likely wreak havoc on it.

I used felt in my sump and in some custom HOB filters for a while, but it took about 5 days to get clogged and required intense rinsing. were talking 1200GPH running over close to 2 square feet of felt, and it still completely clogged and overflowed the tray in 5 days. Still use it in the sump, but added some modifications, mostly more prefilters (up to 4 different sizes now before the felt), and it still clogs in about 2 weeks. Works great for polishing though!

Let us know how it works out! I really like the idea! Any thoughts on modifying the intake/ output? or you just sticking with the in one hole out the other?

:thumb:


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## FishyOne (Jan 21, 2010)

Looks good. I will also be curious about how it works out for you. I'm going to give this a try too.


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

*5 days to get clogged and required intense rinsing.*

All things have a price.
I remember Mr. "Moon" had a sign up in his speed equipment shop,
"Speed costs, how fast do you want to go".
Same with water clarity.
If this was the only filter and I could magically get all the debris into position to be sucked into the filter, then I might fret over clogging, but not that much.
Super clear water and filter clogging go hand in hand.
At a cost of about $25 for me, since I had a bunch of pipe/fittings and a pump, the dollar to performance ratio is outstanding. 
My goal was to beat the pants off of the Magnum series in both initial cost and performance. Add in, not having to use proprietary media. On sale, these Magnums` sell for $60, or so, without shipping costs.
It`s a winner as is.
If you enjoy making things. Have access to a few simple tools. Some basic Ã¢â‚¬Å"handyÃ¢â‚¬Â


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Looking good, sir. Would a pad of foam, etc. between the pipe and the tank rim do much for the vibration? Might be a quick fix.


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

PfunMo said:


> Looking good, sir. Would a pad of foam, etc. between the pipe and the tank rim do much for the vibration? Might be a quick fix.


I hear you, one of the first thhings I tried.
That poor old CA pump has been so used and abused I`m really surprised it runs at all, let alone expecting it to run silent.
Will see how long the better half will put up with my version of the "Taos" hum.
Think I`ll round up some barbed fittings and some tubing for that time.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

You must truly have abused that little thing. :lol: 
I got the same pump from your info and it runs so quiet, I took the output hose out of the drain without turning the pump off. Took a few seconds to find why the syphon had such pressure. :roll:


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## tongareefer71 (Feb 17, 2010)

im thinking that "poly filter" media would be perfect. flows good and removes as much bad **** as carbon. *** used it from discus to reef with great results


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

now where do you get these filters do adapt like this, pretty creative and somehting i would very much love to do in the future especially as a piggy back clarifying filter for all my aquariums


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

ok i think i found where to get some, i also found this, i wonder if they make one that i could fit inline with my canister

http://www.homedepot.com/Appliances...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

*now where do you get these filters do adapt like this*

Got mine at lowes/hd, within pennies of each others price.
$17+tax, so less than a $20. Be aware, they *DO NOT* come with a filter cartridge.
Those I got a walmart. A twin pack was, like $8. They seem to last a good long time, with rinsing.

*make one that i could fit inline with my canister*

Don`t think your avarge canister would work well with this.
It might, but have my doubts.

*You must truly have abused that little thing.*

Almost embarrassing the amount of abuse I`ve laid on this pump. Ever since pulling my sump apart, this has been used as the heart of every screwball idea I`ve tried.

The "Timex" watch of pumps..It takes a licking, but keeps on ticking. :lol:


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## JALOOS (Sep 6, 2008)

I have been running the same setup with the exception it is not a HOB design but rather under the tank. The 35 micron cartiges I use usually last a week before there is an apreciable reduction in water flow. After that the curve drops very fast. I have however used the core from a 1 micron string wrapped filter that was taken down and used floss from wally world and they tend to last alot longer and are much cheaper in price to make than the 20 to 35 micron retail versions. F|or the record 2 days is all I get from a 1 micron before there is apreciable water flow loss.


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

JALOOS said:


> I have been running the same setup with the exception it is not a HOB design but rather under the tank. The 35 micron cartiges I use usually last a week before there is an apreciable reduction in water flow. After that the curve drops very fast. I have however used the core from a 1 micron string wrapped filter that was taken down and used floss from wally world and they tend to last alot longer and are much cheaper in price to make than the 20 to 35 micron retail versions. F|or the record 2 days is all I get from a 1 micron before there is apreciable water flow loss.


You seem to already know, these are pretty decent alternative filter options.
Hard to beat dollar/performance of these.
Could well end up with it in the stand, will have to see how the first service goes.
Weekly service is fine by me. When service consists of turning off a couple of valves, draining some water out of the housing, exchanging a cleaned cartridge for the dirty. Less work than doing your average canister, but more than a HOB.
I tried the floss, diy cartridge, on my vac system and found it more trouble, too me, then it was worth.


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

i'd almost think about putting the pump itself inside the tank, still pulling the water through, but would the pump only being attached to one hard pipe reduce vibration?, and that would allow you to come straight up from the filter over the tank lip closing that gap in the pipes in the tank


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## JALOOS (Sep 6, 2008)

cjacob316 said:


> i'd almost think about putting the pump itself inside the tank, still pulling the water through, but would the pump only being attached to one hard pipe reduce vibration?, and that would allow you to come straight up from the filter over the tank lip closing that gap in the pipes in the tank[/
> 
> Mine is run with with a rio pump in the tank pumping to the filter itself. No noise here.


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

Thanks for the thoughts and experiences, but I just prefer not to have anything in tank, if at all possible..
I will Ã¢â‚¬Å"breakÃ¢â‚¬Â


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## krfhsf (Dec 25, 2008)

AWESOME! design John. Nice job....


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

Update, part one of two:
My poor old pump has developed a drip.
Bummer.
Not bad now, but they hardly ever get better on their own.
So, later today I`m going to pull the system and perform a service.
I`m going to, not pay attention to the leak but treat it as a normal filter cartridge swap, so I can judge the Ã¢â‚¬Å"hassle factorÃ¢â‚¬Â


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

OK, observations.
Not a viable HOB for me. 
With filter housing, plumbing, and pump, all full of water..This thing gets heavy, Heavier than I want to bend over the tank and lift off. If I had it on the tanks side, that would eliminate the lifting issue, but adds how ugly that would be.
For my tank, with it`s existing pair of Penguin 350s`, this gave all indications it could go at least 2 weeks before any noticeable need for service. If it was a bit lighter and the pump didn`t start to leak, I might have removed a Penguin for more testing.
Aside from the weight, taking the unit into the garage for cartridge swap was, all good. No problems. Inverting the assembly a few times got most all the water out. Breaking the spin on housig loose was not a problem.
I was a bit disappointed in the cartridge condition. Was not near as gunked as I expected. Again, I believe the Penguins had quite a bit to do with that.
Conclusions: 
Not as a HOB for me.
Stand mounting is an alternative, should I get the Ã¢â‚¬Å"BUGÃ¢â‚¬Â


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## haze3076 (Jun 10, 2009)

I have an old pool cover pump it moves 550 gallos per hour wanted to make some use of it since i have bought a new one. can i make the return and suction lines longer to sit in my stand since i have a canopy and these minimal room behind the tank and also to hide the unit. all i really want is to polish the water when needed and have some extra mech filtration for my messy eaters.


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## JimA (Nov 7, 2009)

I was actually thinking of doing a system like yours when I bought my new tank, I sell Jacuzzi spas and was a service tech for 3 to 4 years or so. 
My thoughts were to use the same type of filter but use a spa circulating pump instead. I could also plumb a inline 110v ozonator as well, not sure its the same type used in a aquarium but O3 is O3? With the amount of filtration this would have probably wouldn't need ozone?

Link to the pumps, my cost would be significantly less. 

http://www.laingcircpumps.com/

I am currently using 2 HOBs but am getting tired of the grinding noise they all seem to make eventually. :x These types of circ pumps are very quiet.

Any thoughts?


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

*I was actually thinking of doing a system like yours when I bought my new tank*
A guy could sure do allot worse then one of these.
For dollars spent against filtration given, these are hard to beat.
With a bit of thinking ahead, as dawnmarie did for his








A very easy to maintain system can be put into play.
Lots of adaptability. There are Ã¢â‚¬Å"prefilteringÃ¢â‚¬Â


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## JimA (Nov 7, 2009)

I was thinking about something a little simpler, that and I dont think the wife would like that set up in the closet. :lol:


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