Homemade slurry filter for large loads (lots of pictures!)
Nov 10, 2016 1:50:18 GMT -5
rockjunquie likes this
Post by rxscram on Nov 10, 2016 1:50:18 GMT -5
Hi Everybody! I thought I'd share my homemade slurry filter that I use for my Ultravibe-45, with 40-50 pound loads of tumbled rocks.
First off... the equipment list. You'll need:
1. A very large (mine is 27 gallons) plastic storage container with lid.
2. 1 bag of 3/4" stones, 2 bags of mixed gravel, 2 bags of sand.
3. 1 box of lump charcoal, or activated carbon if you have it available. If you are not lazy (unlike me), you should grind up the charcoal into much smaller chunks.
4. Cinder blocks or another method of suspending the filter above ground level.
Now for the construction!
1. Drill holes all around the lid of the storage container. You'll want to find a happy balance between having holes big enough to drain quickly, but small enough that you won't lose any of your grinding media or stones through it.
2. Drill holes around the center of the bottom of the container.
3. Place your cinder blocks or other base in a position where you can keep your filter for a long, long time. Once it is done, it is very heavy and you won't want to move it!
4. Place your empty container on top of the base.
5. For the bottom layer, use the 3/4" gravel and fill about 1.5 inches deep. (For the picture, I started to pour in the sand before I remembered to take the picture... the large gravel is on the bottom.)
6. Place alternating layers of sand and charcoal until about 3/4 full. End with a layer of sand.
7. Fill until about 1 inch from the top with alternating layers of sand and mixed gravel. I only took pictures of one layer stack, but ended up with 2 total. You'll want to finish with gravel on the top.
8. Put the lid on and test it out!
Here is my first load with it... about 40 pounds or so from my Ultra-vibe 45.
Here it is again after some work with a garden hose on the "shower" setting.
It takes a few minutes for the water to work its way through the filter, but it is much, much cleaner than when it goes in. Eventually the grit on the inside will pile up and reach the top, and you'll have to scoop it or vacuum it out, but it should last a long, long time before you need to worry about that.
Thanks for looking!
Jeff
First off... the equipment list. You'll need:
1. A very large (mine is 27 gallons) plastic storage container with lid.
2. 1 bag of 3/4" stones, 2 bags of mixed gravel, 2 bags of sand.
3. 1 box of lump charcoal, or activated carbon if you have it available. If you are not lazy (unlike me), you should grind up the charcoal into much smaller chunks.
4. Cinder blocks or another method of suspending the filter above ground level.
Now for the construction!
1. Drill holes all around the lid of the storage container. You'll want to find a happy balance between having holes big enough to drain quickly, but small enough that you won't lose any of your grinding media or stones through it.
2. Drill holes around the center of the bottom of the container.
3. Place your cinder blocks or other base in a position where you can keep your filter for a long, long time. Once it is done, it is very heavy and you won't want to move it!
4. Place your empty container on top of the base.
5. For the bottom layer, use the 3/4" gravel and fill about 1.5 inches deep. (For the picture, I started to pour in the sand before I remembered to take the picture... the large gravel is on the bottom.)
6. Place alternating layers of sand and charcoal until about 3/4 full. End with a layer of sand.
7. Fill until about 1 inch from the top with alternating layers of sand and mixed gravel. I only took pictures of one layer stack, but ended up with 2 total. You'll want to finish with gravel on the top.
8. Put the lid on and test it out!
Here is my first load with it... about 40 pounds or so from my Ultra-vibe 45.
Here it is again after some work with a garden hose on the "shower" setting.
It takes a few minutes for the water to work its way through the filter, but it is much, much cleaner than when it goes in. Eventually the grit on the inside will pile up and reach the top, and you'll have to scoop it or vacuum it out, but it should last a long, long time before you need to worry about that.
Thanks for looking!
Jeff