improvements to the hydrosweep pond pump

[rollermatic]

i got the hydrosweep pump back in the water a few weeks ago, actually the day before i had funkie put to sleep due to cancer. i wanted her to see it for some crazy reason.

but i had to make some much needed improvements. by the end of last summer the 4ft. diam. board that it is mounted on had become waterlogged and it sank about 8 inches under the surface. only the top of the hydrosweep was still sticking out and it was at 30 degree angle.

so i made buoys out of 2 inch pvc pipe to act as a floatation device for the assembly.

here are some pics for anyone interested.

here is the platform upside down, pump detached, with the 4 pvc buoys attached side by side. obviously i sealed them tight with pvc cement on the end caps and hopefully there are no leaks.

 

[rollermatic]

here it is with a fresh

coat or two of blue rustoleum spray paint.

 

[rollermatic]

another view

of it

 

[rollermatic]

here it is right side up

with hydrosweep back on

and duke's butt!

 

[rollermatic]

funkie was out in the yard

with me, i think this was 2 days before she went to sleep.

i'm glad i got it done while she was still here with me!

 

[rollermatic]

i also used silicone

to seal between the wash arm support and the toilet flange. last year i used a rubber gasket but it didn't do that great of a job. i put in 4 new screws to hold support to flange and platform.

 

[rollermatic]

this is the pump

screwed back onto the assembly.

 

[rollermatic]

it is a pretty high output

pump that pumps almost as much water as the original kitchenaid pump did. but it sure is a lot bigger!

 

[rollermatic]

back in the water!

it floats!

it works!

it spins at about 20 rpm!

 

[rollermatic]

funkie got to see it

before goin to doggy heaven!

i know the little shed in the background looks like hell! i'm in the process of putting new wood on it's exterior, it will be done this summer (hopefully).

 

[rollermatic]

all in all

the improvements were a success! it hasn't sunk yet and i have had it running continuously since april 16th.

i did take a short movie of it with my digital camera but i can't get it to load here. any suggestions?

i am putting it on you tube tonite. it will be under the search "kitchenaid hydrosweep pond pump". i can put em on you tube just fine, just can't seem to get em on here. put one of my custom imperial in rapidry spin on you tube the other nite so i know i can get this one on too!

thanks for lookin

 

[alr2903]

Rollermatic, that's one job well done. In the hot summertime, does it give a " cooling effect", with a slight breeze? Your backyard is nice and peaceful looking. It must be shed season, ours fell apart last summer, we just had a new one built. I wish i would of kicked it in gear and got a new bbq pit after last labor day. I was glad to see your post. arthur/alr2903

 

[spankomatic]

I like your Kitchenaid pond. What a fun idea!

 

[qsd-dan]

LOL! That is AWESOME!!

 

[roto204]

Wow!!

Pete, that is so damned cool! :-D I love it!

 

[a440]

Very Cool Peter!

I love how the water sways from side to side. I never noticed that in the KA's while running.

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[supremewhirlpol]

Pete:
I forgot you have a pond behind the house. Very nice!

 

[rollermatic]

A440

thanks a heap for uploading my video to the site here. got it on you tube fine but i can't seem to cut and paste, computer problems right now, so thanks again!

thanks to everyone else also for your comments! i do love watching it! i saw an advertisement when i was a kid and they had a similiar setup with a kitchenaid pump and motor submerged in a pond to show it's awesome force. so when i realized my pond pump had about the same flow output as a kitchenaid pump i threw this thing together last summer.

hopefully it won't sink!

 

[iheartmaytag]

Dishwasher Pumps

I read one time that President Johnson wanted water pressure in his shower where the water would sting. The plumbers worked and worked and could not get him a powerful enough shower, so they finally hooked up a resivor and a commercial Kitchen Aid dishwasher pump. When the President was ready for his shower, he just flipped the power switch to the pump and was very happy with the results.

 

[mattl]

I like a strong shower too. Hate the wimpy water-saver shower-heads. I pull out every trace of flow reduction I can find. I even tore apart my hand-held shower and enlarged the plastic opening that fed water to the head.

Back on topic, I like the water feature, I bet it make a neat sound as is swishes by. Only thing I wonder about is the mounting board, OSB is notorious for absorbing water and holding it, I bet by the end of the season the platform weighs 3x as much. Have you tried any other material? That 1 1/2" styrene insulation board at Home Depot might work, it comes in pink or blue and should float very easily.

 

[hydralique]

Nice to see the fountain brought back to life!

I'll second Matt's comments about the OSB board. No kind of OSB, plywood, or particle board will hold up when immersed in water - even marine grade plywood is only intended for humid environments, not immersion. If you must use wood, then a frame of pressure-treated lumber would last pretty well, suspended by your floats. Pressure treated is full of chemicals which aren't too environmentally friendly, so you might consider if your pond has any wildlife before using it.

 

[circlew]

Pete, you might consider fiberglassing it, like a boat or surfboard.

 

[rollermatic]

thanks

i work at home depot and i'll bet you are right, styrene insulation would probably be great although the pump itself is really heavy. i could reinforce it with more pvc pipes with end caps on them. after this season is over i am going to get rid of the wood plank it floats on now. great ideas!

as for the sound, you can actually hear the sound it makes on the video i put on you tube that A440 uploaded for me here. it is a neat whooshing sound! last summer i had it on a tiimer letting it run about 8 hrs a day but so far this year it has run continuously since 4-16-10 when i got it in the water.

gotta get some fish in the pond, used to have over 200 goldfish but they have all disapeared? was told that racoons may be dining on them at nite.

another reason i run it so much is it keeps duke the weimeraner out of the pond, he doesn't like the spray. the less he is in the pond the less frogs he kills.

love the tidbit about president johnson. personally i think lady bird should have just turned a firehose on him!

thanks again

 

[mrb627]

Lighting

Next year, you'll have to add some lighting so it will be illuminated at night.