Endurance Operation & Backwash
Endurance: Standard Configuration Backwash
These exceptional filters backwash automatically, several times a day. The user does not need to turn off the pump or close any valves during the backwash sequence. The filter does not require an electric timer. The backwash cycle is regulated by the air that is injected into the charge chamber. The filters clean and recycle the dirty water produced in backwashing every two to three hours. Sludge is only removed once or twice a week.
1) Normal Filtration
The water moves from the inlet up through the bead bed. The bead bed provides surface area for the water purifying bacteria and captures solids within the aquatic system. Air is slowly injected into the charge chamber, gathering in the top of the filter. As more air enters, this places downward pressure on the water level. The water level drops trapping water in the settling zone, and solids from the last backwash settle into the sludge basin. The rate of air injection controls the length of time between backwashing events.
2) Early Backwash
Air has made its way through the trigger into the bead bed. The bubbles agitate the beads; knocking solids and biofilm off the beads. As the air pressure in the charge chamber drops, the dirty water from beneath the bead bed sweeps through the chute carrying the solids into the adjacent compartment. No water flows out of the filter during the short 3 – 5 second backwash event; instead the dirty backwash water is captured in the charge chamber and the sludge basin. The beads float in the drop zone where they continue to be scrubbed by the escaping bubbles.
3) Late Backwash
The water flows downward through the mixing bead bed and more solids are washed from the beds to settle towards the bottom. The downward flowing water sweeps into the middle compartment, flushing the solids that have accumulated on the bottom of filter and depositing them into the sludge basin. The water level rises in the shorter chambers.
4) End Backwash
Eventually the water rising in the sludge chamber floods the trigger, bringing water movement in the charge chamber and sludge basin to an end. Trapped solids begin to settle as the filtration chamber is refilled with the water from the inlet. The beads float back in place to reform the bead bed. As soon as the water rises to the outlet, filtration resumes.
Periodically Drain Sludge
At the end of the backwash, the beads rise back to the top of the filter. Most settled solids have been swept to the sludge chamber. The filter will continue to filter and backwash itself several times a day. After the sludge has built up, the user can open the sludge valve to drain the concentrated sludge from the filter.
The filter backwashing frequency is usually set for a few hours, so the filters will backwash several times a day. Sludge accumulates in the sludge basin. Every few days, perhaps once a week, the sludge drain must be opened to let the sludge out. A natural fertilizer, the sludge can be poured out on the lawn or nearby plant where it will naturally degrade.
Operation:
These Polygeyser® filters will backwash themselves so you do not need to manually initiate backwashes on a regular basis. You will need to adjust the air using your air gauge so that your unit regularly backwashes four to six times a day. If you notice your filter is not backwashing as vigorously as it had been previously, running the air on high will force the unit to backwash a few times to dislodge stubborn deposits. Be aware that the water will become temporarily cloudy from fine solids. Then reset the air gauge to normal operation (four to six backwashes a day).
When Draining Your Filter Water
These units are different from many filters on the market and special care needs to be taken when draining these filters due to the unique auto-backwashing mechanism.
- Do not drain the tank completely unless the inlet valve is closed. Beads will escape the filter if the valve is open.
- When draining the filter while the inlet valve is open, do not drain below the inlet or beads will escape.
Setting The Sludge Removal
If your filter is utilizing the auto-purge features, there are different methodologies for setting the amount of sludge to be removed. You can adjust air flow to remove more or less sludge.
For mineralization in aquaculture, consider letting more sludge pile up within the sludge chamber for digestion. This can help increase available nitrates for plant culture. Test the water quality to ensure the water remains suitable for the fish. More frequent water changes may be needed, or more frequent backwashes to remove excess solids. Running at a lower air pressure will keep the system from purging larger solids from the system.
For fish culture exclusively, purge sludge preemptively to prevent declines in water quality. Set your unit to remove larger amounts of sludge to lower the amount of waste breaking down in the system. Adjusting for more powerful air flow will result in a stronger current that will lift more sludge and waste out of the filter. This filter will also backwash more frequently when being operated in this manner.