Creating Your Own Slice of Heaven!
This pond filter and fountain head perfectly suits our pond, which is about 5′x8′x 1.5 feet deep. It keeps the water clear, and the fish just love to frolic in the fountain water! We could definitely tell a difference between this filter and the standard filter that came with the Pondkit purchased from a major retailer. We highly recommend the Pondmaster!
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{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
i had no problems with this filter. it was very easy to install. i would buy this product for my pond again.
This filter came as part of a complete pond kit. Total pond volume we have is about 600 gallons and unfortunately we live in a somewhat dusty area and get a fair amount of dirt in the pond. The filter was set up with a 1000 gph pump feeding a waterfall and when clean, worked pretty good. Unfortunately, the back wash feature isn’t that effective, and the filter needs to be disassembled periodically for cleaning. Mechanically, the filter is not designed well-it has 6 snap-clamps that cannot be further tightened. So after a couple of time, the seal is no longer effective and the filter leaks all over the place. Even using a new O-ring (which is extremely hard to find) and lots of petroleum jelly, it is nearly impossible to seal the top. Adding additional frustration, the “slider” used to change from filter to clean operation does not have a good seal (and no way to adjust) so that also causes leaks.
If you only want this filter to last a year or 2, or if you’re in a controlled area that doesn’t get a lot of dirt, the filter will probably work fine, and the cost is reasonable. But if you’re in the real world, spend a few extra bucks on a filter that has a better clamping and sealing system. After all, you spent so much time and efforts digging that pond to begin with, you don’t want to hassle a poorly designed filter as well!
I got a Sunterra pond filter as part of a complete pond kit. At first, I was quite happy with the filtration provided, but quickly learned that there are other issues with this filter design that make it worthless.
1) The clamps are designed to fail. There is no other way to look at it. They are attached to the filter bucket, and snap over the lid. Around the circumference of the lid is a thin O-ring gasket. This gasket is nearly impossible to keep in place as you are putting the lid over the bucket. Further, even if you do get it in place and sealed correctly, it is not likely to stay there long. The major problem is that Sunterra used cheap, thin plastics throughout this filter. When I turn the pump on, I can actually see the entire filter bucket stretch, and it rises up out of the hole in the ground about an inch. This stretching of the plastic weakens it. The clamps also stretch, and after less that one season, lost their ability to securely hold the lid in place. The result is that any time power is cut to the pump, some of the clamps will release because they don’t have enough force to hold the lid down when the pump is not pushing against them. When the power is restored and the pump pressurizes the filter, it will leak profusely between the lid and bucket.
We have left home for several hours only to return and discover that our power went out for whatever reason, and when it was restored the filter leaked, resulting in a near-total drain of our pond and destruction of our pump as it ran dry. Luckily the pump was high enough off the bottom of the pond that our fish still had some water, and so survived.
2) The restricted filter indicator doesn’t work, at all. I’ve had the filter so clogged up that water was barely coming through the filter at all, and still the red clogged-filter indicator never popped up.
3) The reverse-flow cleaning system doesn’t work, at all. In order to clean the filter, you have to disassemble it and wash out the sponges with a garden hose. This is the only way to get them clean. You could run your entire pond’s water supply through the filter and it would do nothing to clean it. This is nothing more than a joke.
4) The sliding selector for run or clean is also prone to leaks. The design is simply poor, but might have had a chance of working if Sunterra had not used such thin and cheap plastics.
In the end, there is no fix for this junk filter. I’ve contacted Sunterra and they sent me replacement clamps. Those lasted no longer than the originals. Avoid this filter, it is not worth any money or your time and frustration. If this is any indication of the quality of Sunterra products, I would avoid the company altogether. I would have rated this item at zero stars if that were available. Maybe I can make a planter out of the filter bucket- that’s about all it would be good for.
As an alternative, look here: Pressurized Bio UV Pond Filter – 2000 gallon This is a quality filter that gets good reviews. You get what you pay for with Fish Mate, unlike Sunterra where you pay and get nothing.
Pre filter on the pump requires frequent cleaning, just takes a few minutes, after three months still have not had to take the filter elelemnts out to clean, back flushing works great.
I got a Sunterra pond filter as part of a complete pond kit. At first, I was quite happy with the filtration provided, but quickly learned that there are other issues with this filter design that make it worthless.
1) The clamps are designed to fail. There is no other way to look at it. They are attached to the filter bucket, and snap over the lid. Around the circumference of the lid is a thin O-ring gasket. This gasket is nearly impossible to keep in place as you are putting the lid over the bucket. Further, even if you do get it in place and sealed correctly, it is not likely to stay there long. The major problem is that Sunterra used cheap, thin plastics throughout this filter. When I turn the pump on, I can actually see the entire filter bucket stretch, and it rises up out of the hole in the ground about an inch. This stretching of the plastic weakens it. The clamps also stretch, and after less that one season, lost their ability to securely hold the lid in place. The result is that any time power is cut to the pump, some of the clamps will release because they don’t have enough force to hold the lid down when the pump is not pushing against them. When the power is restored and the pump pressurizes the filter, it will leak profusely between the lid and bucket.
We have left home for several hours only to return and discover that our power went out for whatever reason, and when it was restored the filter leaked, resulting in a near-total drain of our pond and destruction of our pump as it ran dry. Luckily the pump was high enough off the bottom of the pond that our fish still had some water, and so survived.
2) The restricted filter indicator doesn’t work, at all. I’ve had the filter so clogged up that water was barely coming through the filter at all, and still the red clogged-filter indicator never popped up.
3) The reverse-flow cleaning system doesn’t work, at all. In order to clean the filter, you have to disassemble it and wash out the sponges with a garden hose. This is the only way to get them clean. You could run your entire pond’s water supply through the filter and it would do nothing to clean it. This is nothing more than a joke.
4) The sliding selector for run or clean is also prone to leaks. The design is simply poor, but might have had a chance of working if Sunterra had not used such thin and cheap plastics.
In the end, there is no fix for this junk filter. I’ve contacted Sunterra and they sent me replacement clamps. Those lasted no longer than the originals. Avoid this filter, it is not worth any money or your time and frustration. If this is any indication of the quality of Sunterra products, I would avoid the company altogether. I would have rated this item at zero stars if that were available. Maybe I can make a planter out of the filter bucket- that’s about all it would be good for.
As an alternative, look here: Pressurized Bio UV Pond Filter – 2000 gallon This is a quality filter that gets good reviews. You get what you pay for with Fish Mate (Animate), unlike Sunterra where you pay and get nothing.
We bought this filter a year ago and it’s still going strong! It helped clear up our green water quickly and helps keep it clear! The “cleaning” feature on the pump doesn’t work as well as I thought it would. We still open ours up and rinse out the filter frequently, but overall, this is the best filter we’ve ever owned! It’s easy to clean and operate!
After use for about a year there have been no problems with this product. Plastic didn’t crack yet.
This filter box is a pre-filter that draws water through two foam pads — a coarse filter, then a fine one — before it is drawn into the pump. My Sunterra pump includes another filter inside a snap-on housing, so the pond has three filters in all. The box filter is effective but clogs quickly. The top is held on by four screws. To clean the foam pads, you must disassemble it. Awkward. Some kind of snap-on top would be more convenient. Also, my Sunterra pump has a threaded outlet which is designed to be used with a Sunterra diverter valve . . . more than I needed or wanted! (I have a small pond.) A trip to a hardware store yielded a few plastic plumbing coupling that allow me to snap a hose onto the outlet with a quick-release coupler . . . very convenient.
I had drained the pond and refilled it before installing the Sunterra kit. It wasn’t possible to drain it entirely because of the fish, however. The filter got clogged quickly even with new, clear water — well, clearER than it was! Yesterday I drained the pond again, more thoroughly, and decided not to use the box prefilter but just the pump with its built-in filter. I can get it out by snapping off the pump housing. If it doesn’t clog for a week or so, I’ll try to add the prefilter again. If it does clog, I’ll just go with the built-in filter.
The pump came promptly and in perfect condition and works like a champ! I am very pleased with the pump and the seller.
This is a good filter the only problem is the ad said it had a 18 foot cord when it’s more like 10 feet.
We have 2 of these filter/pumps – one rated at 500 gph and one rated at 250 gph. We use the smaller one for the waterfall in our pond and the larger pump is used as an aerator, water cleaner, etc. They come with 2 sections of tubing for extra height should it be needed and 2 fountain heads. We run the larger pump without a head on it for maximum flow.
One minor problem is that if you don’t weight the thing down, it will eventually float. That problem is solved (as per the instructions) by taking the filter section apart and putting in some small stones. We used some flat stones in each of the 4 corners of the filter box and have not had a problem.
The filter box is easy to unhook from the pump and the filter media are easy to clean out and are reusable. We just hose the filters off. You can leave the pump in the water while you’re working on the filter box. When you unhook the filter box from the pump, be sure to unplug the pump. That way there’s no problem with fish getting sucked into the intake. We’ve never even had a close call, but if you have small fish and they get too close to the intake, they might get sucked in.
We run these filter/pumps 24/7 and plan to run the larger one all winter.
UPDATE: June 18, 2009 – see my review on a smaller version of this pump Pondmaster 02215 500 GPH Pond Pump. We are buying another set of filter media as the current sets are finally wearing out. We run both pumps 24/7/365 with no problems.
Pond was clouding slightly. This was easy to install and run. Cleaned filter each day first few days, amazing how much gets filtered out! Pond is now so clear. Empty filter each weekend. GREAT buy!
This system has been a perfect fit for my small backyard pond. The installation process could not have been easier. Once in place, the pump and filter have kept the water moving and clear. Cleaning the filter is a simple, easy process as well with necessary parts in an accessible and functional location.
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