EHEIM PRESS10000 pressurised pond filter with pump

The filter head has three fittings: IN for the inlet from the pump, OUT for the return to the pond and DIRTY for the wash water, the latter staying closed with a plug during normal operation. A control knob selects between two positions. On WORK, the water from the pump passes through the media and returns to the pond; on CLEAN, the pump pushes the water in the opposite direction and sends it to the DIRTY fitting. To wash the filter, unplug the pump, screw a drain pipe onto DIRTY, switch to CLEAN, then plug the pump back in and let it run until the discharged water is clearly cleaner, keeping an eye on the pond level.

The backwash does not replace opening the unit up from time to time. Inspect the inside of the tank about every 3 months: with the pump unplugged and the pipes removed, undo the 6 clasps of the clamping ring and lift off the lid. The tank contains two coarse blue foams, two baskets of FILTERMEC spirals and two fine blue foams. Rinse these elements in cold water, hose down the inside of the tank, then put everything back in reverse order, checking that the lugs of the ring seat properly in their slots. A foam that no longer springs back into shape should be replaced with replacement foams for the PRESS filter, coarse or fine.

A stocked pond continuously produces ammonia, which the bacteria living in the filter media convert into nitrite and then into nitrate. This nitrate builds up in the water and only goes down with a water change, or with plants that consume it. A grow bed connected to the circuit therefore lets the plants take up this nitrate, which serves as fertiliser for them instead of accumulating in the pond. The pressure available at the tank outlet is put to use a second time here, since it allows you to supply a grow bed placed higher than the pond and let the water return to it by gravity. The guide to the nitrogen cycle in aquaponics sets out these stages and the measurements that follow them.

The spiral pipe supplied is 5 metres long in 1 inch, and it is shared between the inlet, from the pump to the IN fitting, and the return, from the OUT fitting to the discharge point. This length determines the layout: the pump sits at the bottom of the pond and the filter is placed a few metres away, at the edge. If your project needs more, or if you want a dedicated pipe for the backwash outlet, the spiral pipe can be bought again in a 5 m coil of the same diameter. The pump cable is 10 metres long and must reach a protected, sheltered outdoor socket. Finally, make sure the filter stays accessible once in place, since you will need to reach the adjustment knob every month and the lid clasps every quarter.

The pump is placed flat, on a firm base, in a spot where its housing stays covered by at least 20 cm of water. It has overheating protection that switches it off if the level gets too low, for example when evaporation lowers the water level in summer. The circuit is designed for water between 4 and 35 °C, in a garden pond with or without fish; it is not suitable for a natural swimming pond. Finally, secure each pipe to its nozzle with a hose clamp, so that no fitting comes loose under pressure.

As frost approaches, the filter and the pump are cleaned and then stored away, in a frost-free room. Because the bacterial colony in the media does not survive this prolonged shutdown, the spring restart is a bit like a small commissioning: the water may stay cloudy for a few weeks while the bacteria re-establish themselves. Concentrated pond bacteria added as soon as the water rises above 10 °C shorten this period, and the guide to feeding pond fish in winter helps you resume rations in step with the water temperature.