New Offering From Garn - Filter System

Check out the Garn web site under parts as well as the new section in the manuals for the new filter and its piping recommendations. It's designed to be a filter system but should have some impact on the stratification issue also. I've been waiting all summer on this as it was promised in the spring. Wanted to install before lay-up but at least can get it in before fall start-up I have a valve at the bottom front drain so will only have to drain down as far as the old thermometer plug holes to install and will front mount the pump and filter by the controller. I have some very light cloudy filaments and a flock Precision said should be filtered and was waiting for the Garn Guys to do the R&D on the plumbing. (Turns out they suggest exactly what I was planning ..........) I will run it full time for a few weeks (maybe even stir things up with a little compressed air) and then try to run it just on blower operation off the extra outlet in the control box and see how it goes. I was told this outlet has the current capacity to handle the pump. I'll keep you posted on the results. Dan

I finally assembled all the pieces and am getting ready to pipe up the Garn filter system. A few thoughts for anybody doing the same………… I had to drain the tank a bit to access the analog thermometer port (where I intend to return the filtered water). The crud coming out of the bottom drain was pretty nasty and got me thinking. My thought was this stuff is pretty sludgy and would not likely get into the filter stream without a bit of help. I am therefore adding a few valves and hose bibs to extend the usefulness of the filter system. One existed as my original front tank drain and could be used as a source of a “pool suction filter” which will be a hunk of PEX on the end of a hose to vacuum the big chunks out of the centerline of the tank. A bit of caution will be needed to not air lock the pump when doing this. I will add a second valve and hose bib to allow me to just waste this thick stuff and not run it thru the filter. The last valve and bib will be on the return run to allow me to use the same hose and piece of PEX to “pressure wash” the horizontal surfaces of the tubes etc, with filtered water, as there is a pretty good accumulation of a light flock on these surfaces also. I intend to shut down the circ on the HX during all this as I don’t want to plug anything there. All this is just a heads up if anyone is going this route before we wake the beasts from their summer hibernation. I have a few feet of clearance above the Garn and therefore access to the manhole opening is not too bad. PIX should be available in a few days. I also have some pretty good data on the stratification I was observing last year, and look forward to seeing how much this pumping/filtering helps that issue. Dan

Filter is up and running. Starting pressure was about 5 psi which translates to a flow of +/- 9 gpm per calculation for the Taco 0015 - which is about the rated flow for the filter and matches the Garn numbers. Within 4 hours it was at 7.4 psi (which I actually measured at about 3 gpm). Garn says swap the filter at 8 psi/2gpm –so their numbers look pretty close to mine.


I plumbed in 3 hose bibs. Bottom for gravity boiler drain and a suction port if I want to spot vacuum anything in the tank. Mid bib would allow by-passing the filter if I was processing nasty junk. Last bib (after the filter) allows for a pressure washer if I want to blast any areas that are out of the normal return stream (I’ve got a lot of flock on horizontal surfaces like tops of tubes) It does look like using the front return port stirred up a lot of mung as this is out of my normal (bottom rear) – return path and this configuration could end up to be over-plumbing.

When I first drained water from the front drain it was pretty nasty and opaque (brown/orange) for a couple minutes. Makes sense as that would be the bottom of the tank at the far end from my normal return from the HX. I used the vacuum mode when I started the pump and hit the center area of the tank. No real junk water was noted, other than a bit cloudy, so maybe the vacuum mode was un-necessary???

I would budget weeks not days to clean up one as dirty as mine. I got some extra filters also. I think it’s a job more easily done when on shut down, but still do-able if up and running.

Dan

Just a quick update on my Garn filter addition:

I burned thru 9 filters in a week and a half and am throwing in the towel. Time to drain the beast and do it right. It's been a bit like using a teaspoon when I should be using a backhoe. The first fire was only a year ago - so after a discussion with Mike at Precision it looks like I just have funkey water. The chemicals are doing their thing and creating lots of "dead bodies" but he still thinks we need to get rid of them. A fresh batch of chemicals for the 1500 is only about $200 so consider starting with a clean machine if you're looking at a filter addition. I do note every situation will be different however. The stuff is pretty light when it forms but gets more sludgy over time and will then sit on the bottom of the tank. I used the aux hose bibs I created - to blast the gunk with filter discharge water using a hunk of 3/4 PEX on the end of a hose to better get it into the filter. That works well as long as you don't have as much of it as I do. I believe the filter will stay ahead of the issue with a clean restart, but just not robust enough to do a catch up procedure in my situation

Suggestions/Lessons learned:

Do this before you fire the unit in the Fall. Whoever has to go inside will appreciate it.

Kill the system circ. before you start as you don't want to run it thru your HX.

Plan on more filters than you think you will use. If cold - I used hardware store filters without the steel core from Garn. If running hot - I will still use theirs. I stayed away from any with carbon etc. and found 5 micron standard house water filters for just sediment. They're about a buck and a half.

Plumb in the extra discharge hose bibs to allow you to blast gunk and get it in solution. Laying on the bottom - it won't get to the filter. The suction side bib was a bit of a bust due to air-locking the pump. For the few bucks I would still plumb it in however.

Marry a small lady. At 250# - my big butt doesn't fit well in there. Somehow Bobbie likes this kind of stuff........?????? Looks like it will cost me a nice dinner however.

Per Mike - Don't drain and let this gunk sit or it will be real tough to remove if it sets up.

Dan