How a Pond Vacuum Works (It’s Really Simple)
There are two types of pond vacuum, and they work in completely different ways.
The first is a manual pond vacuum, and the second is an electric pond vacuum.
I’ll explain how a manual pond vacuum works first, since it’s a much simpler design.
How a Manual Pond Vacuum Works
A manual pond vacuum is basically a long tube and a bag.
One end of the tube is attached to the bag, and the other end of the tube is open.
You push the open end of the tube into the muck and debris at the bottom of your pond, pump the handle and the muck and debris gets sucked up into the bag.
And that’s it. That’s how a manual pond vacuum works.
How an Electric Pond Vacuum Works
An electric pond vacuum, on the other hand, has a much more complex design.
They have a tank, a motor that creates a vacuum, and a system for separating the muck and debris from the water.
This separation system is the only real difference between a pond vacuum and an ordinary wet/dry vacuum cleaner.
The separation system works by spinning the air in a cyclone. The centrifugal force that this creates separates the heavier water particles, which get thrown to the sides of the tank, from the lighter muck and debris particles, which get sucked up into the middle of the cyclone.
The water, once separated, can exit the tank through a separate outlet, while the muck and debris is collected in another bag, which is usually behind the cyclone.
This design is very effective at preventing clogs, but many of the higher end pond vacuums also have a secondary tank system just to make sure.
They have one tank for the muck and debris, and a second tank for the separated, but still dirty, water. When you’re doing a deep clean of your pond, you can switch between using either tank, as the second tank is used just for recycling the dirty water back into your pond.
So, that’s it. That’s all there is to how a pond vacuum works.
