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The Zakki Sieve
FAQ
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Here are some answers to the most frequently asked questions about the Zakki Sieve.
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History of The Zakki Sieve
What is a Direct Suction Sieve???
What is a Direct Suction Sieve???
The Zakki Sieve (pronounced Zac-E-Sieve) was originally designed in 2011 as the only direct suction sieve filter in existence. The original sieve was both a pre-filter and a bead filter and it performed amazingly well for what it was designed to do. However, with the ever-growing demand for, "more water flow in a smaller filter size",
The Zakki Sieve (pronounced Zac-E-Sieve) was originally designed in 2011 as the only direct suction sieve filter in existence. The original sieve was both a pre-filter and a bead filter and it performed amazingly well for what it was designed to do. However, with the ever-growing demand for, "more water flow in a smaller filter size", required a redesigning of the filter to create TWO different versions of the filter. There was the Zakki Sieve (the original, dual purpose filter) and the Zakki Sieve Jr. which was only used for pre-filtering, so the total flow rate could be increased without increasing the size of the filter.
In 2013 the demand for the original sieve was too low to continue manufacturing them, so the only version remaining was the Jr. version which had two sizes available...
16" Diameter could handle ~4,500 GPH
24" Diameter could handle ~8,500 GPH
Seeing as how there was only one version available (and it could flow more than the original one) the Jr. label was removed from the name, and from then on there has only been that version available.
Since 2013, The Zakki Sieve had been unchanged and worked exactly as it was designed to do. There were only two issues that were creating some negative feelings from our wonderful customers.
1 - "The screen is tight fitting, and hard to install."
This complaint wasn't the most common one, but it was a necessary evil for a few reasons. If there was a small gap between the screen and sidewalls of the filter then waste particles would go around the screen instead of being filtered out of the water. Having the screen be unframed, and slide in-n-out of the filter reduced the manufacturing costs.
2 - "The screen fell into the bottom of the filter."
This was the most common complaint we received from customers and we had the honor of telling them that the problem is of their own doing, and has a very easy solution... CLEAN YOUR SCREEN!!!!! The reason the screen was popping loose was due to either too much waste collecting on the screen (waiting too long to discharge the collected waste from the screen) or because algae and bacteria had started growing on the wires of the screen, which was clogging it even though there was not much waste on top of the screen. The solution to the first issue is obvious, discharge the waste more often, and the solution to the second issue was a very simple one... Clean the screen with an oxidizer, like bleach, once a month in summer and every other month in winter.
So based on those two complaints, we set out to redesign the filter to make it super easy to install the screen and eliminate the chance of the screen popping loose. Those changes were finalized and implemented in 2020 and the newest version has been raved about ever since. We were even able to increase the total water flow potential on both of the available sizes.
The New Zakki Sieve flow rates...
16" Diameter could handle 5,500 GPH
24" Diameter could handle 11,000 GPH
What is a Direct Suction Sieve???
What is a Direct Suction Sieve???
What is a Direct Suction Sieve???
Well firstly I would like to tell you what it is not!
The Zakki Sieve, IS NOT a "Pump Fed" filter, it is a "Direct Suction" filter because the water pump is sucking directly from the Zakki Sieve and then the water pump is "Pump Feeding" the pre-filtered water into a polishing filter of some kind, before the water is sent to your biologica
Well firstly I would like to tell you what it is not!
The Zakki Sieve, IS NOT a "Pump Fed" filter, it is a "Direct Suction" filter because the water pump is sucking directly from the Zakki Sieve and then the water pump is "Pump Feeding" the pre-filtered water into a polishing filter of some kind, before the water is sent to your biological filtration system.
Even with that very simple explanation, you will hear/read the terms "pump fed sieve" used mistakingly, quite a bit when people are talking about the Zakki Sieve. We don't really care what terms you use to describe our amazing filters, but we DO CARE that you understand the differences between "Gravity Fed", "Direct Suction", and "Pump Fed" filtration systems, and how each of those principles has pros and cons associated with them. The following will be a VERY brief and generic explanation of those principles and how it works...
Gravity Fed Filtration...
Koi pond is connected to the filtration system with large diameter pipes, and the tops of the filtration components are installed at basically the same elevation as the pond water. In these systems you will generally have the water pump at the very end of the filtration system, and it will send the clean water under pressure back to the pond. Why is it called gravity fed, when there is a water pump involved? Because, the water pump only sucks out of one the filter tanks, and it requires the force of gravity to push the pond water into the first filter tank, and then into the 2nd tank, and so on until new water can get pushed into the last tank where the water pump is sucking water from. All of the filter tanks are open to the air and must be installed below pond water level.
Direct Suction Filtration...
Koi pond is connected to the filtration system with either large or medium diameter pipes, and the tops of the filtration components can be installed at basically any elevation desired. When you think of this kind of filtration your mind should immediately visualize you standard swimming pool filtration. In these systems you will generally have the water pump in the middle of the filtration system, and the pump will create the "Direct Suction" pressure that will get the water flowing from the pond over to the filtration system, and then the pump will also create the "Pump Fed" pressure that will send the pre-filtered water through the remaining filtration system. That previous sentence is why people mistakenly interchange Direct Suction and Pump Fed, when describing the Zakki Sieve.
Pump Fed Filtration...
Honestly, there is no such thing as a Pump Fed filter system, because it require either gravity or direct suction in order to get the water flowing through a system. However, with that said, "Pump Fed" is used to describe any kind of situation when the water pump is BEFORE the piece of equipment that you are describing. For example, a bead filter is Pump Fed because the water pump is before the bead filter and it is feeding it water.
The Zakki Sieve IS NOT a Pump Fed, nor a Gravity Pre-Filter Filter.
It is a Direct Suction Pre-Filter!!!
What Does It Do???
What is a Direct Suction Sieve???
What Does It Do???
Normal Filter Mode
The water comes from the pond and enters the Zakki Sieve through the top inlet. The large debris is filtered out by the sieve screen and the waste is collected in the lower collection trough, where it waits for you to flush it away. The smaller particles and clean water pass down through the screen and into the static media bed. The sinking media filters out the small debris and only clean water exits the filter via the lower outlet. The pump sucks the water out of the sieve filter, and pumps it out to your biological filter.
Bypass Filtration Mode
In order to perform maintenance on the filter you need to place the filter into bypass mode which releases the vacuum being held in the filter. To do this you simply rotate the bottom suction 3-way valve 90 degrees so the "OFF" label on the valve is pointing toward the filter. This allows the water pump to suck directly from the pond and bypass the filter. The top 2-way valve on the inlet side of the filter needs to be closed as well to completely isolate the filter from the suction side of the water pump. Once these two valves are closed you can open up the filter and perform any kind of maintenance you need and never turn off the water pump. To place the filter back into Normal Filter Mode you first need to make sure all ball valves on the filter body are closed and make sure the lid is securely latched. Then open the top 2-way valve, on the inlet side of the filter, and rotate the suction 3-way valve 90 degrees so the "OFF" label is facing the bypass plumbing line.
Sieve Screen Cleaning Mode
The waste being removed from the water via the wedge wire sieve needs to be flushed out of the filter as often as you can. This is to eliminate the chance of debris dissolving back into the water column. Most debris that is captured by the sieve will be soft and very easily dissolved. The longer this material remains in the filter the more it gets dissolved. To flush out the waste you simply place the filter into Bypass Filter Mode, then open the waste trough ball valve (not pictured but on the backside of the filter), then slowly rotate the top pressurized 3-way valve (on the vertical return plumbing) to allow clean water to spill over the wedge wire screen, and flush the debris out of the waste trough. It only take a few seconds and a couple gallons of water to preform this action. Once the screen is clean just return the filter to Bypass Mode, verify all the ball valves are closed, and return filter to Normal Operation.
Static Media Cleaning Mode
This operation needs to be performed at least once a week for optimum results. The more frequent you backwash the static media the better the water quality will be. The trapped debris in the media bed will be slowly dissolving organics into the water column that will lead to increased surface bubbles in the pond and water discoloration. A backwash once a week is a minimum requirement, and should be performed twice a week for optimum results. However if you are going on vacation, the filter can be left alone for as long as needed, but know that your water quality will suffer. To clean the static media you simply place the filter into Bypass Mode, open the lower backwash valve (not pictured but on the backside of the filter) then direct air into the bottom 1/2" air valve at the base of the filter. This will begin to agitate the media and place the trapped particles into suspension throughout the water. After 45-60 seconds of agitation, slowly begin to rotate the lower pressurized 3-way valve (on the vertical return plumbing) which will direct clean water into the bottom of the filter. This will push the dirty water up and out the backwash valve. For the first 45-60 seconds keep the media agitated with the incoming air, then for the remaining 30-45 seconds turn off the air supply and only backwash with water. This will allow all of the debris in suspension above the media bed to travel up and out of the filter. Once the water and media is clean, the 3-way valve will be rotated back into the normal position, and the backwash valve will be closed. Then verify that all other ball valves are closed and that the lid is securely fastened, then filter can be placed back into Normal Operation.
The Zakki Sieve Junior for Bead Filtered Ponds
The Zakki Sieve Jr operates under the same conditions, works the same way, but it is lacking the static media bed in the lower section of the filter. This filter should only be used, if you already have existing mechanical filtration that will come after the sieve. By removing the static media bed, you are able to reduce the total size of the filter, and eliminate some of the plumbing components. This filter only has three filtration modes...
Normal Filtration Mode, Bypass Filtration Mode, and Sieve Screen Cleaning Mode
This is a filter that can be neglected for a long time without maintenance, but it is not recommended that you do this on a regular basis. As with the original Zakki Sieve, the longer the debris is trapped on the sieve screen, the more excessive nutrients will be dissolved into the water column. The operation of the filter will be the same whether it is cleaned everyday or left alone for two weeks, only the water quality will be affected.
How our Wedge Wire Sieve Filters Work
In order to understand the need for the new Zakki Sieve Filters you need to fully understand what a sieve filter is, how they operate, and what their advantages and disadvantages are. Wedge wire sieve dewatering filters have been used for a very long time in many industries. All of them have had small differences that set them apart from the rest, but the main function of these filters is to remove solid waste from the water column. Each filter has something that is called a wedge wire sieve screen. This screen is made out of support rods (provide a skeleton for the screen) and wedge wires. The wedge wires are also called "V" wires by some, but they are the same thing. The top flat surface of the V is where the solids are separated from the liquid and each wedge wire has a small space before the next wire. This space is called the slot opening and it dictates the serration point between the water and waste. Using a 500 micron slot opening, means that particles larger than 500 microns in size will be separated from the water and remain trapped on the screen. If the screen was oriented inside the filter so that it was horizontal, the debris would pile up on top of the screen and start to clog all of the slot openings. This would then reduce the amount of open area for the water to pass through, and you would then start to have standing water on top of the screen. This is not ideal because it would start to dissolve the debris that was being separated, and the screen would require a lot of maintenance. This is why wedge wire sieve filters have a slope to the screen. By placing the screen at an angle, the water will pass straight through the screen, but the debris being separated will be pushed down the slope, and remain out of the water column. This way the contact area of the screen remains open and water doesn’t build up above the screen. The slope of the screen not only helps to push the debris down to the bottom of the screen, but it also effectively reduces the slot opening of the wedge wire screen. This picture illustrates my point
The aperture size (slot opening) is a distance between the two wedge wires. Depending on what slope the screen is angled to, the effective opening (sized particle remove by the screen) will change. In the example above the screen is sloped at a 60 degree angle. Using some trigonometry we can determine the effective opening size. Using this picture you can see the given angles and distances that are created with a 60 degree slope
Since we know what the slope of the screen is (60 degrees), and we know the slot opening size (500 microns) we can determine what the effective opening size is (?) by the following formula…Cos(60) = ? / 500 which is the same as .5 = ? / 500 which means that 250 microns = ?
So the effective opening size is actually 250 microns due to the aggressive slope of the screen. This effective opening size is only valid if the screen has a flat surface, and the slope is constant. Many of the sieve screens are bent to a specified radius, so at the top of the screen the slope is very steep and only a minimal slope is at the bottom of the screen. This means that the smaller particles would be separated at the top of the screen, but when the debris got pushed to the bottom of the screen the small particles would fall through the slot opening. Now if the surface of the screen was flat and had a constant slope, the effective opening would remain constant all the way down the screen. However that is not a guarantee that the particles smaller than the slot opening will remain on the screen. There is still a good chance that the debris will fall through the slop openings at least 50% of the time. This is why the effective opening is not talked about very often, because it doesn’t guarantee a separation size. Most sieves used in the koi pond hobby are sloped at 35 degrees to 55 degrees. It varies by the manufacturer, and the slope also affects the length of the screen. A steeper screen will require more length for the water to completely pass through, while a minimal slope will allow the water to pass through a smaller length of screen. Deepwater Koi Innovations prefers a slope of around 50 degrees and all of our screens are flat to maximize the effective opening. This combination gains us a small effective opening, while reducing the need for an extra long screen. All of our sieve screens have a slot opening of 250 microns and an effective opening of 161 microns. Remember this does not guarantee a separation of all 161 micron particles, but it does remove a lot of them.
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