the infamous 5 gallon diy canister filter. can it be done????

[iamvictor2k]

of course the bucket and lid


and the hardware that i got from a plumbing supply store. 1 inch with nut and rubber washer. and female attaching piece also 1 inch.



made 2 holes in bucket for male fitting and rubber washer to fit in very tightly.



i then drilled holes into the lip of the bucket for metal hook washer and nut. started with 6.
did a test and realized i needed 10 more to keep the lid from popping.

 

[iamvictor2k]

drilled more holes at every angle support on the lip of the bucket and then did a test. successful so far at about 20-30 psi.



then i sealed the bottom of the fittings to the lid to insure no leakage.



MORE TO COME

 

[Nolapete]

Just FYI, and for all the other DIYers out there. http://www.aquaticeco.com/subcategories/829/Uniseals/bulkhead/0 is a much better option than pvc fittings for plumbing stuff like this. Cheap too!

 

[iamvictor2k]

way more expensive than the 89 cent a piece i paid for my fittings from the plumbing warehouse

 

[Nolapete]

$2.55 is way more expensive than the fitting, the gasket, and the silicone?

Even if it is. It's a much cleaner and water tight way to plumb it.

 

[iamvictor2k]

yes fitting gasket and nut were about 89 cents a piece and the silicone is just precaution. then tested the gasket didn't leak at 20-30 psi.

 

[CWO4GUNNER]

The inlet and outlet fittings are the easy part to seal becasue their small diameter size and comparative thickness make them able to withstand the pressure no problem. I used 3/4 inch PVC fittings with garden hose washers $0.35 a peice I think. The large surface area of the canister walls and lid are a completely different story meaning hydraulic pressure has a much greater area to exert force, the force of the entire aquarium volume of water since the canister will be under aquarium. If the walls of the canister are not strong enough and the lid not thick enough, they will deform under pressure and brake the lid seal. Assuming of course that the lid has an O-ring seal and that O-ring seal is has a corresponding knife edge sealing edge to compress it.

I know I built one.

 

["13"]

I have been messing around with different ideas to build a 5g can filter off and on for a while. I just recently came across this company that sells these "Gamma Seal" lids for different size buckets. here is a short vid of what im talking about [YT]<object width="425" height="349"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/iNb3TE8z9EU&border=1&color1=0x6699&color2=0x54abd6&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/iNb3TE8z9EU&border=1&color1=0x6699&color2=0x54abd6&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="349"></embed></object>[/YT]
was going to call the company to see if they ever did any pressure testing on the design. If it seals as good as they say and can withstand pressure then i think it would be a great addition to the DIY 5g canister filter.

Would like to see some pics and updates of your DIY project.

 

[The Zigman]

looks like you're off to a decent start,
but can a mod fix the picture alignment?

 

[CWO4GUNNER]

The concern with an under tank DIY canister is internal pressure from the tank trying to force its way out of the canister through the weakest spot, the lid. It has to be rigid enough not to warp or bow up allowing water to get between the lit and seal.

Of course these pressure concerns are greatly reduced simply by placing the canister at the same level as the tank, but you wont be able to hide it then. My DIY canister worked great sitting next to my tank on a stool for the 6 months I had it running. But whenever I tried to place it on the floor, the sides and lid would bow like a boiler about to explode on a cartoon and water would start leaking allot around the lid as the lid was forced up off its O-ring.

You have to start with a very strong container specifically designed to take internal pressure like a rug shampoo canister wet/vac canister, pressure cooker, exc, exc. Even a very large PVC pipe would work but it cannot be thin. If you can bend the lid with your hands its too weak.