Ok, as some of you know I have been fighting with the water level in my pond. I was focused on leaks and overfilling the water line.
Turns out that neither of these were the cause. I have been trying to analyze the problem and had been stumped for several months. The solution finally came to me, in the strangest of places… On the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland.
I was watching the water after we went down the first plume. I noticed that the water seemed to not flow as fast when the boats were stopped vs when they were moving. This got me thinking about fluid dynamics. I KNOW!!! Your saying, your such a geek if your at Disneyland and your thinking about physics.
An idea hit me. The problem I was having was not water level, but flow. The root balls of some of the plants are so large they cause an underwater barrier that slows down the water.
So yesterday morning I started pulling out all the egyptian papyrus. What a mess… Once I removed a clear path all the way down the stream the water flow seems to increase. I turned back on the pump and crossed my fingers.
As of this afternoon (1.5 days later) the water level in the filter has not dropped. This is a very good sign. I am so glad I took those physics classes in college. I finally get to use the knowledge.