Author Topic: muck vac ? (Read 2265 times)

sheepie · « **on:** April 22, 2007, 07:17:17 PM »

I have been looking at buying this muck vac and was wondering if anyone had used one of these before?

If so what did you think of it ?

I added the link to the one I am looking at
http://www.muckvacdirect.com/about.asp

Thanks for any help with this

Bessie

Esther · « **Reply #1 on:** April 22, 2007, 07:21:54 PM »

Have you compared prices? And what is the shipping. I saw one at a pond store a week ago and they wanted $70 something for it. I don't remember now. Sometimes the shipping is so terrible. Check this out, $49.95. http://www.price1.com/product_info.php?products_id=55

http://www.muckvac.com/order.asp

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&satitle=muck+vac&category0=

perplexed ponder · « **Reply #2 on:** April 23, 2007, 07:39:25 AM »

I just bought a Leaf Eater from Ebay, look slike a similar set up, runs on a garden hose. It should be here today or tomorrow, i can let you know how it works. I paid $22 + $9 shipping. You can get 2 different bags for it. one for leaf and larger debris and one very fine for silt. I picked up both.

sheepie · « **Reply #3 on:** April 23, 2007, 08:03:28 AM »

Esther Thanks checked out the sites lot better price

Kathy Thanks hope it works for you. let me no if it picks up the muck

I like the looks of this one cause it discharges out into the yard and figure I can just add it to my gardens

Shae · « **Reply #4 on:** April 23, 2007, 09:04:55 AM »

2 hours ago I would have told you not to waste your money on it.

I bought mine off ebay 2 years ago and never could get it to work right. I took a look at the link you provided and found a tip on how to get it to prime if what you try according to the instructions fail. So I took a chance and lo and behold I finally got it to work right.

I've been outside now ever since vacuuming up the sand and small pebbles that accumulated on the bottom. I can even vacuum the ledges now too! Now that I know how to get it primed right, I am very pleased with this.

Thanks for posting! I never would have gotten it to work otherwise!

I also have a leaf eater which comes in handy if you have a lot of leaves at the bottom, but it's not real good at picking up other things because the holes in the mesh bag let the fine dirt back out into the pond and does not pick up small pebbles. Maybe I need to check into a finer mesh bag for it too.

Esther · « **Reply #5 on:** April 23, 2007, 12:03:49 PM »

Shae, how big is the bag? I use two layers of knee high pantyhose with a hollow plastic ball in the toe. The ball keeps the bag floating up when it starts to get heavy with silt etc.

Shae · « **Reply #6 on:** April 23, 2007, 12:32:43 PM »

Esther, it's about 12" x20". This vac is actually a large round venturi vac for picking up leaves. It's fine for picking up leaves but not much else. I even tried using a pair of panty hose where I cut the legs off and tied together, but it just didn't pick up the sand or pebbles. I do have another smaller venturi vac that I use the panty hose with and it works great. I borrowed your idea of using the tennis balls last year. I got it after the muck vac wouldn't work like I wanted it the first year I had the pond. So now I have 3 vacs that work just fine according to what I need them for. All is well!

Esther · « **Reply #7 on:** April 23, 2007, 12:41:43 PM »

Good

perplexed ponder · « **Reply #8 on:** April 23, 2007, 04:05:56 PM »

The leaf eater came today. Matt tried it out and it did pick up silt and sand, but stirred eberything up so much that he couldn't see what he was doing and had to stop.

Got the fine mesh bag at drs foster and smith web site, came up on a google search

sheepie · « **Reply #9 on:** April 23, 2007, 06:45:37 PM »

Shae glad the site helped you figure it out Did it pick up the muck when you vacuumed?

Shae · « **Reply #10 on:** April 23, 2007, 07:16:22 PM »

I didn't have muck but had a lot of sand and small pebbles and it picked up both just fine. It's not real good at picking up leaves though so keep that in mind. One thing I do like about the muck vac is that it doesn't stir up the bottom while you're vacuuming. I also like the fact that it doesn't add water to the pond while you're vacuuming, but you will need to top it off when you're done especially if you've vacuumed a lot.

sheepie · « **Reply #11 on:** April 23, 2007, 08:30:38 PM »

Shae Thanks so much I have one to do the leafs just need one to get the other and sounds like this will work for me my poor old back can't take the shop vac any more

Celia · « **Reply #12 on:** April 24, 2007, 06:37:24 AM »

What a great post, I have been wondering what to get. I needed a vac of some kind, but was not sure what to go with. I had bought the leaf vac and it does work good, but like Kathy said, stirs up the water and your working blind then. I had been looking at the muck vacs but didn't know if they really worked like they say they will. I've been lurking for a long time here, but have really got some great information from all of you ponders. Thanks for this post Sheepie

Celia

Esther · « **Reply #13 on:** April 24, 2007, 08:15:41 AM »

Could a person rig up a large container to put the crud in and then filter it back into the pond like a kiddy pool? I thought about running the water into the Skippy and then either let the crud settle to the bottom and flush it out and/or filter the water at the exit of the Skippy?

Shae · « **Reply #14 on:** April 24, 2007, 10:48:08 AM »

Sheepie, the weight of the water coming out of the vac does make it somewhat heavy, but you won't be bending over like you do with a shop vac. Esther, I don't see why you couldn't drain the water into a kiddie pool and then pump it back in after it settles. That way you could recycle the water. Worth a try.

sheepie · « **Reply #15 on:** April 24, 2007, 09:49:41 PM »

That is a good idea to recycle the water may have to give it a try

It is the lifting of the full shop vac that is starting to wear my back out it doesn't have that long of a handle on it so I end up in the pond doing it then have to get out and dump

Mikey · « **Reply #16 on:** April 24, 2007, 10:17:15 PM »

Quote

Esther, I don't see why you couldn't drain the water into a kiddie pool and then pump it back in after it settles.

I don't think that will work if the discharge hose is actually inside the kiddie pond and below the water. The water draining from the discharge hose must do so without any obstruction otherwise you loose vacuum suction. You would have to make it so the discharge hose was not actually in or below the water of the kiddie pool, otherwise it would have to push water out of its way.

What I don't like about the muck vac is that the discharge hose is pretty short for my needs. I tried inserting it inside a larger 25' long pool discharge hose but because of the resistance I spoke of above it didn't work well. It may have worked if I shortened the pool hose but I didn't want to cut it... And that's probably why the muck vac hose is short because additional length means more drag/friction and less vacuum....

happyoutsidegirl · « **Reply #17 on:** April 25, 2007, 04:23:24 AM »

I did lingthen the discharge hose on mine but I have the advantage of a down hill slope. What I don't like about the muck Vac is you have to hold the hose at low angel for it to suck. I guess it's because of the desine of my pond? But I get tired of holding it down low and it loses it suckshion when I try and do the edges? I'm getting to darn old for that much work and fussing and I want to save for a good working pond vac.

frloplady · « **Reply #18 on:** April 25, 2007, 10:44:42 PM »

Muck Vac needs good water pressure to work well. It also didn't vac well in a pond much deeper than 3 feet or so. I use mine to clean the bottom of the q-tank mostly and it does a great job at that.

I don't get the recycle water thing. I use it as an opportunity to do a water change. Recycle water means it goes back into the ground water table or as plant water.

Mikey · « **Reply #19 on:** April 25, 2007, 11:14:25 PM »

It is easier to handle if you tie the garden hose to the aluminum vacuum tube. I use several Velcro ties. Some people use zip ties.

I bought mine several years ago and I think I also modified the vacuum brush. As I recall the bristles were all the same size and I notched out 1/8-1/4" on the back half so that I can pull the vacuum towards me and small debris can slip under the brush and get pulled up.

happyoutsidegirl · « **Reply #20 on:** April 26, 2007, 04:46:57 AM »

Mikey that sounds like a good idea! I try that. I useally end up not using it at all.

EagleEye · « **Reply #21 on:** April 26, 2007, 05:05:23 AM »

I like the idea of removing the water and sludge from the pond. good chance for a water change.

And, we all know how good of fertilizer it is

Steve

tinkster · « **Reply #22 on:** May 11, 2007, 06:53:41 AM »

SHeepie.. just wonder if you got the muck vac and like it or not. I need soemthing to vac the bottom of mine.. no sludge just peddles and a sand/dirt and that green algae that hangs to everything.

Anybody have an experience with a pond that is above ground? Mind is elevated above ground level with high berms?

tinkster

sheepie · « **Reply #23 on:** May 11, 2007, 07:32:04 AM »

I did get my vac and it seems to be doing the job I am fighting string algae right now so I have to keep pulling it up and unplugging the algae out of the head but it is pulling up the muc and small rocks

we have had so much rain and my pond looks terrible cause of all algae it is so thick I can use a rake to pull it out
so I figure as soon as I get it in control then it will be easier to muc it out

tinkster · « **Reply #24 on:** May 11, 2007, 10:07:51 AM »

thanks much.. guess I will go ahead and get mine. Where did you end up finding the best price at?

tinkster

sheepie · « **Reply #25 on:** May 11, 2007, 11:21:15 AM »

I ended up getting mine off ebay http://stores.ebay.com/BACKYARDLIVIN

the one at price 1 was a good price but the shipping was way to much and the guy on ebay charged me 10.00 so it ended up being cheaper