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(More customer reviews)I got a Sunterra pond filter as part of a complete pond kit. At first, I was quite happy with the filtration provided, but quickly learned that there are other issues with this filter design that make it worthless.
1) The clamps are designed to fail. There is no other way to look at it. They are attached to the filter bucket, and snap over the lid. Around the circumference of the lid is a thin O-ring gasket. This gasket is nearly impossible to keep in place as you are putting the lid over the bucket. Further, even if you do get it in place and sealed correctly, it is not likely to stay there long. The major problem is that Sunterra used cheap, thin plastics throughout this filter. When I turn the pump on, I can actually see the entire filter bucket stretch, and it rises up out of the hole in the ground about an inch. This stretching of the plastic weakens it. The clamps also stretch, and after less that one season, lost their ability to securely hold the lid in place. The result is that any time power is cut to the pump, some of the clamps will release because they don't have enough force to hold the lid down when the pump is not pushing against them. When the power is restored and the pump pressurizes the filter, it will leak profusely between the lid and bucket.
We have left home for several hours only to return and discover that our power went out for whatever reason, and when it was restored the filter leaked, resulting in a near-total drain of our pond and destruction of our pump as it ran dry. Luckily the pump was high enough off the bottom of the pond that our fish still had some water, and so survived.
2) The restricted filter indicator doesn't work, at all. I've had the filter so clogged up that water was barely coming through the filter at all, and still the red clogged-filter indicator never popped up.
3) The reverse-flow cleaning system doesn't work, at all. In order to clean the filter, you have to disassemble it and wash out the sponges with a garden hose. This is the only way to get them clean. You could run your entire pond's water supply through the filter and it would do nothing to clean it. This is nothing more than a joke.
4) The sliding selector for run or clean is also prone to leaks. The design is simply poor, but might have had a chance of working if Sunterra had not used such thin and cheap plastics.
In the end, there is no fix for this junk filter. I've contacted Sunterra and they sent me replacement clamps. Those lasted no longer than the originals. Avoid this filter, it is not worth any money or your time and frustration. If this is any indication of the quality of Sunterra products, I would avoid the company altogether. I would have rated this item at zero stars if that were available. Maybe I can make a planter out of the filter bucket- that's about all it would be good for.
As an alternative, look here: Pressurized Bio UV Pond Filter - 2000 gallon This is a quality filter that gets good reviews. You get what you pay for with Fish Mate (Animate), unlike Sunterra where you pay and get nothing.
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Sunterra 300207 Pond UV Bio-Filter 2000 Gallons, BlackProduct Description: A contained body of water is subject to conditions such as dirt, insects, algae and decomposed vegetation that affect the water clarity and health.A filtration system is needed to balance the ponds ecosystem.This filtration system must match both the power of the pump and the volume of the water garden. All Sunterra filters use mechanical and biological filtration.The mechanical filtration process uses foam filters to trap debris.While the biological filtration uses biological ball (bio balls), that have large surface areas used to nurture beneficial bacteria.This beneficial bacteria converts harmful pathogens into useful nitrates.Both types of filtration work together to provide a clearer and healthier pond.The Sunterra Bio-filters utilize a dual filtration system consisting of both mechanical (foam filters) and biological (bio balls) processes. UV Pond filters are for ultimate filtration performance.They combine the same features of mechanical and biological processes of other Sunterra filters and have the added benefit of ultra-violet light filtration.UV radiation eliminates the algea that survive the normal flitration process, creating a clearer and healthier water garden.This particular UV Bio Filter cleans ponds up to 2000 gallons.It is recommended for use with pumps that are capable of pumping between 1,250 to 2,000 gallons of water.
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