what is good is having a mechanical gross filter where the water dumps, then
something forces the water to go up and over with a drain like you mention there.
for mechanical gross filter I think the brushes that hang down are great. talk about
easy to clean, lift em out and thwock em once and they are clean. I found where my
outdoor filter bends I have a deposit of silt. but it is just so easy to clean with
a wet dry vac in fall as I bring the plants into the basement, I guess it isnt that
important. Ingrid

zookeeper wrote:

Wouldn't it be better to have your deep portion at one side (opposite
the water entry) so that it would be easier to reach for cleaning? You
could scoop out or vacuum the debris, or create a separate drain that
could be opened to flush out the debris (to a plant bed?)