Chris, this sounds like a reasonable solution. Our pond doesn't have a
bottom drain. Our pump (a Little Giant sump pump) sits in a basket of
lava rock, and grinds up small debris that makes it way through the
"prefilter" of rock. In the spring and fall I have hung mesh bags (with
various sizes of openings) to catch this debris. I've also used the
nylon socks that you can sometimes find at hardware stores that are used
over slotted drainage pipes to prevent sand or dirt from filling them. I
just knotted one end and secured the sock to the pump outlet in the
first barrel of our filtering system. It's great for catching small
debris and algae in the spring. Let us know how your new system works.
--
Kathy B, zookeeper
3500gal pond (Oregon)