I Think That I Finally Figured It Out!!! This should be easy to replicate for anyone with a UD slide gate bottom drain in their pond. Now for the specifics. As previously mentioned I have a 10 conventional pond piping system with a bottom drain inside the pond. The 10 pipe drain is necked down to an 8 UD slide gate valve with a 10 long 1 1/4 pvc handle to allow opening/closing of the drain. The plan for my trash rack is as follows. Pond Drain Trash Guard 55 gallon PVC drum Drill many 3/4- 1 holes all around the drum. Remove one 2 bung and leave the other intact. I may have to leave both intact and cut a new hole in the top of the drum if the location of the bung hole will not permit valve housing to fit. Either way not an issue. Use a jigsaw cut from the bung or new hole (on top) 3/4 way down the side of the drum. Cut an 8.75 hole from the side of the drum centered with the cut you just made from the 2 hole. The final product will look like Swiss cheese with one 2 hole on the top of the barrel cut all the way to an 8.75 hole. Slip the drum around the valve sideways and turn straight with the bung hole going around the 1 1/4 pipe and the 8.75 hole that you cut going around the 8 pvc pipe holding the valve. 2 or 3 zip ties may have to be used on the cut from the bung hole to the top of the 8.75 hole to secure the drum as a trash guard. Be sure to drill small holes on each side of the cut you made before attaching the trash guard if the zip ties are needed.
This should allow me to open the drain a couple times a year to get rid of sediment and decomposing organic debris that enters the pond without fear of having fish larger than 1 being washed out. I have given lots of thought to this and would appreciate all helpful feedback good or bad. Hopefully this can extend the life of a pond where buildup becomes a nonissue.
Thanks! Heppy
Edit: A picture of the U.D. Slide Gate is here. http://www.ponddampiping.com/accessories.html Edit: 8 sch 40 pvc has an od of 8.625 therefore the cut has to be larger than 8. I decided on 8.75 for a little slop going around the outside of the 8 pipe
