Glad to see someone else had a similar experience—diverters can be pretty frustrating, especially when you're trying to keep costs down. I've found that angled screens with slightly larger openings strike a good balance between efficiency and low maintenance. Sure, you lose a tiny bit of water quality, but nothing serious if you're using it for gardening or outdoor chores. Plus, they're easy enough to DIY with basic materials...definitely worth considering if budget's a concern.
I've seen angled screens work pretty well too, but one thing to watch out for is debris buildup—especially leaves or pine needles. If you're DIYing it, have you thought about adding some kind of simple overflow or bypass setup? It might save you headaches later if there's a heavy storm or unexpected blockage...just something to consider.
"have you thought about adding some kind of simple overflow or bypass setup?"
This is spot-on advice. Overflow setups are definitely underrated—seen plenty of flooded yards because folks skipped this step. Another thing I've noticed is that angled screens are great in theory, but debris still tends to cling if the mesh is too fine. Ever thought about experimenting with different mesh sizes or maybe even a dual-layer screen setup to balance flow and filtration? Could be worth messing around with before settling on a final design...
Totally agree on the overflow setup—learned that lesson the hard way after my backyard turned into a mini swamp last spring. As for screens, I tried the super-fine mesh once thinking it'd catch everything, and it did... including every leaf, twig, and bug in a 5-mile radius. Ended up swapping it out for something a bit coarser, and life's been easier since. Dual-layer sounds interesting though, might have to give that a shot next season.
Couldn't agree more on the overflow—seen too many setups without proper drainage turn into muddy messes. Regarding screens, coarser mesh definitely reduces maintenance headaches, but I've noticed it lets in smaller debris that can build up over time. One workaround I've found helpful is installing a simple sediment trap or settling chamber before the main tank. It catches finer particles without clogging your filters constantly, and cleaning it out every couple months isn't too much hassle...just something to consider if you're tweaking your setup.
