The below instructions are for the assembly of the SandFall Kit.  While you are doing the assembly of the kit you will also need to be adding the stone or wood around the unit.  Please read the AquaScaping Tips for SandFalls prior to proceeding.

 

Note on Sand – This unit has been tested with PetSmart TopFin® white sand or PetCo Imaginarium® white sand and that is what is being supplied with the kit, which appears to be identical.  There should be ample sand to keep the waterfall running, but if you want to use sand elsewhere in your scape you can use these brands for consistency.  This sand is fairly consistent and has a particle size of about 1 mm, with few particles of smaller sizes.  If you can find sand with a particle size of at least 1 mm it should also work, but the other brands we tested were not consistent enough to work properly. 

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Painting -  In most scapes it is relatively easy to conceal the sandfall parts by adhering sand or rocks to the exposed areas and then covering up with plants as described below.  But, the nozzle and the right angle adapters can be more challenging to conceal fully, so you can choose to paint these parts or others as desired.  The natural colored PET material that most of the sandfall is made from can be painted with Krylon Fusion® All In One Spray paint.  Two coats may be needed for full coverage.  Other paints may also work..

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1.  Connect 1” Flex Tube to OUTFLOW side of Reservoir – The Flex Tube is threaded into the reservoir in a COUNTERCLOCKWISE direction.  (This is a reverse thread

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2.  Place Reservoir in tank and connect pump with either 1” PVC or ¾” tubing or 1” PVC.  Make sure the reservoir is level from front to back.  Do not rest a heavy rock on the outflow side of the reservoir as this will tilt the reservoir in the wrong direction and affect sand flow.

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      A.  PVC The connection can be made with a 1” PVC Male Schedule 40 Pipe by simply inserting the PVC into the INFLOW side of the reservoir.  This is normally a snug fit that is sufficient for an in tank connection. (If this is too lose, you can silicon the pieces together and if it is too tight, you can sand the reservoir or the PVC)

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      B.  ¾” Tubing -  Attach the ¾” NPT to ¾” Barb adapter to the 1” PVC to ¾” NPT by turning in a clockwise direction.  Attach ¾” tubing to the barbed end of the adapter and then insert the 1” PVC adapter into the INFLOW side of the reservoir.  Now attach the other 3nd of the ¾” tubing to the pump.

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Optional Assembly – The three shelves can be assembled to the reservoir in the front and the two sides.  This allows you to more easily mount Rocks to the reservoir where needed.

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Note:  To maximize sandflow the sand should be about 0.5 to 1.0 inches above the ledge of the reservoir, so you need to attach rocks or other medium to the ledges in order to create a taller reservoir.  Be sure to seal the holes in between the rocks so sand does not escape.  This is done to try and minimize the overall height of the reservoir.  

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3.  Route Flex Tube as needed – You can either use the Flex Tub as is, or you can use one or both of the Right Angle adapters that are provided.  The Flex tube can be cut to length with a sturdy pair of scissors or a razor blade.  Always cut it long as you can shorten it later if needed.  The right angle adapters will allow you to route the tube more easily in a tighter space, but they do increase the head on the pump, which will slightly reduce the amount of sand that is provided to the nozzle.  The Right Angle Adapters are assembled by threading onto the tube in a COUNTER ClockWise Direction.  They are reverse threaded.

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4.  Assemble Nozzle – There are two extenders available for the nozzle, both have an extension which forces the sand to flow downwards rather then coming out an angle, so they are highly recommended.  The difference between the two is that the one with a ledge allows you to mount rocks or plants on it to help hide the nozzle.  This is not usually real important if your tank has a lid, so the nozzle will be difficult to see for most people anyway. 

 

Note:  Choose which one you want and assemble it carefully.  Once assembled these parts should not be taken apart.  It can be done, but it is easy to break the Nozzle if you attempt this.

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5.  Assemble Nozzle to the Flex Tube - First assemble the Nozzle adapter to the flex tube so that the tube is at least half way onto the tube, turn COUNTER CLOCKWISE to assemble.  It is reverse threaded.  Then slip the nozzle onto the Nozzle adapter.  This allows you to more easily remove the nozzle from the tube in your tank if ever needed.

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6.  Assemble Screen to Nozzle – The Black Screen allows the water to exit the Nozzle without the sand, which allows the sand to fall thru the exit on the bottom of the nozzle more slowly, so that it does not blow the sand in the reservoir out of the reservoir.  It is assembled to the Nozzle by simply sliding it into the channel on the nozzle from the top with the AVA logo at the top of the nozzle facing forward

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7.  Fill tank with water and turn on pump.  Then add sand to reservoir to desired level.  It is recommended to plan on doing this before scaping anything other than the SandFall in order to see how the sand flows with the sandfall scaping in place.  You will likely have to drain the tank and fix a few things on the scape and the fill again, possibly repeating a couple of time to get your desired look and to make sure the sand all flows into the reservoir properly