product design ideas - pond filter

I have a small pond that is currently the colour of pea soup and i'd like it to be clear.  I have a UV Light on the pump outlet, but it doesn't seem to be reducing the green (yes I've checked the bulb).  So, this weekend, I decided to go all Heath Robinson on it.  I have a load of stainless steel mesh, left over from other projects (originally my kettle design).  I've used it before to filter bits out of wine, so I thought I'd make a set up to try and take some of the sediment out of the water.  The rig I built works really well for a while, tiny bits ofsediment build up as they hit the mesh and are pushed to the sides by the pressure of the water, but aftter about an hour or so, the build up gets too great and rather than go through the mesh, the water spills over the sides.  So, I've been thinking of improving the design to incorporate a water wheel, driven by the fall of the water to brush the sediment that builds up into a collection area.  This is only the first stage, this is the product design process in action.  I have identified the problem, almost have a working solution, but it still needs the design process to make it into a realistic object.

car design - sneak peek 02

Comparing this image to an earlier post, it looks as though very little progress has been made, save a lot of grey primer, however, the whole car is 5cm wider as due to some measurement errors, I was forced to saw it in half and widen it, much of the interior is also blocked in.  It's been a challenge, but the end is in sight.

model making - sneak peek

Amongst other things, I'm currently designing and building a car, but it's going to be a long time before it's completed.  I only get to work on it on the weekends as it's too cold in the evenings.  I'm just glad I decided to make a scale model as at one point it was going to be full size.  When I was younger and keener, I used to be out in my shed in freezing temperatures working away late into the evening.  Now a little older, I must admit that after a long days work, the motivation is lacking.  Am I becomming an armchair designer?  I might have to start designing one of those as well!