Pond Boss Forums AERATION Systems questions Hydro-powered aerator - anyone try this?

I am settling on a piece of property in 3 weeks. It has a 2 acre pond on it and I am considering aeration. The pond is spring fed and has a creek that runs next to it but does not feed it. I would rather not run electricity to the pond and was thinking about a wind powered aerator. Would it be possible to convert a wind powered air pump to a water turbine powered pump? I figure that on days with little or no wind there would be water power from the creek to power the compressor.

What a loaded question. I have never heard of anyone trying this.

First of all windmills aren't the best idea because most of the oxygen supplied to the pond is from surface contact and it is supplied naturally whenever your windmill would be running. Second when the wind is calm on a hot cloudy evening you are looking for trouble. Windmills supply aeration at the same time that mother nature would be doing it anyway.

As for running the pump off the stream it would depend on the flow rate and volume. I think it would be very hard convert it. The air produces a lot higher RPM than the water flow would. I have survived 100 mph winds and of course water moves at a much slower rate. There would have to be some sort of gear box for the reduction.

Seems like a big project.

Brian

I think the water powered pump would be a maintenance nightmare.

I wonder if a bottom withdraw spillway would work for you.
I guess it would depend on how much flow your spring feeds into the pond.
I have a bottom withdraw spillway. Man is it cool! Stained rainwater can be gushing in dirty water discharging out the back. The pond stays green tinted.
The next day after a big rain the ponds not muddy.

I'm with B-david. A water-turbine sounds like a debris catching nightmare. Since at one time the world ran on hydro-power I'm sure every conceiveable mechanical means of harnessing streampower has been tried, but you might have to go back to 1800's literature to research it. There's a good reason why we don't do it on a small scale much anymore . If you do actually try this, let us know how it turns out!