What would be the best aerator for my 1/4 acre pond? Here is a pic while still filling. Not sure how to figure average depth but I would say its around 8 foot. 12 foot being the deepest here is a satellite pic and video of pond.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4wsuvzWM-s&list=UUtsKh7PcjwdZIzWlkTRYkyQ&index=4

http://www.aerationsupply.com/catalog/su...ns-11-deep.html
I'm liking the price of this one. Made in USA! What would you consider my pond enlogated or circular?

1/4 ac average 8' deep = roughly 650,000 gallons

Jwwann ~ the system you are looking at online utilizes a linear compressor. They put out very little air at their maximum psi. 12' depth is beyond what that compressor can handle.

Sue, what system do you guys sell that would be best for my pond?

Jwwann, pm sent.

Jwwann,

We are not supposed to do any selling directly in the forum, but I have sent you a private message with my recommendation. I agree with Sue Cruz that compressor may not have enough volume at your depth. Also Aeration Supply is not on the resource list for Pond Boss so if you purchase from them it might be kind of "iffy".

thanks,

Daniel

If your pond is 12 ft deep with 3:1 slopes and a small beach area at the maximum, the average depth is closer to 5'deep considering the slower slope opposite the dam (I watched the video). Also the deepest belly area is a small percentage of the surface area. Volume is closer to 400,000 to 425,000 gal. It is a good idea to measure the depth with a rope & brick when the pond gets brimming full.

Thanks Bill, should I wait for full pool or put one in now? I'm still not sure which system to go with. Would everybody that has added aeration to a small pond like this PM on what kind they used and the pros and cons of it. Thanks

http://www.livingwateraeration.com/pa33w.html
This is one pump that I'm looking at. Pro the price. Con no enclosure.
I'm trying to get some more advice without starting a selling war between fellow pond boss advertisers.
http://thepondshop.com/vertex-pond-lyfe-1
I'm looking at this one too. Con. The price is a little higher. Pro it looks to be turn key ready. Would either of these systems plug into heave duty extension cords till I can get my utility's to pond. It would be a couple hundred feet. Another option I'm looking into is running underground airline in PVC from shed 300 feet away. I'm definitely wanting my system Made in USA. It's a pet peeve I have with lack of jobs in US right now. Thanks

There's no selling war ~ we just don't want you to buy something that won't work.
Between running an extension cord vs. airline ~ go with airline to avoid a voltage drop.

Sue is dead on, on running extenstion cords that far. That is not only dangerous from heat in the cords but could hurt your system from voltage drop as she said. I tried running a cord 100 foot and it got pretty darn hot. Your cords would have to be VERY heavy duty. Heck you would have 150 bucks in cords if not more. PVC only costs a couple bucks per 10 foot. No brainer there what you should do. You can run the PVC and have no problems at all. Some fella's out here run PVC 8, 900 feet to run their air so 300 is not an issue.

RC

Jwwann,

I will agree with Sue and RC51. The extension cord is not the best choice to run power to your compressor. The voltage drop, although it may be slight, could either burn up/melt your power cord or could cause the compressor to run at a lower voltage, causing damage to the compressor.
Also, when running your in ground piping. The PVC will work, but if you use polyethylene irrigation line.. It will save you money and time on your installation. You can find the black poly pipe at Home Depot or Lowes.. It is the same 1/2 inch I.D. tubing that is used for irrigation systems. It works great! And you don't have to worry about the black poly pipe cracking from any ground movement that may occur. You can make a long run from the compressor location to the water's edge where you will want to use some form of self-weighted/sinking tubing.

As for what system to go with... I have heard and experienced nothing but good things regarding the Vertex systems, and they are 100% made here in the states. The other system..... I have seen similar systems online and with a little further investigation found out that the compressors are made in China. As the saying goes.... You get what you pay for.

I agree about the poly pipe. Easy to run, flexible and no below ground connections to worry about.

They make the irrigation black poly pipe 1/2"& 3/4 in 400ft rolls. Sometimes it has to be special ordered, but it is available in these longer lengths to minimize the number of connections for long distances. I can get it ordered from my local hardware store at a reasonable price of $0.10 - 0.15 per foot.

OK so someone please clarify for me. My pond sits 480 feet from the house. Instead of all this time I have been wasting trying to find the best price on wire to run power out there, I could just run 480 feet of 1/2 inch poly tubing to run my air and I will be fine? This is running down a hill also.

Yes, it will work from everything the guys on here have said. I'm going to put my aerator in my storage shed and run the line to pond. I'm waiting on the pond to settle first.

Personal choice here, but for that length of run I'd go 3/4" or 1" dia. then neck it down at the pond.

Ted Lea set me up to run aeration out to my pond that sits 800+ feet from my power source. I was lucky enough (I like foresighted, but my wife reminds me it was her idea) to have run an extra pvc pipe from the wellhead down to the pond. So we connected the pump to the extra pvc pipe and attached the weighted hose at the end.


Definitely go with what Sue and others recommend and pump the air the distance instead of the power. I also would agree with Esshup and go with 1" down to the pond if you can.

Also, trust what the experts have to say here, they know their numbers on how much air you need/want to push based on perceived run time and goals.

What does using the larger diameter pipe accomplish?

pressure loss occurs more in smaller pipe. I dont know if 300' or 480' is long enough to worry about it, but if you wanted to go smallest pump you can get away with, I think avoiding some pressure loss would be worth it.

BUT, that all depends on the amount of air you need to push and the CFM you are trying to aim for which is based on the size and number of diffusers you have set up...which is why I suggest talking directly to the aeration experts on here for what they would propose in your situation.

fishfrank, PM sent.

I wouldn't use poly pipe. No matter how tight you turn a hose clamp, you will still have air leakage with poly pipe fittings. Use 1" pvc - which I'm sure Sue is recommending - I use their systems myself.

I love planning in advance instead of just doing.

This is what I use. It's 23 feet tall, cost around $1800. Pricey maybe but it looks good and uses no electric power. Might take a long time to recover that cost in power savings, but I've always wanted a windmill and I finally had an excuse to get one. The air line runs underground down to the building where I have an adjustable splitter and from there out to the two ponds. The air stones are about 7 feet deep in each pond, and it pumps a decent amount of air into each pond. The website where I ordered it from is pondaeration.com.

I'm leery of windmill only aeration, and here's why.

A client has 3 ponds on his land, all about the same size. All have the diffusers set up in the ponds identically, deep for summer, shallow for winter. One is aerated by electric compressor only, one by windmill and electric, the last one by windmill only. In February 2012 we had a 2 week period of heavy overcast days, fog, and no wind. There was about 6" of snow on the ice too. The windmill didn't turn enough to keep the water open, and it re-froze. Fast forward to the beginning of March or so. We saw an approximate 95% fish kill in the windmill only aerated pond, no dead fish in the other ponds.

Yeah I agree with Esshup here. You got to have a secondary way to move that windmill if need be! You just can't hope the wind is going to be there every day cause it will bite you in the you know what sooner or later.

RC

Yeah, I see what y'all are saying, but at least around here (NC) I've not seen it go for anywhere near that long with no wind. And, before I had the windmill there was no aeration at all, so it's getting more oxygen than it ever used to.

True, but the fish and other organisms in the pond will multiply to take advantage of the O2 that is now available, and utilise the whole water column (where they couldn't before). Then, after that happens, a period without wind will be even more time sensitive due to the extra lungs that are trying to breathe.

You can push air with an electric compressor a LONG ways - one property that I manage has air moving around 900' underground.