Pond Boss Forums AERATION Systems questions Superior Windmill for aeration??

I was looking into buying a "TURBO JET STREAM" model from Superior Windmill Inc.(Canada)I have a 1 acre pond(10-4')with an island.Has anyone out there purchased a windmill from this company & what is your opinion of their product. Air pump capacity is 3.0 cfm at 9 mph/ max air pressure is 30psi. My pond was dug this August and is stocked with fingerlings(Balt. Co. Maryland)The pond is also spring fed with an approximate fill of 1,000 gals an hour!!! price of windmill is $1400. Thanks for your help

I can't remember the exact specs on Koenders' windmills, but I think they are fairly comparable. $1400 is almost twice what you would pay for a Koenders' with an 8' or 12' tower; it could still be an OK price if includes some extras (big tower?) or if it comes partly assembled.

Hi Mactrev & Theo, I believe the comparable Superior windmill to the common 1.5 CFM Koender would cost about $750 from Superior,, The $1400 model Superior is a dual diaphram that produces 3 and Superior tells me up to 4 CFM.I believe Koender has or will have the dual diaphram model also. I believe Mark C. looked into this Koender model.I still advise if you want to stretch your dollar with a windmill get a 1.5 CFM model and use a CoActive airstation instead of a stone and you will turn more water then a dual diaphram model with 3 CFM and two stones as supplied by Koenders. I did notice that Superior supplies a rubber membrane diffuser vs a stone but would appear to be a waste water model that probably produces 1-3 mm bubbles which are still too large and no turnover rates stated. They state you can regulate the air to two and three diffusers but I have never been able to do this with varying CFM output only at constant (wind) output.Check out Superiors site as they do have some good information (some a little outdated) on aeration myths. Mactrev, Im curious what interested you in a Turbo Jet for your 1 acre pond? Bill Cody, how is Koenders coming along with the dual diaphram?? Ted

Ted I am not sure where Koender's is with their dual diaphragm model. As a dealer, I have not heard or seen any promotional material or prices of dual diaphragm windmills as of 11-15-04. I was notified that they now have an office in Springdale, AK 1-866-471-1614; Randy Meier- Koenders USA.

I still contend that that if electric power is within 600-1000 ft of a pond for $750 to $1400 one can buy a 1/4 hp aeration system that far exceeds the ability of a windmill, single or dual diaphragm. One needs a good windspeed (apprx 15- 20mph) to get those advertised maximum air volumes at deeper depths. Air generation for those windmills is on an increasing scale based on wind speed. One may get 3 cfm at 9mph with no head pressure (0 depth). But when you start increasing the water depth over the diffuser the the wind speed has to increase to compenstate for the increased head pressure.

AMEN, Bill C. this has always been my stand.If and when electricty can not be had then there may be a place for a windmill (my opinion)I continue to see a lot of effort however going into more air production 1.5 CFM up to 3 plus CFM by the windmill companies when proper diffuser selection can ramp up turnover rates 2-5 X regargless of the CFM output. It would be interesting to see at what point a dual diaphram unit with multiple diffusers will push all air to the path of least.Regulation may be possible at max output but my guess is as soon as output is in the 75% range it will go to the shallow unit or the diffuser with the shortest length of hose if both are placed at the same depth.Have you shut down your aeration yet? I have the small stones operating at about 2 CFM in both display ponds and am overdue to check temp and DO.Perhaps next week,I did notice today that clarity is at about 4-5 feet. Ted

Ted - Since you have trouble regulating air to two diffusers at once, do you have a freeze control tank in your system? A freeze control tank or sediment bowl I think would eliminate this problem for you.

Water temp today was 47F. Aeration will stop this week. My compressor is cut back to one-half summer run times. I usually stop aeration when water temps drop below 48F. At that point the pond should be uniform temp and continual cooling will maintain destratification until freeze up in mid to late Dec.

Bill/Ted:

Should I just disconnect my air hose coming down from my windmill diaphram at the T-valve and let the air just blow out? I thought aeration in a shallower area of the pond is actually good in the winter to keep some ice open. Or am I asking for a freeze up problem? I switched my pump from my airstation to a Koender's stone for right now. Thanks.

Mark, With your size pond I would not worry about the airstone causing any problems from an over circulation standpoint. Place it in 2-3 ft of water at any point in the pond and it should be fine. Do you have freeze control? I do not have on mine and have not had any problems that I am aware of.Bill C can expand on freeze control.I will shut my aeration down soon and restart only when and if the ponds freeze over and are "snow covered" for at least a month.Providing the air temps are not 15 F or less. I monitor DO levels after ice cover. Last year I had 105-110% saturation all winter (algae doing their job)I will open up the ice once per month for any potential gas off but have no way to tell if it is needed or not.A little sunlight through the ice goes a long way.The pond with the windmill in has been switched to the airstone also and is now in 4 ft of water for the winter. Hope this answers your concerns.I really dont think any pond in the snow belt that is at least an acre and at least 8 ft deep has anything to worry about with a windmill and a Koender Airstone for a diffuser.The bubbles are huge and the turnover is low.Winter aeration is all I use mine for. Keep in mind yours circulates approx 5 times more water when you are switched to the AirStation.Ted

Bill, I do not have freeze control. The reason I have two diffusers on the Koender windmill is for demo purposes only (Koender Airstone VS Vertex CoActive Airstation)I dont think splitting 1.5 CFM would do a lot.My concern is on the dual diaphram unit with dual diffusers, Superior Windmills clain they maintain equal air to dual diffusers with the 3 CFM Turbo model. I sent them an Email last night and hopefully they will become part of the PondBoss Forum.My limited experience to date on splitting the air supply on the Koender is that as soon as it was turning less tham max and the CFM would drop that the air supply always went the path of least.Seems like the same situation would exsist with 3 CFM as well. Would freeze control (checkvalve perhaps) give additional backpressure to prevent this? Ted

Windmill aeration during winter can be problematic if everything is not working perfectly. The freeze control is designed to thaw ice in the airline that develops from condensation of water vapor that accumulates in the airline. The second potential problem area is a leaky check valve at the diffuser. This allows water to seep past the diffuser and fill the underwater airline with water. This water will freeze at the air water interface; that causes a plugged airline. Windmill will continue to create pressure depending on wind speed. In this condition, high wind speeds will easily damage windmill parts.

Thanks, Guys. Not wanting to risk a damaged diaphram, I will unplug my airline at the T-Valve (if I can get it off of there) and let the air blow out into the open. In Edinboro, we get a lot of lake effect snow and the ice gets pretty covered. Or, at least that has been the case. I am hoping for better consitions this winter. Yet, I don't belive I experienced any fishkill in the past couple of winters, as I saw no physical evidence this past spring. Not that there weren't any dead ones on the bottom that couldn't be seen. Right now, I have my Koender's stone in 4 feet of water about 10' off shore. I have no freeze control with my system. So, I will probably do my unplugging at the end of this month to prevent any freeze up damage. I don't believe I have any other options available to me unless I add the anti-freeze system.

Does Superior or Koender's double diaphragm pump allow for each diaphragm to function as a separate pump with its own air line?

Float> I believe it is a single outlet that has to be manifolded. I do not know if Koender has theres in production or not but Superior does, Send a note to Corey Michel at Superior at their website and he will be glad to give you any specs.I find them very willing to provide information.They also have a "superior " diffuser for most applications compared to airstones >> my 2 cents, Ted PS Bill C. What is the latest on the Koender dual diaphram ??

TEd - Koenders dual diaphragm did not go into producion after tests with the prototype.

Just for your information, Superior Windmill and Koender are now one company called Superior Windmill (2005). The canadian made Koender will still be available while the made in China Superior will also be available. Koender models will be more expensive than the Superior's. Superior had the patent on the dual compressor. I expect Koender will now be able to sell a dual compressor in the futur.