Pond Boss Forums AERATION Systems questions Bad Heavyweight line OR?

Six heavyweight aeriation lines that lead to six diffusers. Four lines have come up with a slice in the line and one has come up with a leak twice. These slices in the lines are causing air leaks. All of these leaks have been where the line is laying near the shoreline in 6" to 12" of water depth. Seems like the slices are all at a 60 degree angle to the line. I will repair another today and am thinking of adding some pvc to cover the line out to a foot or two of water depth. I am thinking a bird or animal is the culprit but could it be a bad heavyweight line, if so the line came from 6 different spools. This is a problem I have not seen posted here, any ideas what might be slicing these air lines? I looked for tracks around the line where the leaks are but I have not been able to see any tracks where the line has been sliced. Five leaks in about the same number of weeks give or take.

Tracy

Tracy

Any sign of Muskrat activity anywhere in the pond?

If the line is defective the partial pressure difference will be highest at surface and shallow water. As line gets deeper the pressure of the water increases on the outside of the hose making the differential pressure less. Point is weak hose is more likely to leak in shallow water than deep.

But I doubt the hose quality is the problem. Some critter more likely. 10' depth only talking 5 psi. Hose would have to be really bad to rupture at that pressure.

snrub, I consider it lucky the slices in the line are shallow, much easier to repair. And essup, I have seen no evidence of Muskrat, I look for things like slides or shallow water holes, dens and have not seen any other than a few crawfish holes and I am seeing less of those this year, the lmb may be the reason for less crawfish holes. I thought maybe the feet of gbh, or coons with sharp toes might be the culprit, but I really don't know what is causing it. Maybe snrub is on to something. I know it's a pain to go to the pond and see bubbles near the shore. I used my last of repair parts yesterday.

Tracy

I had one beaver cut one of my airlines once.

Tracy you likely can repair it with some inner tube without cutting the hose in two.

Cut a thin strip of old inner tube (either bicycle or car) with scissors. I like a piece about a half inch wide and 2-3' long. Doesn't have to be neat. Pull the hose up above water and wrap the inner tube around the leak while stretching it about 20-25%. Continue wrapping around on both sides alternating the wrappings over the hole. Put a hose clamp over where the wrapping end ends up. If you don't have a hose clamp pliers and a piece of baling wire will suffice.

It will look like some dang farmer fixed it but who cares? It will be under the water where no one will see it. No need to cut the hose in two.

My dad was never much of a mechanic (I turned out quite the opposite being interested in mechanical things since an early age) but he always had a pair of pliers in his overalls and baling wire not too far from him. The man was a wizard with pliers, baling wire and old tire inner tubes. I've seen him fix numerous water lines that way that held up to pressures around 40 psi. Back in another life time when I owned a farm equipment dealership the inside joke with my mechanic employees was if they could not get something apart it was "go get Earl and his pliers". He had amazed them more than once with his patience (lucky he had that with me around , I was not an easily raised kid) and pliers in his ability to acomplish something they could not with far superior tools! He grew up and got married in the depths of the Great Depression and learned to do a lot with a little. Miss that man!

Tracy, you can repair it with a barb/barb connector. Cut the hose close to the slice, cut out the slice, put pvc glue on the barb and slide the hose over the barb connector. For Vertex/Pentair-AES weighted hose, use 1/2" grey PVC barb fittings.

Do you see any signs of floating underwater weeds near shore that were uprooted or cut? If you do, that's another sign of possible muskrat activity.

I have had turtles bite/cut my diffuser membranes.

snrub, some people from the depression period could do a lot with very little. But they got the job done. I will keep that trick in mind, there is always something that needs attention at the farm. Reminds me of the time I flew my airplane back from a Bahamas island jumping trip. Four of us made seven islands on that trip. Will, on the trip home the carb heat cable broke on the preflight and there were none to be had, so I did a duck tape repair and asked all to board the plane. My son who was also a pilot was not to thrilled about the job I did and was not to sure he wanted back on the plane Made it back to Shreveport and did the correct repair. I can do a lot with duck tape and bailing wire. Both are always in my side by side. And essup there is no vegetation in the pond and no muskrat that I can find but I did find a beaver in the pond for one day during a period of no rain and the bayou was very low, he did not stay, guess he did not like the pond management. Not saying there is not one around but have never seen one or any activity. Highflyer taught me what to look for and how to trap one. I may need another reminder course my next trip to his place. I am still wondering what is slicing this heavyweight air line. Dam!!

Tracy