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I am a long time reader, but just now getting to the point to start doing some work around the lake. I have about a 1.5 acre lake that is mostly fed by runoff. It tends to get a lot of the filamentous algae and the water stays murky most of the time.

I am thinking of providing a buffer at the inlet with rock and possibly cattails. But also would like to get a bottom aerator running. I seen the solar aerators that don't need batteries and only run during the day (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZ1BzbzdrGY). I am a good ways from the nearest electric pole, so wind or solar is my only option. My question is, would an aerator that only runs during the day provide any benefits to the lake or would it cause issues?


Thanks in advance!

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It's more about turnover intervals than it is with run time. The general idea is to mix the water together, and the size of the BOW and the aerator in question will determine the needed run time to adequately
mix the entire water column.

Also, aerating only during the day may raise the water temps.....nighttime aeration is sometimes employed to try and prevent this from happening. (Cooler air temps after sunset)

How far from power are you? It's pretty cheap to run air, instead of electricity. Is is feasible to place the compressor at the power location, and bury an airline to the pond?


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Unfortunately you get more benefit from running the aeration at night vs. day. That's when the plants/phytoplankton aren't making O2, they are using it.


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cw_ky, welcome to the forum!

Your electric doesn't always need to be run to the pond. It is FAR cheaper to run airline than power cable! Cheap air tubing can be run 1000's of feet, be buried or left on top of the ground, though toothy critters may chew on it if not buried.



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Thanks for all the replies. Is there a limit to the distance on the airline or does that just depend on the pump?

My barn is about 1300 ft from electric and then it is another 500 ft from the barn to the lake. With the idea of running the airline from the barn (which I hope to someday have electric too), I could possibly hook it up to the solar setup I have at the barn. I originally thought the airline would need to be close to the pump.

Also if I went that route and needed two spots in the lake for aeration, could I just split the tubing by the lake?

Thanks again.


Last edited by cw_ky; 08/06/14 09:02 PM.
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Yes, you can run the tubing from the barn. Depending on the CFM reqirements of the diffusers, the 500' run of tubing might be sized differently.

Unless you can positively guarantee that each diffuser will be set at the same depth, you will need a manifold at the pond to regulate air going to each diffuser.

I have a client that is running air to a pond where the diffuser is about 600' from the compressor. Single rubber membrane diffuser, 3/8" ID airline the whole way. The pump runs 4-5 psi line pressure. But, that's not something that I recommend, I doubt that there is enough turns in the pond to properly aerate it.


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Thanks again esshup, been a little busy and haven't had much time to get back on the site.

I have been looking into a few different aeration systems, and they are all recommending a 1/2 hp pump with 3/4" hose from the pump to the diffuser since it is a long run. The 3/4" hose is pretty expensive and just want to see if that is correct and also if I could get away with a 1/4 hp pump.

Thanks.

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500' rolls of polyethylene tubing run $60-100 in 5/8 to 3/4" sizes. Tis quite reasonable. Don't let the aeration folks try to sell you the expensive weighted tubing for that run. Only need weighted when in the water.

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I'm running 1400 ft through 5/8 poly drip tube with no problem. There is very little pressure loss due to friction with air. Not like water.


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Originally Posted By: DNickolaus
500' rolls of polyethylene tubing run $60-100 in 5/8 to 3/4" sizes. Tis quite reasonable. Don't let the aeration folks try to sell you the expensive weighted tubing for that run. Only need weighted when in the water.


I agree 110%! You only need to run the more expensive self-sinking airline once the line hits the water, or from the manifold box at the edge of the pond to the diffusers. With the problems that I've had with squirrels chewing on any plastic line laying on top of the ground, I'd make durn sure I buried all the line that was out of the water. I think you can get that poly tubing in larger sizes too - around here they use 1 1/4" dia to run from the well to the house.


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So I should plan on getting the typical pump for a 1 to 1.5 acre lake and then running the normal size tubing from the pump to the manifold at the pond and then the weighted tubing to the diffusers. Does that sound correct?

With the remote manifold, do you know if I would be able to remove the manifold that comes with a pump and just put the tubing between the two? I am looking at the MPC-60C or the MPC-120C.

Thanks again.

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For only a 1-1.5 acre lake, your CFM will be low enough that 5/8" or 3/4" lines will go many 100s of feet before pressure loss is an issue. Both are easy to find. Esshup mentioned larger tubing.. shouldn't need such for your application, but I did find a place that sold 1" x 500' for $110.

You want the pressure gage and pressure relief at the pump, that's your max pressure at discharge. The manifold wants to be at the pond where you're splitting your long-run line into two or more to go to separate diffusers.

May also want a moisture trap at the pump if it's downhill from the long run. Don't want water rolling back into your compressor.

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Thanks Dnickolaus. Do you have any links for the tubing or was that a local place?

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Various ways to get done what you want to do, but if it were me, this is what I would do.

Leave the manifold alone on the pump.

Just use one of the outlets and connect it to 3/4 black plastic water pipe via proper fittings. The black plastic pipe (like mentioned earlier in 500' rolls by Dnickolaus) is available in two different versions, the more expensive being higher pressure rating (can't remember for sure, but maybe one is 60 psi and the other is 100 psi, or something like that). Either one will work fine for your situation as you likely will only be using less than 10 psi pressure. They both are pretty cheap. You might want to spring for the thicker pipe just for better chew resistance, your call. Some plumbing supply stores may only carry one or the other. Lowe's carry 100' rolls of both types (it is not in the plumbing section, but in the well water pump section of the store). Probably have to go to a commercial plumbing supply to get the 500' rolls. More connectors if you go with the 100' rolls like I did because it was available locally. Bury this pipe from the compressor to the waters edge wherever you want your manifold. It does not have to be buried deep, or at all. But mice and critters love to chew on plastic. You could leave it lay on the surface till you get everything going, then simply dig a trench next to the line and throw it in.

At the pond's edge where you want to place the manifold make a little housing of some sort to hold the valve. You can make a valve setup out of quarter turn ball valves and associated fittings, but what I did was just get a good quality brass garden hose manifold. One of those where you attach to a faucet and it gives you multiple hose outlets. You can get them in two, three or four outlets. Use fittings needed to plumb in the 3/4" hose to the input side of this manifold. Use fittings to go from the outlet side to adapt to your sinking tubing going into the pond. I would use 3/8 if it were me unless it was a really long run from the pond edge to the diffuser. Then you might want to go larger. I did but don't think I really needed it after it was done, and in a later installation in another pond used the smaller 3/8 split out to two different diffusers. It all depends on air flow required and the distance but where you will be splitting the air (dividing the flow), unless it is over a hundred feet to each diffuser, I would think 3/8 would be fine. Some of the experts on here can advise if you need larger. A couple cubic feet is not much air to push through a line in a minutes time.

That is what I would do. Not that what I do is always right, so take it for what it is worth to you.

Last edited by snrub; 08/28/14 11:32 AM.

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You can google for an online purchase, but shipping costs would bite. You can find 5/8" x500' at Lowes for $54, if you have them or HD close. Or a landscaping supply.

Looked at the compressors you cited. They may say the 60C is only good up to 1 acre, but I suggest you do the turnover calc for yourself. For my ~1 ac pond, 2-3 CFM is more than enough. Think you don't need the 4CFM of the 1/2 hp. Vertex supplies the lift rates for their diffuser, dunno if your source provides that info, but you could call and ask them if not on their web site.

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I bet 5/8 would be plenty adequate. I did not even think about that being a source till I was already down the water line route. Either is way cheaper than the specific line sold for the purpose that I found, and plenty adequate. The other issue for me was as you mentioned, the shipping cost. It can get really high on bulky stuff. Thus the main reason for finding a local source for the bulky air line.

Last edited by snrub; 08/28/14 11:58 AM.

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Thanks a lot Snrub and Dnickolaus. I will make some purchases and get things going. I will keep you updated on the progress. Thanks again.

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A word about the manifold.

The way you will use it is to start with all outlets that are going to a diffuser in the full open position. Never turn them all off when the pump is running, as this puts high back pressure to the pump and is hard on it (especially if the pump does not have a relief valve). So start out with full air to all diffusers.

Watch the boil at each diffuser. If one diffuser is getting more air, close down the valve to that diffuser to cut off some of the air going to it. Close it down till you get even air flow to all diffusers. The valve going to the diffuser getting the least air to begin with should always remain fully open. Only close valve(s) partially to diffusers that need to get less air.

Changes are not instant. Make a change then wait a couple minutes to see the results. If your diffusers are at different depths you likely will have to turn the valve almost completely off to the shallowest diffuser. You will think it is off but it actually will require a very small opening to restrict the air flow to that diffuser so enough pressure will develop to push air to the deeper diffuser.

I have one pump that runs both a diffuser in a tiny forage pond and a diffuser in a different sediment pond. The forage pond diffuser is about a foot shallower than the sediment pond. The shallower diffuser was getting about 3/4 of the air till I closed the valve to it nearly completely off. Since that pond is actually smaller, I actually closed the valve off even more than making the boils even, and forced less flow to the diffuser in the smaller pond. So you can tailor the flows to the diffusers if you have a specific need to do so.

I don't have a lot of experience with aeration systems, but I do have recent experience. Others on here have a lot more experience than I do. Hope this helps.


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One other thing on the manifold, if you buy or make one that has one more outlet than the number of diffusers that you will be using, you can use this "extra" outlet for various things.

For example, if you want to see what pressure the pump is putting out (about a half psi for each foot of water depth), you could put a 15 psi gauge on it. Or if you want to "flex" your membranes on the diffusers to clean them, just open the extra valve and purge the air out then close it to let air build back up. Or in winter, if you want to put in a shallow diffuser to keep the ice open without moving your original diffusers, just put a temporary line out in shallow water with another diffuser and you already have the outlet there without taking hoses off your other diffusers.

Just an idea. If you are going to have two diffusers, get a manifold with three outlets. Then just leave the third outlet closed in normal operation.

Last edited by snrub; 08/28/14 12:09 PM.

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