I am struggling right now on how much and when to run my pump now that I have a large enough air pump that I do not need 24-7.
I generalized the temps of the evening hours and estimated that around 9pm that the air temps would be consistently approaching the water temps at 18" down and certainly below the surface temps. Therefore, that seemed like a good place to start the air. I did the same for shutting it off. Mid morning temps seem to average the mid 80s or there-abouts, so anything hotter would not need to be mixed into the pond.
As the summer fades, I will pay attention to the "18" down" and outside air temps and move the start time earlier in the evening and move the shut-off time later in the morning to maximize the system's effects. e.g. Once I see the water temps dropping and staying down due to cooler weather - I will increase the time that the pump runs. This may help heat the pond a bit, extending better pond atmosphere and improve D02.
Eventually, as fall moves in, I will likely end up running just during the day...I have not figured out how that transition is going to work just yet. My timer can do multiple run periods in a day, so maybe I will start cutting the night hours out while extending the mornings into the afternoon and so on.
Then, as winter comes, two of the diffusers will be phased out and the remaining shallow diffuser will only be used during periods of ice threats.
This is all just noel-noodle theory and may not really make much of a noticeable difference, but "it's my party"!
