Hi All,
I've got a pond with two solar aeration systems - one direct drive and one with a battery and timer, which I'm having problems with. We lost all fish in the pond last year with just the direct drive system, and i'm having difficulty keeping the water open again. Condensate freezing in the lines is part of it, and power in the battery system might be a factor although I have yet to find it down on low voltage (cheap charge controller seems to do it's job OK).
I'm wondering if a small propeller or pump deicing approach might be an option. I'm fairly certain they are less efficient than diffused aeration, but still use pond heat to keep the ice open. What do folks think - is the lower efficiency and need to run copper vs. airline a reasonable trade-off to avoid the condensate issue? Has anyone tried a small submersible pump, bilge pump, or similar to keep the ice open with minimal wattage?
Thanks for any input,
Dale
