Pond Boss Forums AERATION Systems questions Any Reason not to aerator all winter?

If I lived in TN where ice/snow cover is minimal and the pond does not receive large amounts of tree leaves nor have lots of dead submerged vegetation, I would not run the aerator during winter. Winter operation consumes electricity, and more importantly it puts additional ware and tare on the compressor requiring more frequent rebuilds and reducing the total life of the compressor mainily motor bearings.

Ponds begin to turnover and mix top to bottom in fall when surface water reaches around 55F and more complete and 'easier' top to bottom mixing occurs when water is 50F to 40F. IMO when surface water is consistently 50F the aeration is usually not needed until the water again reaches 50-55F in spring. Most exceptions occur in areas where ice and snow cover persists for more than 2 months. Ice off in winter allows the pond to degas and reaccumulate DO top to bottom.

For me the "jury is still out" on how well a shallow operating winter diffuser creates a warm water refuge for the fish. Too little testing has been done on this topic to provide good, accurate advice.

Ferg - If your deep(8ft) diffuser hardly puts out bubbles compared to shallow then you should know why.
1. What type of compressor do you have? Brand, make, and model?
2. Is your deep diffuser surface clean or cleaned annually?
3. Do you have two ball valves at the compressor to control air flow?
4. Do you have a low 30psi air gauge that works on the compressor?