That's a great idea, and looks great. If the scraps look that good, the house must be a beauty! I was born in the West Suburbs, by the way, not too far from you!
My biggest issues are cosmetic. 1) I'm in a suburban area, and 2) that compressor house would be right in the path from my in-laws' house!
So I'm going to have to choose one of the following options (DIY Costs above cost of compressor and diffuser stations):
1. Run power to the heel of the boot and put the pump housing there. DIY Cost ~$800.
2. Run 1" PVC to the heel of the boot and then split out weighted airline tubing into the water at that point. DIY Cost ~$600.
3. Run independent weighted airline all the way to diffuser stations (or run 1" PVC to water's edge and split there), different run lengths equalized by valve system at the compressor station. DIY Cost ~$650.
I think the last option would actually be the easiest. I'd only have to trench about 50ft and could slope that down without too much trouble. I'd have 100ft and 300ft independent weighted tubing runs but I could put a manifold with pressure gauges on the downstream side to be sure I'm evenly distributing air flow.
So then the question comes back to QuarterAcre's point about the PondLyfe system: is it sufficient? Vertex told me I'd be fine as long as my runs were less than 700ft or so, but I'd like to be realistic and not be working my compressor at 90% capacity all the time. I'm not tied to that system, and I don't mind buying my own pump. I've read a lot of threads here but it seems like things are very much case-by-case.
