Pond Boss Forums AERATION Systems questions Quick aerator help please

I've done both.. Just donated cold hard credit card..

Very cool BGK

Least I can do..

LETS ALL NOT FORGET I STILL HAVE A PROBLEM LOL. hopefully the tester will tell me more.

By no means an expert but after just going thru an install of my own I know what you mean about using the drop calculators and all. Not sure how far you had to run but if it was all run with 10ga and within 300ft I would have thought you were fine. After reading this I'm wondering a couple things.

Definitely check it with a tester for power. Rule that out first.

If the pump runs fine free flow but then acts up when hooked to air line and diffusers, I'm just wondering if there's not a collapsed fitting somewhere or a kink in the air line(which seems impossible I know but strange but true stuff can happen.

If that still doesn't help, check that pop off valve and replace or bypass it temporarily till you can cross it off the list of possibilities.

Sorry not much new advice but those are the things that I would narrow down first.

GOOD LUCK!!!!

BGK...thanks for the donation. I'll go into the back office, look it up and send you a personal thanks. Very kind of you.

In the meantime, stay on course with your problem...

I think you have to do 10 gauge the whole way. I just did the calculations and with 12 gauge you have a little too much drop.

Just thinking out loud here.

Another possibility is a water plug at a low point in the air lines. Air pressure would build behind the plug until it finds its way past at which point your diffuser would burp. Then the water flows back to the low point reforming the plug until the air pressure builds enough to find its way past again then another burp.

It only takes 1 psi to raise the theoretical plug 27" so your gage may not show the small change in pressure.

I did 300' of 10gauge and 250-275' of 12ga.. When I put it in te calculator I'm just barely under, that's plugging in the whole run as 12gauge..

Sue, what's your thoughts on water in the line and it burping past as mentioned by jsec

That's a good enough thanks

PS- it was only 10 million dollars

There isn't that much back pressure that would cause it to back up and release the air in spurts ~ I've never heard of anything like that happening to any diffuser. Plus, you said that the bubble pattern never changes during the revs up and down, correct? I think it is a compressor/voltage issue. Be careful shutting those vavles too much ~ you don't want to run the PSI up on the vane compressor. That is why the pop off valve keeps dumping air.

But my gauge is not reading anything? And if the bubble pattern changes it's not noticable from 150' away.. I did close all the valves a couple times for a split second just too see if it'd read pressure, it'd bump up to about 5lbs then the motor would rev down..

I also agree I think it's a compressor voltage issue aswell, everything else seems pretty fool proof

Just tried plugging in a calculation also. I agree with Sue that you probably should have run the whole thing with 10ga but you might still be OK. Running 12ga for entire run, I figured you would have about a 7.4% voltage drop at 575ft. Suggested drop would be 5% or less though according to the calculator I used.

Just a thought, where you changed over from 10ga to 12ga, are you sure that connection is good and you aren't dumping electric there? (I'm not an electrician, just familliar enough to get zapped a few times here and there and do some hillbilly fixes round the place...)

I used a high dollar in-line connector made sure it was all good and tight.. I'm heading home now with the tester I'll report back in a little while my findings..

Good Luck with it BGK. Definitely a frustrating issue when you've obviously put alot of time, money, and effort into this! Hang in there, I'm sure you'll get it. The containment box and setup was pretty sweet by the way!

It's pouring down rain... figures

FWIW, today I checked the Vertex system that I installed a month ago. 3/4 hp compressor, 3 dual air stations. 7' deep is on a roughly 80' run, 5' deep one is on a 100' run, 4' deep one is on a 175' run. On initial start-up the gauge showed 0 back pressure. Today it was showing 3 psi backpressure. Shutting off the deepest diffuser bumped the backpressure to 6 psi. (quick off and then back on for a test) The deepest diffuser has the valve opened all the way, the 5' diffuser has it opened about 75% and the 4' deep diffuser (even tho it's the longest run) has the valve open slightly more than half. The valves are set like that to even out the bubble boil between the 3 diffusers.

Airline is all self-weighted. 1/2" or 5/8" I.D., I forget which.

Thanks again Sue!!

Hey esshup thanks for rubbing it in

BGK, as long as your checking everything, be sure the spades are tight on the start/run capacitor under the lid/cap on top of the motor.Ive seen the crimps and the spades come loose.

Ok so I just took off the filter and one-way valve it let out a big burst of built up air. I've removed the pop-off for the time being..

I only have power to one leg of the 240 volts..

BGK, not trying to rub it in. Just giving a bit more info that might help since the systems are similar.

Oh I no esshup I was just playin around.. Much appreciated info ate systems are vey similar.. I've lost a leg of power between my house and the compressor I'm digging up the splice now..

It's running like a champ now.. Pics to come.. Gonna fine tune tomorrow about to start raining again and I got bare wire showing..

Anyone see the problem??



Making bubbles