Pond Boss Forums AERATION Systems questions Solar Powered Destratifiers

Has anyone in Texas seen if Solar Bee destratifiers work. I think they are in Lake Waco and Lake Arlington. I would like to know about the DO readings on the bottom during summer. They are in some other reservoirs out in CA and other western states. Thanks
Robert B

Tell me how to find them, and I will check it out.

Bob

Here is the URL for solar bee - try this

http://www.solarbee.com/

Thanks

Don Stuart

Don,
Thanks for the link.

Robert,
After checking out the web site provided by Don, I'm pretty sure that Lake Waco does not have a Solar Bee system. There are two units, one is a shore-based system on the North Bosque River and the other is a submerged system by the dam. Neither one looks remotely like the floating ones advertised on the Solar Bee site.

That said, they look pretty interesting. The biggest limitation I see is that they only run when the sun is out, exactly when the lake is already producing oxygen. They apparantly can be modified to run at night and on cloudy days, but it requires a shore-based power supply. The cost of the unit would have to be fairly close to an electric system for me to be interested.

Plus, 16' in diameter! I guess that would qualify as adding structure to your lake? :p

That is one monstrous looking item... interesting in concept but my gut reaction is that for the purpose of 90% of pond owners aeration through pump and airstone/membrane is still the best way to go.

Now a simpler/smaller surface agitator using solar power/battery might be worth contemplating... hmmm...

Hey Guys,

All I can say is that system looks expensive.

Keeton Industries pushes a systen that appears to be a typical diffuser system but the power is supplied by a solar panel. It's supposed to be the only 24/hr run time operating solar system and has a battery backup. Looks like a package for a pond up to one acre is about $3500.00, but I'm wondering if you could go cheaper by using you own components other than the solar panel.

The only drawback I see is the smallest system only puts out .90 cfms.

The info can be found at: http://www.keetonaqua.com/SolarAerator.html

If anyone has the capital and know how it seems to me one could come up with a hybrid system of both wind and solar just like the systems used on housed to produce power.

Any entrepeneurs out there willing to take a risk?

Correction:

As you will note on the chart on the website, the the .90 cfm is not the smallest system. There is a smaller one for a .25 acre pond.

>>Looks like a package for a pond up to one acre is about $3500.00, but I'm wondering if you could go cheaper by using you own components other than the solar panel. <<

You bet your a$$ you could build one cheaper then $3500.!!!

From what I've gathered the Solar Bees were designed for larger reservoirs and wastewater. The rep said that in a few years they'll have a unit available for the smaller pond for about the upper end of windmills. With the puny cfm you get from the mills this should be a much better option. They have also toyed with the idea of a 12V rechargeable battery backup similar I guess to what electric fences use. The concept of just switching environments from BlueGreen to green algae is a tough one to take since we spend so much effort battling the greens, but I have had to put up with the taste and smells from a reservoir before and I can see the point.

Has anyone built thier own? It seems (I know Im a rookie) like it wouldn't be that hard. One manual from the MN dnr suggested a cheap and easy way to areate your pond would be to pump water out of the pond and then over a series of baffels on shore, letting it run back into the pond. One thing they noted about system like that, is you don't need to run it continuasly if the intake is above the hypolimnion. I suppose you could make a gizmo like this solar if you wanted.

what about a windmill aerator?

what is most recommended for aeration of a 23 feet 7 acre pond with the bottom somewhat shaped like a swimming pool...really deepend and shallows. a diffusion stone system? paddle wheel; agitator; fountains? as soon as i think about buying a few aerators with 2 diffusion stones per aerator, i hear somebody suggest differently. thoughts? i also saw someboday who made one out of small pvc pipe with holes in it, connected to a blower? whatcha think? thanks