Pond Boss Forums AERATION Systems questions Windmill aerator

Anyone ever mount a windmill aerator on a pipe? I cannot use conventional tower due to space and roads. Electric not available. What size pipe for 12' tall windmill?

I have an aerator that should work for what you are trying to do. There is a prototype on eBay right now at: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3981654619

Float: Can you tell us more about this aerator? This intrigues me and I would like to know more.

TmFarm - The current Koenders windmill head assembly has a tubular base called a pivot tube. It fits into a blue plastic truncated cone that is held in place by the tower legs. IF a pipe and mounting base was strong enough, I see no reason why their wmill could not be mounted on/in a pipe. Receiving pipe should have a grease zerk so the pivot tube could be periodically lubricated inside the pipe. Note the pipe base would have to be quite strong to withstand strong wind gusts.

If they haven't changed the Koenders' design since mine (2 1/2 years), the airline fitting comes out the bottom of the pivot tube (the airline fitting swivels on the airline at this point as the windmill turns), so you would have to run the airline out of the support pipe somehow.

My thought is that regular 2" (that's about what size it would be) steel water pipe would not hold up if used to support the windmill; I think it would split at the seam. But a thicker piece of steel tubing should work OK, especially if seamless (bored out solid billet).

Check this site out for tower designs. It was for electric generator type mills, but should work for aerators as well.

http://www.otherpower.com/otherpower_wind_towers.html

This guy had a good idea.


If you are able to use Guy wires, I think 3" pipe would be sufficient

Thanks for the great info. Sent quote request--Malibu Water "these windmills can only be mounted on a tower"--Stone Creek Inc "use 4" pipe and weld bracket on top to mount windmill head" quoted two windmill less towers with membrane difuser $1642--Superior Windmill has not replied--Joe Mescan Windmills has not replied-- I will purchase 2 shortly and if they work ok will get 2 more.

TMFarm - Theo is correct about the pivot tube and the air coming out the bottom of the pivot tube. Mounting the tube in a solid pipe without a bottom outlet for the airline coming out the bottom of the receiver tube sleeve could be a problem you will need to trouble shoot. Before buying a wmill email me for scanned images from the instrucion manual so you will know what you are mechanically going to have to deal with.

To revisit this topic, has anyone seen/heard of a combo air pump/generator windmill?

I personally have never seen this before but anything is possible. I think it would take a bigger blade than what's supplied with the Koenders Mill. Electric Mills need higher RPM than what the air pump needs. Higher quantity blades = lower RPM and higher torque.

Another idea would just have an electric mill to charge some deep cycle batteries that would run a small air pump.

Before my windmill was finished and before electricity I used one of those small 12v compressors to run my diffuser of a car battery. The boil wasn't huge but it did the job for a couple weeks.

Yes, wrangler, the electric part was to supplement the air pump on calm days. Someone asked me on another forum about aeration if electricity was not available, and the wheels just started turning. I'm probably way over analysing this.