Pond Boss Forums AERATION Systems questions Looking for 12 V air pump

Gandy,
I just recently researched solar aeration and have some thoughts regarding this. Keep in mind I am NOT an expert and hopefully you will receive some expert feedback.

You mentioned in another thread that your pond is 11 feet deep. You need 1 PSI for every 27" of water. Or approximately .5 PSI per foot. So for 11 feet deep you would only need about 5 to 6 psi to aerate the deepest section of your pond. So if you found a compressor that produced your 2 to 3 CFM at 10 PSI it would probably be more than adequate.

During my research I was unable to find any 12V air pump that would produce adequate CFM at any significant PSI. Some would produce adequate CFM at zero PSI but one you began adding in PSI the CFM dropped significantly. Or conversely if I found a 12V pump that produced adequate PSI then the CFM would be so low it was essentially worthless. I did manage to find one 12V pump that can handle the chore but the amp requirement was HUGE (80 AMPS), which kills a solar alternative (big amps = lots of solar panels).

Here's what I think that you will find:

1. In order to get the required CFM at an adequate PSI you will have to step up to a 115V air pump.

2. You are going to have to scale your solar system WAY up in order to run a 115V system for any significant hours per day. You will need either a LOT more 30 watt panels or you will need to step up to panels with a high watt out put ($$$), plus you will need to add a linear current booster. All of which significantly increases the cost of the system.

As I said I'm no expert just a pond monkey that did some research. Hopefully one of the experts will weigh in and give you a better answer.