Pond Boss Forums AERATION Should I aerate? When To Quit?

Joe - The longer you wait to begain aeration in spring the warmer the surface water will become and the stronger the stratification layer will become. We have found that when you start up aeration with a diffuser at shallower depth than the deepest point then it is harder for the aerator to pull the water out of the deepest part/basin. In some instances (esp mid-summer start up) the deepest water will stagnate in the deepest section and the pond only circulates down only to the depth of the deepest diffuser. To prevent this we found that if you begin aeration when surface temps are less than 50F this problem does not usually occur. Thus I tell people to begin mixing at or before 50F average surface temps. If your diffuser is in the deepest part of the pond then this is not usually a problem and aeration can begin when surface temps are around 55-60F.

As Ted mentions, keep your air stones and check valves clean to mimimize air flow pressure for the pump. Mineral deposits from water are the main reason the stones clog. The nose cone will unscrew from inside the blue check valve to allow for better and more complete cleaning. The beveled rubber washer in the checking mechanism will crack then leak as it gets old. At that point you might want to replace your diffusers with the membrane type. Ted has high quality self checking diffusers when ever needed.