Pond Boss Forums AERATION Systems questions sizing air tubing

Woody,

It's all about back pressure.....The larger line means less resistance to flow and lower back pressure.

IMO I would go at least 5/8 inch ID if you're pushing 5 CFM thru each line. The 3/4 is even better. I push around 2.5 CFM thru 3/8 inch lines, for slightly further runs than you are thinking, and my pump back pressure is around 14 PSIG, too high really IMO. Ideally, I would want it between 5 and 10 PSIG. At 8 feet depth you will already have a 4 PSIG back pressure just to get to depth. The higher the back pressure, the harder the pump works, the shorter the pump life and the more electricity the pump will consume.
Just my 1 cent...

Good Luck with the project! Sounds interesting so I hope you keep us in the loop!

Bill D.