Greetings! I’m in the process of building a 1/4 acre pond that’s 8’ deep. I’m in a very arid part of SW Texas where the average annual rainfall is only about 21” and so far we’ve only received less than 5” YTD. The soil consists of some topsoil and lots of caliche material. Needless to say, I’m running a line from my water well to supplement what little rainfall we get and the pond is being lined with bentonite.
My intention is to stock it with CNBG and RES. I’ve been browsing aeration systems and there seem to be many different brands and price points. My well is approximately 200’ from the pond. My thought is to house the aerator pump in the well house where I have electrical power and then run the airline underground in pvc to the diffuser. I’m looking for recommendations for the system and any tips anyone is willing to share. FYI - the well house is not ventilated, so I’m wondering if that will be an issue. Well house is 7’x7’x8’. Thank you!
Yes, the no ventilation will be an issue. Heat kills compressors, and they generate a lot of heat when running.
A 1/4 hp compressor that makes 2-3 CFM @ 5psi is plenty for your pond. Run 3/4"-1" poly line to the pond and use 1/2"-5/8" ID self sinking airline. Stay away from the 3/8" ID line. A single disk or dual disk AirStation is all you need.
If you don't want to ventilate the pump house then buy a stand alone system that has an enclosure for your aeration system and put that outside the pump house. We sell both Vertex and EasyPro systems.
Thanks for the advice, esshup. I’ve got a lot of 1 1/4” poly pipe. I read something somewhere about excessive back pressure in regards to incorrectly sized pipe/hose. I’m guessing 1 1/4” would be ok here, correct? Also, any specific brand or type recommendations on equipment? Are Vertex and EasyPro the best? I know nothing about them, but it looks like I could buy 7 of these for the cost of 1 Vertex. What am I missing? Thank you. https://m.vevor.com/pond-lake-aerat...uGbIQvIIsUNeJMGSGlSjpK__OxRoCMxEQAvD_BwE
Thanks for the advice, esshup. I’ve got a lot of 1 1/4” poly pipe. I read something somewhere about excessive back pressure in regards to incorrectly sized pipe/hose. I’m guessing 1 1/4” would be ok here, correct? Also, any specific brand or type recommendations on equipment? Are Vertex and EasyPro the best? I know nothing about them, but it looks like I could buy 7 of these for the cost of 1 Vertex. What am I missing? Thank you. https://m.vevor.com/pond-lake-aerat...uGbIQvIIsUNeJMGSGlSjpK__OxRoCMxEQAvD_BwE
The 1 1/4" poly pipe will work very well for you. Bigger IS better.
I have never used a Vevor system. I read what little specs there were. Some questions that you need to get answered are:
1) 5cfm max flow. That's at 0 psi. What is the CFM flow at 5psi?
2) That's a 3/4 hp compressor. With a Gast (Easy Pro) rotary vane compressor, you can get the air that you need with 1/4 hp. What's your electric cost there for running 1/2 hp 24 hr/day? Vertex uses rocking piston compressors, and 1/3 hp is 2.5 cfm, 1/2 hp is 4.3 cfm.
3) I must have missed it, do they say what the ID of their air hose is?
4) Do you know how many GPH of water the diffusers bring to the surface in "X" feet of water depth? Vertex did the testing on their diffusers to get that number.
5) When the compressor wears out, are there rebuild kits available for them? What is the expected run life of the compressor?
The Rotary Vane Gast Compressors from EasyPro are made here in the USA. Vertex are made in USA, Germany or China
The 1 1/4" poly pipe will work very well for you. Bigger IS better.
Esshup, or anyone…. Just so I understand, I connect a small hose to the compressor, then transition to the 1 1/4” black poly, the back to the smaller diameter weighted hose at the pond’s edge to the diffuser? If so, I’m guessing that the air pressure must build inside the poly hose before it starts to exit at the diffuser. If that’s right, that’s ok? Also, you said to stay away from 3/8” hose. Can you explain why that’s an issue, please? It seems many complete aberration systems come with 3/8” hose standard. Thank you.
Yes. A short length of flexible hose at the compressor, then the poly line underground to the pond's edge, then the sinking airline underwater to the airstation.
This video may help:
Yes, 3/8" airline is standard with many systems. I was going to upgrade to 5/8", but the EasyPro people talked me out of it. They indicated that their 3/8" sinking line was adequate for my runs up to 200 ft. So far so good after 1 year of 20/7 operation.
The Chinese systems look interesting, but the compressors are way oversized as esshup mentioned. You will need to run both airstations at all times to handle that flowrate. 1/4 HP would be fine for your situation, and that is what I have in my pond (0.65 acre, 14 ft deep).
Yes. A short length of flexible hose at the compressor, then the poly line underground to the pond's edge, then the sinking airline underwater to the airstation.
This video may help:
Yes, 3/8" airline is standard with many systems. I was going to upgrade to 5/8", but the EasyPro people talked me out of it. They indicated that their 3/8" sinking line was adequate for my runs up to 200 ft. So far so good after 1 year of 20/7 operation.
The Chinese systems look interesting, but the compressors are way oversized as esshup mentioned. You will need to run both airstations at all times to handle that flowrate. 1/4 HP would be fine for your situation, and that is what I have in my pond (0.65 acre, 14 ft deep).
I won't ever recommend to a customer to use 3/8" airline. You may not have the issue our customers did, but the ones that have 3/8" experience the line freezing during the winter (underground) due to moisture in the line. We swapped the 3/8" buried line out for 1" and the problem went away. They are also getting a larger boil at the diffuser in the pond with a few psi less backpressure due to the bigger line.
