Two important things are bad for compressors Moisture and HEAT. With your current system you do not have the option of running the aerator only after dark when ambient temperature is cooler. If you want that compressor or any compressor to have a longer life span with no powered fans put it in a larger box. Without powered fans I normally suggest a box bottom with vented screening and louvered vents near the lid to exhaust hot air. Current vents in the box are not arranged well nor large enough for good natural air movement. Set the box off the ground on blocks or legs so cooler air flows in from the bottom. Cool air flows in the bottom and warm air from compressor rises out near the roofline; no fan needed. Excess heat is also IMO not good for other inside box components.

I don't see in this thread what you determined the total pond depth to be?

Duckweed is nature's sign of an old, over nutrient enriched pond. Duckweed is common in local drainage ditches here that receive septic tile drainage. I am not sure that any type of aeration will ever help very much to improve those 'weed' problems and what is causing them. When all that duckweed and coontail die it consumes huge amounts of DO. High plant biomass conditions in that pond are prone to causing summer and winter fish kills. Be prepared. Aeration might help reduce chances of low dissolved oxygen (DO) causing sporadic fish kills but I would not bet any amount of wager on it. IMO you will fight the current weed problems as long as you own the pond. Surrounding tree litter that entered the pond since it was built is a big cause of the weed problems.

One natural helpful benefit to that pond might be to install - build several large floating islands. They sequester quite a few nutrients. Because the pond was built in a peat bog, bogs with good quality water almost always have natural floating islands.


If the goal is producing a quality fishery the pond needs to be rebuilt or dig a completely new one.