In an attempt to save as much money as I possibly can while providing quality aeration to my pond, I have come up with a diffuser design that I would like to hear your opinions and feedback on about what I have built. I have had a few online companies "design" systems for my pond using data that I've provided and using google earth. I do find it interesting how different some systems are from others but I assume that is because of the type or style of diffuser each company sells. After hours and hours of researching and reading posts from this forum I decided that the membrane diffusers that Vertex sells are the best bang for the buck. I was told that I would need 6 Vertex Airstation XL2 for my pond at a cost of $212 each for a grand total of $1272 just for the diffusers.
I have attached a picture of my prototype and currently have approximately $20 in the PVC frame. I will fill the 2" PVC with sand to hold it down. If I use these diffusers, https://pentairaes.com/flexairr-9-disc-diffuser.html I will have a total cost of $70 in each unit. If I use the vertex diffusers the total cost is $120 per unit.
Please understand that I am not able to just shell out cash to put in a $5k+ system and am trying to save money where I can.
The base of the frame I built is 40" x 26" and the diffusers will be 14" above the bottom.
Individual disks or membrane diffusers with combined base or air station are usually assembled / produced by places that sell complete aeration packages. These places produce their own favorite style of combination diffuser by assembling parts for profit. A few pond management companies will sell the individual disks. Web surfing can be informative for this topic.
Remember that when you lift or mount the diffuser off the bottom DURING SUMMER STRATIFICATION my testing shows that the pond circulation moves down to the depth of the disk/diffuser and very little if any depth below the disk. Thus if the diffuser is 2 ft off the deepest bottom,,, 2 ft of the pond bottom zone usually does not get mixed. Try it and do some measurements for yourself to see how your pond circulation behaves. IMO this information is not absolutely correct during winter conditions. This is because water density and circulation characteristics change significantly between summer 80F+ and 39F.
