Having just gotten decent electrical service (50A 220VAC) to a barn fairly close to pond #1 which could be used as the location of a compressor, and figuring to contruct pond #2 next year (fingers crossed), I am in the early planning stages of supplementing my beloved windmill aeration system with an electrical compressor, buried airlines, and diffusers for two ponds, I will probably run electric closer to the main pond than this barn (with luck all the way to shore), but total buried airline length would not be significantly decreased by placing the compressor at the main pond, due to the greater distance to the second pond's location.

I am considering just placing the compressor in this barn, about 75 yards from the main pond and 200 yards from the second pond site. The barn is weather proof and the compressor would IMO just require a vermin-proof cage if placed there. If I place the compressor next to the main pond it will of course require a weather-proof, but ventilated, enclosure. I could also use this enclosure as the terminus of a 50A service line, with a breaker panel to distribute electric to the compressor, bug zapper, beer fridge (OK, DMD fridge), etc. around the pond.

My wife would prefer to have the compressor placed in it's own enclosure; she is worried about it overheating and starting a fire (which, if it was gonna happen, I would also prefer to not have happen in the barn). Part of me would rather to place the compressor inside the barn, putting the electrical load closer to the original source and putting the compressor noise farther from the pond (we're not in the barn often enough for the compressor noise to be a problem there, even if it could be heard over tractor engines that are usually running when we're present)(and no, I don't think it's anywhere near that loud).

1) Is there any real need to be concerned about a compressor overheating and being a safety problem? Has anyone had any problems like this with a compressor?

2) Just how objectionable IS the noise from air compressors? Am I completely overblowing (pardon the pun) this aspect of having a compressor sitting at the pond?

3) I have gotten the opinion from looking at pictures of other aeration systems that the footprint of a typical compressor, electrical controls, and airvalves would fit into a cube about 3' on a side. Is this a fair assessment of the volume a compressor and all the stuff sitting with it take up?

Information and thoughts on these questions or other aspects of "Where to stick Theo's Compressor" would be welcome (within the limits of decorum).

hey theo, although you'll probably be creating yer own system from scratch........i bought a turnkey cadillac system from Vertex running two diffusers (prob. overkill) each taking ~150 ft of airline.

1) no problems thus far w/ overheating
2) with the box lid closed, the noise becomes neglible (in relation to a quiet country evening) at around 2-300 ft from unit.
3) the compressor unit and box is less than 2 ft per side but I secured onto a typcial wood pallet to keep off ground and it sits outside next to/above pond.

my only issue thus far is to make sure you build yer system with independantly controlled manifold so you can run multiple diffusers at different depths w/out one hogging air over the other.

Theo, The only time I have seen pumps overheat is when lines were undersized for the length of the tube runs. A 10 psi pump that runs 15 psi will overheat and whine to a degree but the thermal overload will shut it off until normal operating temps return and the process is then repeated.( I do not suggest doing this) From a safety standpoint only compressors both vanes and wob-l's are a problem when put in either undersized or undercooled enclosures. Some companies size the cooling fans to the maximum heat potential that ambient and running temps will obtain.( you would think all companies would do this but they dont)These pumps exhaust off in the 190 F range. Gast suggests an operating ambient range of 32-100F so obviously if the exhaust or pressurized air temperature is 190 F it takes a lot of cooling fan perhaps 1 or 2 290 cfm fans to pull cooler ambient air in and push hot air out of a cabinet. Recently some companies have actually added a second cooling fan (see install page for Air 7 if curious)to over cool and offer backup protection for pumps.The "fake rock" enclosures vented and nonvented seem to build the most heat as I have seen power cords fried and plastic vane endcaps melted and motor bearing cooked under those rocks. I have never experienced a problem when in an open area such as a barn, well pump house milk house garsge etc and have seen a lot of self installed system done in these fashions.As far as a db level a rotary vane is very quiet perhaps 45-50 db where a wob-l even at the same db level will seem louder as it is a different "type" of sound.Cabinets are being designed to keep the db level as low as possible. I have 4 different systems in two different ponds both vanes and pistons and use 4 different cabinets and would say you would be pressed to hear the small Gast (0523) at 50 ft the large one 1 hp model 1423 from 100 ft and the pistons from 50-75 ft.Hope some of this helps, Ted

DIED, Any chance your Vertex unit is an Air one with an added diffuser,or did you tap into one of the valved lines and add an additional diffuser, You are correct to always have a seperate valve for each line even when everything seems equal such as hose length and depth of placed diffusers as over time lesser resistance between the two can / will develop and the air will go that direction. Ted

Ted, its a 2XL system, and to equalize things you have to back off on the valve for the shallower diffuser.

Theo,

The compressor for my BG pond sits in an outbuilding 15' from the pond. The compressor is noisy, in my opinion, so I choose to run it from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. to 5 a.m.. The compressor does get warm to the touch even with a fan blowing on it, however, the unit is thermally protected. No problems so far.

Theo- Almost all of those cheap surplus older style Gast rotary vane compressors are quite a bit noisier (2x-3x) than the newer model rotarys with the quiet running head. As Ted says, they are difficult to hear 50 ft away. My 0523 1/3hp GAST rotary sits in the garage that shares a common wall to my office-lab. I do not hear it when the compressor runs. I just checked it again and it is not louder in the office-lab than the computer CPU noise.

As Ted says, there will be no problem with overheating if the pump sits in an open enclosed area. Newer GAST rotary units with quiet running heads typically operate at 205F and have thermal shutdown at 256F.

I just measured the footprint of my 0523 with a four outlet manifold - 12"wide x 16" long. Manifold is turned so it extends back over the compressor to save a little extra space. Want a photo?

Theo,

On my compressor the GAST vane head sticker has a date code of 0796, the motor sticker has a date code of 95 8.

In response to Bill's comment ".......cheap surplus older style Gast compressors" if he considers 10 years as old, thats me. I purchased the unit for two reasons; (1) the rated CFM of the compressor and (2) price.

Russ - Post a pic of your pump and I will tell you if it has a quite running head. I think the quiet running head came out for 0523s in the 1980's.

Bill,

The compressor for the BG pond is not a GAST model 0523, its a GAST model 3032. Since I run the compressor at night, the noise is not a problem. To give you an idea how "loud" it is, when I come home from work at night, I can stand on the opposite of the pond, about 130' from the building housing the compressor, and hear it running.

Theo,

Some brain fodder concerning a post Cecil made last year:

"One more benefit. I have a neighbor who is a cop within about 200 feet of me that complained about the sound of one of my other diaphram compressers as he leaves his windows open in summer and works a night shift. Sounds like these linears are pretty quiet. "

http://www.pondboss.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=11;t=000089#000000

Russ - That is noisy. I will look to see if iI can find your model 3032 in my literature. Sometimes noise can be tolerated when it comes down to extra money. My 0523s run about $300 and most of them go to do-it-yourselfers.