Pond Boss Forums AERATION Should I aerate? How should I Aerate

OK, so I cannot afford to purchase or run an aeration system. My ponds stratify and so I was looking at what I have available and I have a 2" transfer pump. I can pump about 4500 gallons per hour. Can I destratify the water by dropping the intake near the bottom and blowing the water out on the surface? I can do this quite a few years before it becomes cheaper to purchase a system. I live 170' from the pond so convenience isn't an issue.

Here's the pond data:
.2 acre, 8' deep max(5' average depth), on sandy/clay soil, water temp in summer stays about 95 on the surface and 80 3' down. Stocked with BG, FH, CxB cats.

Pond 2: .75 acre. 9' deep max (6' average), similar water temp, same soil, Stocked with BG, LMB (hybrid), & FHM.

So does it sound like I'll do more harm than good?

Would this type of pumping cause more harm than good?
Also, living on the coastal bend in Texas, how often would I have to do this to have a positive effect?

kjm, unless your pump and fuel are free, I don't see how a DIY system for 3/4 acre that would cost under $500 complete and average $20/month to operate 24/7 would be more than 3-4 months of pumping.

You'd probably need to run the gas pump at least 12 hours a day to see any benefit whatsoever.

Thanks. The point was that I already own the pump. However, the degree of pumping required answered my question. It isn't so much the cost of the equipment as it is running electricity out to the tank to get the whole thing up and running. On the plus side, once I have elect out there, I can also run a fan to keep me cool on hot days fishing, lights for late night fishing and perhaps even a mini-fridge for cold beverages. Maybe the aeration system isn't such a bad idea after all.

You can run oversized airline, (the cheap black coiled stuff) several thousand feet. My 1/3hp compressor is roughly 800 feet from my pond and I only used 1/2" tubing---my electric wire is about 6 feet long!

My whole setup with 6 disc diffusers cost less than $300. That would probably be less than a month's worth of fuel. When funds allow you can add eletric at the pond anytime and the loss of the tubing price is negligable.

KJM,

Rainman nailed it. It's important to look at the long term operating costs of an aeration system rather than the capital costs. I've seen plenty of people avoid an aeration system because they already have a water pump and think they will save money. They end up paying the same price in energy within a year or two.

My only contention with Rainman's comments is that I wouldn't use 1/2" line unless your compressor is right next to your pond. Personally, I wouldn't even use it then since 3/4" or 1" PVC is pretty darn cheap and has considerably less friction loss. We almost always use 1.5" Sch 40.

Rainman, do you realize that your pump is running 4 PSI higher than if you had used 3/4" tubing. This point probably isn't as important for KJM's situation but 800' of 1/2" is nearly 5.5 PSI increase in pressure. That's fairly significant with these smaller compressors...especially rotary vane.

Also Rainman, I appreciate your comments on your other posts regarding horsepower, amps, voltage, etc... I'm constantly running into people that want 220V compressors because they think it will save a bunch of power. I think you've got it right on.

Here is a handy table for calculating friction loss http://www.aquatext.com/tables/frict-air.htm#CFM%20and%20PSI%20%20Table

I'm well aware of that fact, now, Dennis! I should have added that caveat in my earlier post.

I put togeter my system befor I found PondBoss. The Pump I'd bought off ebay for $15 was a 220 volt 50 hertz Gast 72R655. By using it on 60 hertz it bumped up the RPM's and output a bit while reducing the amp draw. It worked flawlessly for over 3 years of continuous use. Last year it broke a mount and fell over blocking the air flow, overheated and burned out one side of the motor. It was wired seperately on a 40 amp circuit breaker and "ran" for two months pulling over 35 amps. I discovered the problem, as an absentte landowner, when the electric bill jumped from $30 per month to over $175.

FWIW, my minimum usage electric bill with zero power consumption is now running 25.37/month.