Pond Boss Forums AERATION Systems questions Aeration Recommendations Needed

IMO you can't have too much aeration. I wouldn't mind having another Vertex XL5 (5 diffuser heads) and my pond is only 1/4 S.A.! I think adding bacteria is key too. From looking at pictures online it looks like water treatment facilities use much more aeration than your average pond owner, I'm sure cost is a factor. While looking for my pump I learned that septic tanks can be aerated and in fact it's code in some states. Further reducing the solids before going into a leach field will greatly lengthen it's life, reduce problems and benefit the environment. I wish Michigan would get on the bandwagon with this.

Fishfrank, here's my pump ratings:
MODEL AT05 SERIES
10 PSI MAX. PRESSURE CONTINUOUS DUTY
15 PSI MAX. PRESSURE INTERMITTENT DUTY
4.8 CFM OPEN FLOW

At 13' deep my pump is running at about 10 PSI with the Vertex XL5 but before I had my pond re-dug, just a couple of feet, it was running much lower. It's been almost 2 years since I re-dug and I don't see any muck yet or FA. I hope this helps.

Just to clarify a little here when AP said "disposable" I believe he meant the price was right for the pump. So right in fact you could have an extra brand new one on your shelf and not spend any time trying to fix your pump. Just plug another in and go. Your higher priced pump is going to go bad also just a matter of when. I live right above you George in Arkansas, and we have had triple digit temps for the past 2 months now and no rain hardly at all, and my pond is a good 3 feet low right now and I have not had a fish kill. Each to his own of course but lets not take things out of context here. Just because the price is right enough to just replace it when needed doesn't mean it's a cheap no good pump and not trust worthy any more then a 500 dollar pump is. Expensive doesn't always equal better I've learned that the hard way.

More evaluations and testomony of the Eco 7 are needed. Long term use and average life span for producing air at 8'-10' deep are sort of unknowns to most of us. So far so good for the Eco7. I think the pump is a very economical pump and pretty good for shallow, small ponds and small aquaculture situations where depth is not an issue. IMO the shallower the pond the longer the life spawn will be for these pumps. Number of hours operated each year will also affect how long the pump lasts. In the north where we typically aerate from April to November 5-8 hrs a day, I am starting to see rebuilds needed for the Gast rotary vane pumps after 10-18 yrs of service. I have one local pump still going on the 1st set of vanes after 19yrs - sold it in April of 1993 for $260.

RC makes a good point - since the Eco7 is low cost, have a second one on the self as a 'back-up'.

That's exactly what I meant, if aeration is critical in your pond having a back-up really makes sense. If it's not rebuildable then it's disposable, that doesn't make it a bad pump.

My pump runs 24-7 from Nov.-April, and during the summer it runs at night being connected to a thermostat.
It's a matter of application , my pond is maximum of 8 ft. so the linear pump works fine for me, if my pond was deep and larger I would probably use a Gast style.

Thomas brand (Gardner Denver Thomas) also makes good air compresors for those people interested in air compressors.

I saw a few people asking about the needed PSI at different depths:

Quoted from http://www.pondowner.com/2007/06/air-diffuser-placement.html