Bill,

You sound like you have a great deal more experience than I with windmills and aeration systems however I thought I would respond to some of your comments. When I said "free" to operate I was only referring to the source of power. Obviously all types of machines regardless of power source need maintenance which can be costly. You mentioned that the maintenance costs are significant - I guess time will tell. My system came with two extra (actually 4 extra since it is a dual diaphragm) diaphragm replacements so I assume it will be awhile before I have to spend the $40 for replacement diaphragms. Regarding the nuts and bolts, my mill came with many lock nuts and I used thread lock on the rest - real easy to do and cost about $2.50 for the bottle of thread lock. My mill also came with hinges so dropping the tower while not really easy can be done in about 5 minutes with two people and a winch (as described above). I could have it back up in another 5 minutes after it was brought down. I don't know much about the bearings in these or how long they last. I am a little skeptical that they would need to be replaced as often as you suggest but I could be wrong and probably am. I see mills on old farms all the time that have stood for 50+ years with little or no maintenance that still function - I guess they have different bearings than the new mills?

I am not arguing with any of your points - or saying that you are wrong, obviously you have a lot more experience than I do. Having said that, the mill was a MUCH less expensive option for me. I don't currently have power at the pond so it was not a simple choice between an electric pump and a mill. If I did have power at the site than I would probably have installed an electric pump system. I was not trying to say that a windmill system was better than an electric pump system for aeration.

*Edit: Regarding your friend. Thats terrible that he fell and lost part of his finger. I don't think I would try to do any work on my mill from a ladder for that reason. I am glad mine can be lowered to be worked on without a lot of effort.

Last edited by Idaho-Pond; 05/26/08 10:02 PM.