Our diffuser tubing is more expensive than soaker hose but it has a 20-30 year life expectancy. Our standard diffuser tubing produces a fine bubble which is great for mixing water but not as great for ice melting. We have the same tubing but cut differently to produce a course bubble which is better for ice melting.
An important consideration when using soaker hose is that the orifices don't require much back pressure to emit the air. The significance is that if there is more than a few inches of water depth difference over the length of tubing, all the bubbles will come out of the shallow spot. In short, your pond needs to have little if any contour. Our tubing requires 2 PSI to open the slits. This gives us the ability to deal with a larger contour difference of about 3 feet over a single length of tubing.
