well, heres a update.
I was able to purchase 4 new 18 volt leaf blowers off ebay for $40 shipped. They did not come with the battery pack, but I did not need that.
I hooked it up to a 100 watt solar panel and sunk the blower end down into the water. There was movement and although I do feel that movement was beneficial in some manner, it did not give me the results/ aeration I was seeking.
So, I took the blower apart , took the dc motor out of the blower and stuck the spinning impeller about 1 inch deep into the water in a flat position { not like a watermill is position } . The aeration was incredible . The motor did not sound strained at all .
I will be using this method to try inexpensive and hopefully successful aeration. It will only be run by a solar panel, which means it will only run on proper sunny days. Therefore it will not be running non stop. Im hoping this will allow the brushes to last a couple years , because I will only have the aerator in the pond during the spring/ summer months. The only other snag I see, is the bearings wearing out due to possibly getting wet, but I will do my best to try and make sure the DC motor is protected from the elements and the massive amount of water that is sprayed by the spinning impeller.
The good thing is, even if the brushes wear out after 6 months of use, I can always upgrade to a better DC MOTOR that has better brushes and replaceable brushes.
I already had the solar panel, so this aeration system only costs me about $10 and some ingenuity. I will probably use some pvc pipe assembles into a 12inch x 12 inch airtight square and fasten the blower unti to that, so it floats on the water, while allowing the plastic impeller to be about 1 inch into the surface of the water.
I was shocked at how much aeration/water this 18 volt DC motor / impeller achieves,
With my pond being about 1/2 acre, I think just 1 of these blowers will suffice, but if not, I can always make a 2nd blower and put it on the other side of the pond.
Last edited by rumme55; 03/30/23 07:20 PM.
