Mark, Thanks so much for making and sharing this video. It is very informative and answers a lot of questions that I had as I put together an aeration system for our 4300 gallon pond.
Thanks a lot, Mark. Been struggling of late to make a point out of the vast info on the internet, but what you are describing in this video is super awesome. Have absorbed word by word. Will surely drop you a line sometime soon as I set out to do a biofloc tank. Keep up the good work, man.
A sound DIY alternative to a commercially available diffuser is to purchase stainless steel fabric from a place like McMaster Carr, and attach it to your choice of manifold (such as a drilled out PVC pipe). It can be easily stitched in by drilling holes in the PVC pipe to "sew" stainless wire through the stainless fabric. But commercially available diffusers have the benefit of simplicity , for sure. And you don't have to figure out how to weight them down and keep them at the bottom.
Well stated. Yeah it depends on how involved someone wants to get. There is nothing wrong with a well thought out DIY system. But it's also nice to know that one can get what they need to "fill things in" for good performance if they need or want to.
Did you know that befor resin air stones, was simply (and still now) used limewood branche ^^ Also pumice and aircrete can do the job as they are porous..
Thanks for the excellent info video Mark. After I make my way through a couple of projects that have me tied down I'm going to setup a ANJON Manufacturing, LIFELINE Air Pump, Model# LL-RP80P into weighted line into two (looks like) SAViO 2 diffusers Model DSW2 and placing the diffuser's into two parallel valley's in a pond that's a little less than an acre. That may seem like over building it but I may place two more DSW2 diffuser's in later own. I bought this place with a couple of rundown ponds and it's past time I show the pond's and fish some TLC. I really enjoy your video's because I definitely know you're a pro. Thanks man.
Hi Jerry...thanks for the kind words. Let me know how you get along with that pump. From some reviews it sounds like it may have a few issues. Or it may not be the pump but how it's set up. This compressor is putting out 6+ CFMs and that's a lot of air to drive through two fine bubble diffusers. I would prefer to see three on a pump like this. When you try to push too much air through too few diffusers you will potentially shorten the life of the pump before repairs need to be made. 1.5 to 2.5 CFM's is a perfect range to shoot for and this is a bit above that. In a course diffuser, there would be less of an issue, but the savio diffuser has the same top membrane plate as the easy pros' that we sell...and it produces a fine bubble pattern. I'm not saying you'll have issues here but I do expect to see at least 2 years, if not 3 to 5 years out of a pump before I have to rebuild it. You save little money with DIY if you have to keep putting that savings into repairs or parts. Also be sure to use a valved manifold when using multiple diffusers. Each line needs it's own valve so you can direct air flow however you want it. Good luck with your project!
@@jerryhayden8720 your welcome! I'm not saying it's a bad thing to try...but it sounds like if you were going to add in extra diffusers...you know eventually, then maybe just do 3 and stay at that...you'd be great in that range with this particular pump. As you noted, it is overkill in a sense...you could probably pair things back to a 1/4 HP pump and two diffusers and be quite happy...but you have to be confident in what you put in there and I get that. Take care!
I have a 9" diffuser I'm going to mount into a weighted 5-gallon bucket. What's the best way to mount it into/onto the bucket and what are the best adapters to go from a 3/8" weighted tube from the pump to the diffuser which has a larger hole opening.
Use at least 1/2" i.d. weighted hose... it gives you like 75% more air volume and is easier on your compressor / air pump making it last alot longer before having to rebuild it or buy a replacement.
Dan...sorry for missing your question. So most of these diffusers have several connectors of varying sizes...common would be 3/8 or 5/8 with what we work with but as Zeke mentioned, 1/2 inch is pretty common too. I don't have much to offer on mounting in the bucket...never have done that myself. I could imagine using a pvc elbow to have the airline connect to the side of the bucket (fiitting) and then the diffuser plate connected to the top in some way. Just a lot depends on the components your using but most hardware stores or garden centers should have something that would work.
Great video, my question is distance between the piston pump and the pond. Can bury a regular unweighted section of let saw 100 feet and then connect another 100 feet of my weighted tube to the diffuser.
Thanks Dan. Yes, you certainly can do unweighted tubing in ground and then transition to weighted tubing going into the pond. 200' total run from pump to diffuser is not bad at all and well within the capability of a rocking piston compressor. 3/8" or 1/2" line would be fine too.
For aeration as I'm normally talking about, no...those produce air...sump pumps, pump water. I have heard of some people trying them with a fountain type set up, which would propel water into the air. I have no idea how long they lasted but typically you want a fountain to run at least 8 to 12 hours per day and that's day in and day out.
The best thing to do would be to go to this page and fill in some info....if you can include an address or location so I can view the pond on google earth it will give me an idea of how to lay something out. Note two other things...the depth in a couple areas and where power is...the pond is larger enough to warrant doing an aerial mapping on it to make sure you know first, what will cover it and two how much airline will be involved to do the layout. Go here and put in some details: americanaeration.com/pages/pond-aeration-advisor
What are your thoughts on running pump 400 ft away from pond and running the air in pvc pipe to the pond? That's the closest electric and pvc is cheaper than running wire that far. Was thinking 3/4 or 1" pvc.
Hi Brad...what you describe is done quite often actually. Kasco, which is the brand I tend to like to work with on the commercial level, uses 3/4" PVC...the schedule 40 stuff you find everywhere, for their inground "airline". Works great. You could do 1" as well...really it just depends on the fittings you use or can find but either size would handle 400' with no problem at all.
I just did this exact thing using cheap 3/4 poly pipe. It came in a continuous 400' roll and I buried it with a "sub soiler" plow on my tractor. PVC would have cost 3x as much ( including fittings), would have had to bury by hand, and connect 40 PVC joints. What took me a couple hours by myself would have been a week long project.
@@wrstlr119 I agree...for those longer runs poly can certainly make it easier to put in. A few manufacturers use poly still, and some of switched over to PVC for the durability. Of course the hope is you only bury whatever you use one time. But it works for irrigation line and that's basically what you're using for aeration poly too.
Thanks for all the information. I'm looking at getting a fine bubble diffuser to make compost tea but your comment that course bubbles might be better for wastewater gives me pause... Compost tea is kind of thick so maybe the course bubbles keep everything suspended better?
Sorry for the slow response! Well I think any aerating would probably be helpful, but how defined that gets, I'm not really sure. I have not worked with compost tea but anything you can compare that to, such as waste water makes me think you are probably right in following something with more course bubbles. There's no downside to trying whatever you think is best and then adjusting things as you learn more.
From my observations here in Iowa, I've had no problems with them thus far in cold weather. Heat is really the enemy of most of these pumps so that's a bigger concern.
i have a question on the weighted hose. I havs a large (13,9 acres) pond. the shape is somewhat irregular. I anticapate that hose lengths of 200 ft or more will be required'. At what point does 3/8 weighted hose become too small and 5/8 inch hose be needed? the deeped depth is 12 ft. Thanks for the help. Mack Atkinson.
Hi Mack...great question. So for the brands we work with this may vary a little on where they make the change from 3/8 to 1/2 or 5/8...most work with 3/8 and 5/8. But for me, once I get 300' out from pump to diffuser I start thinking about going to 5/8. If the depth is 8' or less, maybe you can go out a bit more...if it's a pretty deep spot, you may want to think about 5/8 a little sooner. But in most cases 300' is my range for staying with 3/8. 14 acres is a lot of water so hopefully you will have multiple power locations to work with...I always look for that when working in larger waters just to keep the airline runs as short as I can...this helps operationally of course but also can save a lot of money on airline costs....sometimes you can do that, and sometimes you can't but to me its a worthwhile consideration.
I’m located in NW Wisconsin . I’m trying to keep about 2 acres open all winter on a 26 acre lake. I have a 3/4 HP rotary vane pump and trying to figure out if a course or fine bubble diffuser would work better. The depth will be about 10-12ft. Would like to build my own to save costs. Trying to keep fish alive. Thanks
Hi Paul...thanks for the question. I would work around the pump that you have on hand. Typically that 3/4 HP rotary is used with 4 diffusers so you'd be in the ballpark if you had about 10' of depth to work with here. You'd cover a bit more than 2 acres but in a 26 acre lake that's not a bad thing. To make this work you'd want a four valve manifold so each line has it's own dedicated valve. I'm including a link below that shows how this is arranged. And then you'd have airline of course. I prefer weighted personally, but there is non-weighted tubing around too if you want to weigh it down with something to keep it on the bottom. Might save a good bit of money that way. Those are the key components in a set up like this. The pump would need protection from the weather as they are not weather proof, but it could be placed in a shed or outbuilding with no problem. If you need to source some parts let me know as we would be able to get that manifold, airline, and diffusers as shown in the link. Hope this helps for you! easypro.com/products/rotary-vane-pond-aeration-system-34-hp-kit-with-quick-sink-tubing/
Great video Mark! Thank you. I just bought a property with an acre pond. I bought a Hiblow 100ll, to replace the broken rotary vane pump previous owner had in place. I will connect it to the weighted lines in the pond, its a kidney shaped 1 acre pond. I know I should put 2 diffusers at different parts about 6-8ft of depth. I am torn between the coarse and fine bubble diffuser as I don't want the fine bubble diffuser to damage the pump in any way with backpresser. Any thoughts?
Thank you Daljeet...so I think with all things considered here...and keep in mind I do prefer fine bubble diffusion for it's aeration capabilities, I would be concerned a bit about the backpressure on the pump. Course bubbling won't oxygenate as well but it will circulate and that's helpful too. I think I would go that route and just see how things go. My hope would be the pump would give you a few years of service or at least a good year before diaphgrams would have to be updated. If you do find it not lasting that long, then I would switch to a rocking piston pump. A single piston 1/4 HP would be plenty in this setting, and I might even consider at that point going to fine bubble diffusion if you can swing it. But as always, any aeration is better than no aeration...and what you have on hand may very well do everything you want. Best wishes!
Hi Mark, I'm just starting on this aeration journey. I may be over analyzing this but is it advisable to put a check valve upstream of the diffuser so when it shuts off, water does not back fill into the tubing? Less daily stress on the pump at startup? My plan requires solar with no battery. I intend for it to run during daylight via direct feed with a voltage regulator. At night it will be off and cycle back on the next day in the FL sun.
Howdy...so all of our diffusers that we carry and work with, and I would say most of the commercial ones have check valees built into them. If you are putting something of your own together, then yes, for sure you'd want a check valve to protect back flow to the pump. I think solar should do well in Florida...good run times and lots of sun.
Great video, very educational. I am wondering if can help me I have a linear air pump with a 8mm pipe attached to a air disc. My problem is its too powerful. Is there a valve or some other sort of device that can regulate the air. Or some sort of bleed of valve
Hey Gaz...so I normally wouldn't work with a bleed valve...(so I don't have anything to suggest specifcally) mainly because I have probably more flexibility in choosing various pumps to fit my diffuser situation. But a bleed valve probably would be what you would want here...you want to try to keep excess back pressure off the pumps...especially linears which have some limitations there. That air has to go someplace so if too much is coming out of the diffuser for your taste, about all you can do is direct some of it somewhere else., either to a second diffuser, or out into the environment...but not back on the pump. In fact I would say there's a chance if you set this up right it might help the pump out too...ie, reducing pressure on it. Many multi diffuser systems use manifolds...multi valved manifolds so each airline has it's own independent control for air flow. A cheap one of those probably could be set up as a bleed valve of sorts that could work for you.
Thank you Kiki! In the description here on youtube, you'll find some recommended links to those components. It really depends specifically on what your looking for...in other words a linear pump or rocking piston...we work with the latter mostly. The diffusers are another variable, of which there is a wide selection. But I think we have everything covered in links in the description. If you need help sizing something to the pond you have, let me know and we can do that.
Hi Kiki...Mark here...could you email me (mark at klm-solutions.com) for aeration recommendations on your 1200 gallon pond. We don't sell smaller aerators like this anymore...we have more or less moved out of the small pond market, but I can certainly recommend a few devices. Note in the email too how deep the pond is please. Thank you!
Hi Mark, Thatnks for the information. What type of piston pump would you recommend for a pond 30 feet deep and 2 acres. This pond has been neglected fjor some 30 years and is full of leaves that surround the pond. The pond used to be 30 feet deep as it was used to water trees on a tree farm. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks so much for the information on you youtube video. extremely helpful.
Hi Patrick...your welcome and thanks for the kind words. So for pond of that depth, I would look at the rocking piston pump. By spec you could run two diffusers (which is what you'd need roughly for your 2 acre size, with a 1/4 HP pump...but I do think if you have both diffusers down beyond say 20'...it would probably be better to look at a 1/2 HP model. Here's an example for you. americanaeration.com/easy-pro-stratus-1-2-hp-aeration-pump/ Hope this helps for you and let me know if you have other questions come up!
Hello Mark, I’m wondering what your thought are on bottom pond aeration during the winter in cold climates. I’ve heard it’s good to run the aerators all winter and also heard that if you run bottom aeration during the winter you will “over-cool” the water causing fish kill. They said that the fish’s blood will thicken at temps. below 39 degrees and that pushing real cold air will during the winter will “almost surely cause a fish kill”. I had hoped to get some bottom aerators for my 2acre pond to keep it from freezing over, but now I’m not sure if it will kill my fish. I decided to go to the expert. What do you think?
Great question Ed...thanks for sending it over. So really the only reason you would aerate in the winter is for fish protection. Keeping a spot of ice open provides an open route of exchange for off-gassing out of the pond and some oxygen back in. I think the general rule is about 3% of the surface should be open for optimum protection so it doesn't have to be much. I will typically suggest folks run a diffuser in a shallower, off center location in winter...so you do keep that opening going and provide a zone of some oxygenation around the diffuser. At the same time you want to leave the deeper area(s) alone, or turn off diffusers that go deep...it will be warmer and undisturbed there as long as you don't aerate from the deep points. I thnk too most fish will slow down and go pretty dormant in cold conditions but it's typically not cold that kills, it's a build up of trapped gasses, and oxygen deprivation from prolonged ice coverage that just blocks everything up. Also every pond is kind of different, and the same goes for fish, in how they might handle such challenges. The key point though is if you do aerate in winter...aerate from a moderate depth of maybe 4 to 6 feet, only affecting a portion of the pond, with the sole purpose of keeping a hole in the ice opened up. If I don't have fish, or they aren't of high importance, I would shut the aerator off and start again once ice is out in the spring.
Hi Mark - First and foremost, great video! What is your opinion of long (100ft) weighted bubble tube diffusers? Are they better or worse than the disks? More specifically, I have a long narrow pond that is shallow at one end and deep at the other end. This pond could use three disk diffuser but with the pump installed at the deeper end, that is a long of length of dedicated weighted lines to each disk diffusers. So I was considered have one weighted line for the deeper disk diffuser and then another weighted line toward the shallow end with 100ft of bubble tube instead of two disk diffusers. I am also not sure how well I could balance a disk diffuser and bubble tubing at the manifold. Thanks in advance!
Hey Jonathan...thanks for the kind words. So we used to work with the bubble tubing and over time and after various installs, in most cases, we came back around and just installed standard diffusers to take it's place. I think for certain situations it worked out alright but in most, we just found better performance and less hassles using typical diffusers. There may be some instances where I could still see it being used to good effect but in what you described, I don't think it will serve you well over the long term. If I were in your shoes I would just bite the bullet on the extra airline and diffusers and then I think you'll get good coverage without a lot future hassle. Hope this helps for you!
@@klmponds Hi Mark - Thank you for the fast response and the expert option! I will take the route of standard diffusers. From your other videos, I have selected a 1/2HP double piston pump. Now if only I could decide on an enclosure. I cannot believe most enclosures are equal or greater than the cost of the pumps!
@@jonathanrhodes4788 yes some of these cabinets are pricey especially if purchased individually. In the kits they are more reasonable. The Easy Pro cabinets are probably the best value vs price...well made and all. I would get one with a cooling fan in it. We work with both the post mount and ground versions and either would work for a 1/2 HP pump. I don't have them all on the website but we can get them. If you end up wanting to go that way reach out and I can have someone get more info to you on those.
@@klmponds Thanks Mark! I have spent quite some time on the site and well as others. In doing so, I have compiled a build list in Excel and am finding that if bought individually, all components add to more than the kits. You have assisted with selecting the specifications for the pump and diffusers. However, I still debate EasyPro or Kasco. Given that both are on your site, do you have a preference? As for the enclosure, I will be mounting this to a solid exterior wall of a foundation (offset with a piece of wood therefore post mount seems best). Other requirements are a built in fan, acoustic dampening, and grey or tan in color. Lastly, I am interested in your opinion about filtering the air before being drawing into the enclosure. I live on a dusty dirt road and thought this could extend the life of the filter on the pump. Thanks again! By the way, if it is easier to discuss over email, please let me know!
@@jonathanrhodes4788 you bet...sorry for the delay in replying here. So Kasco vs Easy Pro...my preference leans to Kasco, at least slightly, because of a few things. We have had very good luck (reliability with their pumps), their diffusers are the best in terms of performance and efficiency, and their warranty (which is rarely used) is the longest in the industry for all the components. They have been very responsive if help is ever needed by a customer. That said, they are not cheap. Easy Pro typically has better prices and they are very good...solid now since the pumps are constructed here in the US, and they are an excellent value. Both systems come with good cabinets, built in fans for cooling...although neither has a prefilter for the intake screen or area. I think this is something Kasco will be addressing down the road but for now, I think you'd want to come up with something on site and just experiment as to what works best. Some kind of prefilter is a good idea in at least keeping the inner cabinet cleaner. I would make sure to keep an eye on the temps inside the cabinet to be sure air flow is still good...and you'll have to decide what density of filter actually does what you want it to do... but I think that part is easy enough to manage on a DIY approach. I hope this helps answer your questions...if not, let me know and I can elaborate further. Oh one other thing on the sound proofing foam. So the Kasco cabinet comes with that installed. Easy Pro, in terms of the stock prices you see on the site, doesn't include that foam but it can be added in for...well I'm not sure how much $$ but it's not a huge difference in cost. If you were to decide to go with Easy Pro, I would just have Kim from our office call you to place the order however you may want it set up.
If you have property with a creek and a pond that is over grown, it is a blue line on the map, can you install this type of system without permits or getting USACE involved?
You know typically we don't run into many issues with installation but then I think in some respects it would depend on the state involved and the water body in question. There are certainly locations out east where a permit would be required, but this was a state managed lake which adds to the complications in various ways. My best advice is to contact your state DNR folks or the COE directly.
@@klmponds I'm in the pnw, and some of the rules for salmon streams are a little crazy, case and point family member has a wet spot, no running water and they had to remove a stump because it impeded salmon, it has never had flowing water, they have lived their over 50 years. The problem with the stream I'm asking about is before all the regulations people dug it more like a channel so it has no rocks for turbulence for miles, so when it empties into pond there is very little oxygen, creating a swamp/pond it still flows fairly well but it seems like a little O2 would improve the quality of water. Just wasn't sure on regulations on this, the property lines I'm looking at owns 3/4 of the pond with land on both banks, pond is approx 5 acres. I was thinking of water feature (waterfall) to provide o2 as well as this system but not sure if anyone else has run into an issue with the government getting involved.
I'm drawn toward the easy and cheap economics of the septic system but my pond is deeper than the 10 ft. that the HIBLOW I'm looking at claims so I have a question if you'd be so kind to lend an opinion on please sir... Is the septic air pump (one of the higher sized models) still effective if it's not at the deepest part of the pond placing on "shelves" where the water isn't the deepest? just guessing here but I have an old pond with at least some degree of debris fill but best guess is at least 20-25 ft deep in the dead center... oval shaped pond with 2:1 slope on dam side and the debris fill side having around 6-14 feet around inflow side total area is a little over an acre (best guess???)
Hi John...so to some degree I take the philosophy that any aeration is better than no aeration...that would be my first thought. And you by all means don't have to go to the very deepest part of a pond to have some effect. That all said, because this pond is pretty deep and up to an acre in size, you'd still want to try to get the diffuser down to about 12 feet min, and probably a little deeper would be better. I always figure if I can reach 12' I'm going to affect about an acre of pond area. This may force you more to an edge or more off center, which again, isn't a deal breaker but not ideal probably. I'm a big fan of the linear pumps and hiblow in particular, but at some point, usually because of depth, I'll start looking more to the rocking piston pumps for the job. Especially with he 1/4 HP's, they don't cost much more than the linears to run, put out good air for a single diffuser, and will handle depths easily down to 25'. We have a couple on our website that have proven very reliable over the years so whenever I put one of those in I know it will do a good job. Hope this helps for you.
@@klmponds this does help a lot thank you for the response... I will probably try the HiBlow at first then add a deeper pistol one down the road. I wasn't aware of your website & will definitely look into that. Thank you again!
Hello, Mark. I have a small (80 feet diameter) but deep (18 foot center depth) pond in southeast Texas where, as you can imagine, it stays hot most of the year and algae and other nuisance vegetation is a big problem. I've recently had my pond dug out and am essentially restarting from scratch. I'd like to stock my pond with panfish like bluegills, sunfish and yellow perch (iffy on the latter due to water temp concerns) and have already purchased the 3/4 Kasco fountain but haven't yet installed it. Do you think I can get away with just the fountain or do I really need the extra subsurface aeration?
Hi Chuck...while I am mosty a fan of sub surface aeration for a lot of reasons, we are using more and more of the surface aerators and fountains. With some fish it doesn't matter so much but with others, you want the lower part of the pond to stay cooler and of course, with a bottom aerator, your going to mix everything up pretty well. I worry mostly about trout here...where they need cooler water and they can go into areas of higher oxygen if they need to do so. Perch could be similar although I haven't dealt as much with them. Anyway, this leads me to suggest trying the fountain first and see how you get along with it. It may be enough to get you where you want to be. If not, a supplemental bottom system you might say...maybe not sized to completely cover the pond, but to account for the fountain coverage, could be added later on. I'm not certain that you'd need it though.
@@klmponds Thank you for the thoughtful response, Mark! I have no plans to introduce trout to my pond given the high surface water temps and negligible circulation of my pond. Even if those weren't factors, I'm not sure I will even be able to achieve and maintain the high level of water quality that trout require.
@@chuckschillingvideos I only use trout as an example of a temp sensitive fish where top aeration may be preferred over bottom based. But the idea still holds for other fish that may be a little more sensitive you might say.
Thanks for the question TH...I think it's a good one. In a simple sense I would say it's a lot easier to push air rather than water...we can affect and move a lot of water in a pond with just a little bit of air (ie a pretty small pump) out of a diffuser. A venturi is great for moving water, and you can point it very directly...mixing the pond water to a nice degree, but nothing will beat a bottom based diffuser for affecting the entire body of water synergistically from top to the very bottom...mixing AND aerating while being very efficient doing so. A venturi will not match that broad capability in my experience.
All those pumps are junk you use a central pneumatic belt driven compressor with a air reservoir tank the pump will only run one to one and a half minutes every 45 minutes you make your own diffuser out of PVC or black iron pipe with small holes you get more water turnover plus you're putting air in the pond The only way to go
Mark,
Thanks so much for making and sharing this video. It is very informative and answers a lot of questions that I had as I put together an aeration system for our 4300 gallon pond.
You're welcome and thank you for the kind words!
Some great tips there mark 👍⛩🐟
Thank you very much!
Thanks a lot, Mark.
Thanks Mark good information
Thanks a lot, Mark. Been struggling of late to make a point out of the vast info on the internet, but what you are describing in this video is super awesome. Have absorbed word by word. Will surely drop you a line sometime soon as I set out to do a biofloc tank. Keep up the good work, man.
Thank you for the kind words my friend!
A sound DIY alternative to a commercially available diffuser is to purchase stainless steel fabric from a place like McMaster Carr, and attach it to your choice of manifold (such as a drilled out PVC pipe). It can be easily stitched in by drilling holes in the PVC pipe to "sew" stainless wire through the stainless fabric. But commercially available diffusers have the benefit of simplicity , for sure. And you don't have to figure out how to weight them down and keep them at the bottom.
Well stated. Yeah it depends on how involved someone wants to get. There is nothing wrong with a well thought out DIY system. But it's also nice to know that one can get what they need to "fill things in" for good performance if they need or want to.
thank you Mark extremely good sound information.
Thank you Bill!
Very informative Thank you
Fantastic video. Thank you
Thank you Casey!
Nice job, thanks for using a mic.
Great video. I want to thank you for pronouncing aeration properly. Drives me crazy to hear people pronounce it (eh ree ay shn)
This is extremely helpful, even if I don't build my own.
Corin...thank you...good to know you found some good information in it.
Did you know that befor resin air stones, was simply (and still now) used limewood branche ^^ Also pumice and aircrete can do the job as they are porous..
I did not know that...as you describe it it makes sense though. Thanks for sharing!
@@klmponds i just learned it ^^ Good to know, it can be simply found along some walks : )
Thanks for the excellent info video Mark. After I make my way through a couple of projects that have me tied down I'm going to setup a ANJON Manufacturing, LIFELINE Air Pump, Model# LL-RP80P into weighted line into two (looks like) SAViO 2 diffusers Model DSW2 and placing the diffuser's into two parallel valley's in a pond that's a little less than an acre. That may seem like over building it but I may place two more DSW2 diffuser's in later own. I bought this place with a couple of rundown ponds and it's past time I show the pond's and fish some TLC. I really enjoy your video's because I definitely know you're a pro. Thanks man.
Hi Jerry...thanks for the kind words. Let me know how you get along with that pump. From some reviews it sounds like it may have a few issues. Or it may not be the pump but how it's set up. This compressor is putting out 6+ CFMs and that's a lot of air to drive through two fine bubble diffusers. I would prefer to see three on a pump like this. When you try to push too much air through too few diffusers you will potentially shorten the life of the pump before repairs need to be made. 1.5 to 2.5 CFM's is a perfect range to shoot for and this is a bit above that. In a course diffuser, there would be less of an issue, but the savio diffuser has the same top membrane plate as the easy pros' that we sell...and it produces a fine bubble pattern. I'm not saying you'll have issues here but I do expect to see at least 2 years, if not 3 to 5 years out of a pump before I have to rebuild it. You save little money with DIY if you have to keep putting that savings into repairs or parts. Also be sure to use a valved manifold when using multiple diffusers. Each line needs it's own valve so you can direct air flow however you want it. Good luck with your project!
@@klmponds thanks for the reply Mark. I didn't realize any of this.
@@jerryhayden8720 your welcome! I'm not saying it's a bad thing to try...but it sounds like if you were going to add in extra diffusers...you know eventually, then maybe just do 3 and stay at that...you'd be great in that range with this particular pump. As you noted, it is overkill in a sense...you could probably pair things back to a 1/4 HP pump and two diffusers and be quite happy...but you have to be confident in what you put in there and I get that. Take care!
I have a 9" diffuser I'm going to mount into a weighted 5-gallon bucket. What's the best way to mount it into/onto the bucket and what are the best adapters to go from a 3/8" weighted tube from the pump to the diffuser which has a larger hole opening.
Use at least 1/2" i.d. weighted hose... it gives you like 75% more air volume and is easier on your compressor / air pump making it last alot longer before having to rebuild it or buy a replacement.
Dan...sorry for missing your question. So most of these diffusers have several connectors of varying sizes...common would be 3/8 or 5/8 with what we work with but as Zeke mentioned, 1/2 inch is pretty common too. I don't have much to offer on mounting in the bucket...never have done that myself. I could imagine using a pvc elbow to have the airline connect to the side of the bucket (fiitting) and then the diffuser plate connected to the top in some way. Just a lot depends on the components your using but most hardware stores or garden centers should have something that would work.
Great video, my question is distance between the piston pump and the pond. Can bury a regular unweighted section of let saw 100 feet and then connect another 100 feet of my weighted tube to the diffuser.
Thanks Dan. Yes, you certainly can do unweighted tubing in ground and then transition to weighted tubing going into the pond. 200' total run from pump to diffuser is not bad at all and well within the capability of a rocking piston compressor. 3/8" or 1/2" line would be fine too.
@@klmponds Thank you for getting back to me. Your knowlege is priceless
Can you use a sump pump for this?
For aeration as I'm normally talking about, no...those produce air...sump pumps, pump water. I have heard of some people trying them with a fountain type set up, which would propel water into the air. I have no idea how long they lasted but typically you want a fountain to run at least 8 to 12 hours per day and that's day in and day out.
I got a 4 acre commercial pond to install it's built like a moat with an island in the middle what should I use to diffuse.
The best thing to do would be to go to this page and fill in some info....if you can include an address or location so I can view the pond on google earth it will give me an idea of how to lay something out. Note two other things...the depth in a couple areas and where power is...the pond is larger enough to warrant doing an aerial mapping on it to make sure you know first, what will cover it and two how much airline will be involved to do the layout. Go here and put in some details: americanaeration.com/pages/pond-aeration-advisor
What are your thoughts on running pump 400 ft away from pond and running the air in pvc pipe to the pond? That's the closest electric and pvc is cheaper than running wire that far. Was thinking 3/4 or 1" pvc.
Hi Brad...what you describe is done quite often actually. Kasco, which is the brand I tend to like to work with on the commercial level, uses 3/4" PVC...the schedule 40 stuff you find everywhere, for their inground "airline". Works great. You could do 1" as well...really it just depends on the fittings you use or can find but either size would handle 400' with no problem at all.
@@klmponds thanks for fast reply! That's what I will be doing hopefully in near future!
I just did this exact thing using cheap 3/4 poly pipe. It came in a continuous 400' roll and I buried it with a "sub soiler" plow on my tractor. PVC would have cost 3x as much ( including fittings), would have had to bury by hand, and connect 40 PVC joints. What took me a couple hours by myself would have been a week long project.
@@wrstlr119 I agree...for those longer runs poly can certainly make it easier to put in. A few manufacturers use poly still, and some of switched over to PVC for the durability. Of course the hope is you only bury whatever you use one time. But it works for irrigation line and that's basically what you're using for aeration poly too.
Thanks for all the information. I'm looking at getting a fine bubble diffuser to make compost tea but your comment that course bubbles might be better for wastewater gives me pause... Compost tea is kind of thick so maybe the course bubbles keep everything suspended better?
Sorry for the slow response! Well I think any aerating would probably be helpful, but how defined that gets, I'm not really sure. I have not worked with compost tea but anything you can compare that to, such as waste water makes me think you are probably right in following something with more course bubbles. There's no downside to trying whatever you think is best and then adjusting things as you learn more.
Can linear piston stay outside in cold climates? Summers 80° winter in the teens
From my observations here in Iowa, I've had no problems with them thus far in cold weather. Heat is really the enemy of most of these pumps so that's a bigger concern.
i have a question on the weighted hose. I havs a large (13,9 acres) pond. the shape is somewhat irregular. I anticapate that hose lengths of 200 ft or more will be required'. At what point does 3/8 weighted hose become too small and 5/8 inch hose be needed? the deeped depth is 12 ft. Thanks for the help. Mack Atkinson.
Hi Mack...great question. So for the brands we work with this may vary a little on where they make the change from 3/8 to 1/2 or 5/8...most work with 3/8 and 5/8. But for me, once I get 300' out from pump to diffuser I start thinking about going to 5/8. If the depth is 8' or less, maybe you can go out a bit more...if it's a pretty deep spot, you may want to think about 5/8 a little sooner. But in most cases 300' is my range for staying with 3/8. 14 acres is a lot of water so hopefully you will have multiple power locations to work with...I always look for that when working in larger waters just to keep the airline runs as short as I can...this helps operationally of course but also can save a lot of money on airline costs....sometimes you can do that, and sometimes you can't but to me its a worthwhile consideration.
I’m located in NW Wisconsin . I’m trying to keep about 2 acres open all winter on a 26 acre lake. I have a 3/4 HP rotary vane pump and trying to figure out if a course or fine bubble diffuser would work better. The depth will be about 10-12ft. Would like to build my own to save costs. Trying to keep fish alive. Thanks
Hi Paul...thanks for the question. I would work around the pump that you have on hand. Typically that 3/4 HP rotary is used with 4 diffusers so you'd be in the ballpark if you had about 10' of depth to work with here. You'd cover a bit more than 2 acres but in a 26 acre lake that's not a bad thing.
To make this work you'd want a four valve manifold so each line has it's own dedicated valve. I'm including a link below that shows how this is arranged. And then you'd have airline of course. I prefer weighted personally, but there is non-weighted tubing around too if you want to weigh it down with something to keep it on the bottom. Might save a good bit of money that way.
Those are the key components in a set up like this. The pump would need protection from the weather as they are not weather proof, but it could be placed in a shed or outbuilding with no problem.
If you need to source some parts let me know as we would be able to get that manifold, airline, and diffusers as shown in the link.
Hope this helps for you!
easypro.com/products/rotary-vane-pond-aeration-system-34-hp-kit-with-quick-sink-tubing/
@@klmponds thank you very much for your quick response!!!
Great video Mark! Thank you.
I just bought a property with an acre pond. I bought a Hiblow 100ll, to replace the broken rotary vane pump previous owner had in place. I will connect it to the weighted lines in the pond, its a kidney shaped 1 acre pond. I know I should put 2 diffusers at different parts about 6-8ft of depth. I am torn between the coarse and fine bubble diffuser as I don't want the fine bubble diffuser to damage the pump in any way with backpresser. Any thoughts?
Thank you Daljeet...so I think with all things considered here...and keep in mind I do prefer fine bubble diffusion for it's aeration capabilities, I would be concerned a bit about the backpressure on the pump. Course bubbling won't oxygenate as well but it will circulate and that's helpful too. I think I would go that route and just see how things go. My hope would be the pump would give you a few years of service or at least a good year before diaphgrams would have to be updated. If you do find it not lasting that long, then I would switch to a rocking piston pump. A single piston 1/4 HP would be plenty in this setting, and I might even consider at that point going to fine bubble diffusion if you can swing it. But as always, any aeration is better than no aeration...and what you have on hand may very well do everything you want. Best wishes!
What was the model number of that diffuser you showed with the small tiny holes to make find bubbles?
Hi Anthony...this might be the one you are asking about. americanaeration.com/easy-pro-quick-sink-diffuser-single-plate/
Thank you very much for the quick response you’re awesome I’ve learned a lot from you!!!👍😎
@@anthonymarquez2035 Thank you Anthony!
Hi Mark, I'm just starting on this aeration journey. I may be over analyzing this but is it advisable to put a check valve upstream of the diffuser so when it shuts off, water does not back fill into the tubing? Less daily stress on the pump at startup? My plan requires solar with no battery. I intend for it to run during daylight via direct feed with a voltage regulator. At night it will be off and cycle back on the next day in the FL sun.
Howdy...so all of our diffusers that we carry and work with, and I would say most of the commercial ones have check valees built into them. If you are putting something of your own together, then yes, for sure you'd want a check valve to protect back flow to the pump. I think solar should do well in Florida...good run times and lots of sun.
Great video, very educational. I am wondering if can help me I have a linear air pump with a 8mm pipe attached to a air disc. My problem is its too powerful. Is there a valve or some other sort of device that can regulate the air. Or some sort of bleed of valve
Hey Gaz...so I normally wouldn't work with a bleed valve...(so I don't have anything to suggest specifcally) mainly because I have probably more flexibility in choosing various pumps to fit my diffuser situation. But a bleed valve probably would be what you would want here...you want to try to keep excess back pressure off the pumps...especially linears which have some limitations there. That air has to go someplace so if too much is coming out of the diffuser for your taste, about all you can do is direct some of it somewhere else., either to a second diffuser, or out into the environment...but not back on the pump. In fact I would say there's a chance if you set this up right it might help the pump out too...ie, reducing pressure on it. Many multi diffuser systems use manifolds...multi valved manifolds so each airline has it's own independent control for air flow. A cheap one of those probably could be set up as a bleed valve of sorts that could work for you.
Can you create a starter pack . I’m completely new to this and can’t get my pump to aerate
Hi Amelie...thanks for the suggestion. I'll see what we can do.
Good info. Can you provide info on where to purchase pond aeration products, i.e. weighted line, linear compressor?
Thank you Kiki! In the description here on youtube, you'll find some recommended links to those components. It really depends specifically on what your looking for...in other words a linear pump or rocking piston...we work with the latter mostly. The diffusers are another variable, of which there is a wide selection. But I think we have everything covered in links in the description. If you need help sizing something to the pond you have, let me know and we can do that.
Hi Kiki...Mark here...could you email me (mark at klm-solutions.com) for aeration recommendations on your 1200 gallon pond. We don't sell smaller aerators like this anymore...we have more or less moved out of the small pond market, but I can certainly recommend a few devices. Note in the email too how deep the pond is please. Thank you!
Hi Mark, Thatnks for the information. What type of piston pump would you recommend for a pond 30 feet deep and 2 acres. This pond has been neglected fjor some 30 years and is full of leaves that surround the pond. The pond used to be 30 feet deep as it was used to water trees on a tree farm. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks so much for the information on you youtube video. extremely helpful.
Hi Patrick...your welcome and thanks for the kind words. So for pond of that depth, I would look at the rocking piston pump. By spec you could run two diffusers (which is what you'd need roughly for your 2 acre size, with a 1/4 HP pump...but I do think if you have both diffusers down beyond say 20'...it would probably be better to look at a 1/2 HP model. Here's an example for you.
americanaeration.com/easy-pro-stratus-1-2-hp-aeration-pump/
Hope this helps for you and let me know if you have other questions come up!
Hello Mark, I’m wondering what your thought are on bottom pond aeration during the winter in cold climates. I’ve heard it’s good to run the aerators all winter and also heard that if you run bottom aeration during the winter you will “over-cool” the water causing fish kill. They said that the fish’s blood will thicken at temps. below 39 degrees and that pushing real cold air will during the winter will “almost surely cause a fish kill”. I had hoped to get some bottom aerators for my 2acre pond to keep it from freezing over, but now I’m not sure if it will kill my fish. I decided to go to the expert. What do you think?
Great question Ed...thanks for sending it over. So really the only reason you would aerate in the winter is for fish protection. Keeping a spot of ice open provides an open route of exchange for off-gassing out of the pond and some oxygen back in. I think the general rule is about 3% of the surface should be open for optimum protection so it doesn't have to be much. I will typically suggest folks run a diffuser in a shallower, off center location in winter...so you do keep that opening going and provide a zone of some oxygenation around the diffuser. At the same time you want to leave the deeper area(s) alone, or turn off diffusers that go deep...it will be warmer and undisturbed there as long as you don't aerate from the deep points. I thnk too most fish will slow down and go pretty dormant in cold conditions but it's typically not cold that kills, it's a build up of trapped gasses, and oxygen deprivation from prolonged ice coverage that just blocks everything up. Also every pond is kind of different, and the same goes for fish, in how they might handle such challenges. The key point though is if you do aerate in winter...aerate from a moderate depth of maybe 4 to 6 feet, only affecting a portion of the pond, with the sole purpose of keeping a hole in the ice opened up. If I don't have fish, or they aren't of high importance, I would shut the aerator off and start again once ice is out in the spring.
Hi Mark - First and foremost, great video! What is your opinion of long (100ft) weighted bubble tube diffusers? Are they better or worse than the disks? More specifically, I have a long narrow pond that is shallow at one end and deep at the other end. This pond could use three disk diffuser but with the pump installed at the deeper end, that is a long of length of dedicated weighted lines to each disk diffusers. So I was considered have one weighted line for the deeper disk diffuser and then another weighted line toward the shallow end with 100ft of bubble tube instead of two disk diffusers. I am also not sure how well I could balance a disk diffuser and bubble tubing at the manifold. Thanks in advance!
Hey Jonathan...thanks for the kind words. So we used to work with the bubble tubing and over time and after various installs, in most cases, we came back around and just installed standard diffusers to take it's place. I think for certain situations it worked out alright but in most, we just found better performance and less hassles using typical diffusers. There may be some instances where I could still see it being used to good effect but in what you described, I don't think it will serve you well over the long term. If I were in your shoes I would just bite the bullet on the extra airline and diffusers and then I think you'll get good coverage without a lot future hassle. Hope this helps for you!
@@klmponds Hi Mark - Thank you for the fast response and the expert option! I will take the route of standard diffusers. From your other videos, I have selected a 1/2HP double piston pump. Now if only I could decide on an enclosure. I cannot believe most enclosures are equal or greater than the cost of the pumps!
@@jonathanrhodes4788 yes some of these cabinets are pricey especially if purchased individually. In the kits they are more reasonable. The Easy Pro cabinets are probably the best value vs price...well made and all. I would get one with a cooling fan in it. We work with both the post mount and ground versions and either would work for a 1/2 HP pump. I don't have them all on the website but we can get them. If you end up wanting to go that way reach out and I can have someone get more info to you on those.
@@klmponds Thanks Mark! I have spent quite some time on the site and well as others. In doing so, I have compiled a build list in Excel and am finding that if bought individually, all components add to more than the kits. You have assisted with selecting the specifications for the pump and diffusers. However, I still debate EasyPro or Kasco. Given that both are on your site, do you have a preference? As for the enclosure, I will be mounting this to a solid exterior wall of a foundation (offset with a piece of wood therefore post mount seems best). Other requirements are a built in fan, acoustic dampening, and grey or tan in color. Lastly, I am interested in your opinion about filtering the air before being drawing into the enclosure. I live on a dusty dirt road and thought this could extend the life of the filter on the pump. Thanks again! By the way, if it is easier to discuss over email, please let me know!
@@jonathanrhodes4788 you bet...sorry for the delay in replying here. So Kasco vs Easy Pro...my preference leans to Kasco, at least slightly, because of a few things. We have had very good luck (reliability with their pumps), their diffusers are the best in terms of performance and efficiency, and their warranty (which is rarely used) is the longest in the industry for all the components. They have been very responsive if help is ever needed by a customer. That said, they are not cheap. Easy Pro typically has better prices and they are very good...solid now since the pumps are constructed here in the US, and they are an excellent value.
Both systems come with good cabinets, built in fans for cooling...although neither has a prefilter for the intake screen or area. I think this is something Kasco will be addressing down the road but for now, I think you'd want to come up with something on site and just experiment as to what works best. Some kind of prefilter is a good idea in at least keeping the inner cabinet cleaner. I would make sure to keep an eye on the temps inside the cabinet to be sure air flow is still good...and you'll have to decide what density of filter actually does what you want it to do... but I think that part is easy enough to manage on a DIY approach.
I hope this helps answer your questions...if not, let me know and I can elaborate further.
Oh one other thing on the sound proofing foam. So the Kasco cabinet comes with that installed. Easy Pro, in terms of the stock prices you see on the site, doesn't include that foam but it can be added in for...well I'm not sure how much $$ but it's not a huge difference in cost. If you were to decide to go with Easy Pro, I would just have Kim from our office call you to place the order however you may want it set up.
If you have property with a creek and a pond that is over grown, it is a blue line on the map, can you install this type of system without permits or getting USACE involved?
You know typically we don't run into many issues with installation but then I think in some respects it would depend on the state involved and the water body in question. There are certainly locations out east where a permit would be required, but this was a state managed lake which adds to the complications in various ways. My best advice is to contact your state DNR folks or the COE directly.
@@klmponds I'm in the pnw, and some of the rules for salmon streams are a little crazy, case and point family member has a wet spot, no running water and they had to remove a stump because it impeded salmon, it has never had flowing water, they have lived their over 50 years. The problem with the stream I'm asking about is before all the regulations people dug it more like a channel so it has no rocks for turbulence for miles, so when it empties into pond there is very little oxygen, creating a swamp/pond it still flows fairly well but it seems like a little O2 would improve the quality of water. Just wasn't sure on regulations on this, the property lines I'm looking at owns 3/4 of the pond with land on both banks, pond is approx 5 acres. I was thinking of water feature (waterfall) to provide o2 as well as this system but not sure if anyone else has run into an issue with the government getting involved.
I'm drawn toward the easy and cheap economics of the septic system but my pond is deeper than the 10 ft. that the HIBLOW I'm looking at claims so I have a question if you'd be so kind to lend an opinion on please sir... Is the septic air pump (one of the higher sized models) still effective if it's not at the deepest part of the pond placing on "shelves" where the water isn't the deepest? just guessing here but I have an old pond with at least some degree of debris fill but best guess is at least 20-25 ft deep in the dead center... oval shaped pond with 2:1 slope on dam side and the debris fill side having around 6-14 feet around inflow side total area is a little over an acre (best guess???)
Hi John...so to some degree I take the philosophy that any aeration is better than no aeration...that would be my first thought. And you by all means don't have to go to the very deepest part of a pond to have some effect. That all said, because this pond is pretty deep and up to an acre in size, you'd still want to try to get the diffuser down to about 12 feet min, and probably a little deeper would be better. I always figure if I can reach 12' I'm going to affect about an acre of pond area. This may force you more to an edge or more off center, which again, isn't a deal breaker but not ideal probably. I'm a big fan of the linear pumps and hiblow in particular, but at some point, usually because of depth, I'll start looking more to the rocking piston pumps for the job. Especially with he 1/4 HP's, they don't cost much more than the linears to run, put out good air for a single diffuser, and will handle depths easily down to 25'. We have a couple on our website that have proven very reliable over the years so whenever I put one of those in I know it will do a good job. Hope this helps for you.
@@klmponds this does help a lot thank you for the response... I will probably try the HiBlow at first then add a deeper pistol one down the road. I wasn't aware of your website & will definitely look into that. Thank you again!
@@johnlancaster6564 You are welcome...I wish you the best and if you ever have questions come up, reach out and I'll be happy to help!
Hello, Mark. I have a small (80 feet diameter) but deep (18 foot center depth) pond in southeast Texas where, as you can imagine, it stays hot most of the year and algae and other nuisance vegetation is a big problem. I've recently had my pond dug out and am essentially restarting from scratch. I'd like to stock my pond with panfish like bluegills, sunfish and yellow perch (iffy on the latter due to water temp concerns) and have already purchased the 3/4 Kasco fountain but haven't yet installed it. Do you think I can get away with just the fountain or do I really need the extra subsurface aeration?
Hi Chuck...while I am mosty a fan of sub surface aeration for a lot of reasons, we are using more and more of the surface aerators and fountains. With some fish it doesn't matter so much but with others, you want the lower part of the pond to stay cooler and of course, with a bottom aerator, your going to mix everything up pretty well. I worry mostly about trout here...where they need cooler water and they can go into areas of higher oxygen if they need to do so. Perch could be similar although I haven't dealt as much with them. Anyway, this leads me to suggest trying the fountain first and see how you get along with it. It may be enough to get you where you want to be. If not, a supplemental bottom system you might say...maybe not sized to completely cover the pond, but to account for the fountain coverage, could be added later on. I'm not certain that you'd need it though.
@@klmponds Thank you for the thoughtful response, Mark! I have no plans to introduce trout to my pond given the high surface water temps and negligible circulation of my pond. Even if those weren't factors, I'm not sure I will even be able to achieve and maintain the high level of water quality that trout require.
@@chuckschillingvideos I only use trout as an example of a temp sensitive fish where top aeration may be preferred over bottom based. But the idea still holds for other fish that may be a little more sensitive you might say.
@@klmponds ah, gotcha. Thanks!
Great informative video, thanks for taking the time to make it. FYI the link to your weighted airline returns a "password protected" page.
Thanks for the kind words and for letting me know about the link!
Why is it cheaper to have an air pump if you can use a Venturi effect aerator ?
Thanks for the question TH...I think it's a good one. In a simple sense I would say it's a lot easier to push air rather than water...we can affect and move a lot of water in a pond with just a little bit of air (ie a pretty small pump) out of a diffuser. A venturi is great for moving water, and you can point it very directly...mixing the pond water to a nice degree, but nothing will beat a bottom based diffuser for affecting the entire body of water synergistically from top to the very bottom...mixing AND aerating while being very efficient doing so. A venturi will not match that broad capability in my experience.
All those pumps are junk you use a central pneumatic belt driven compressor with a air reservoir tank the pump will only run one to one and a half minutes every 45 minutes you make your own diffuser out of PVC or black iron pipe with small holes you get more water turnover plus you're putting air in the pond The only way to go
Sounds like the plan! Thanks for the comment.