Pond Aeration System
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Published 2023-01-21
Installing a solar powered pond aerator. We install the pond aerator in hopes of clearing the green algae in the large pond water. This aeration system comes in three pieces, the solar panel has the air pumps mounted on the back of the panel, and the air stone or diffuser attaches to the pumps with an air compressor hose. No electricity is needed to run this aerator set-up. Before and after video was taken to show if this bubbler system will clear the pond water. This do it yourself DIY unit is easy to install. The hose connects to the brass fitting on the air pump, and the diffuser attaches to the house through galvanized fittings. The diffuser comes with a 2.5 pound weight that holds it to the bottom of the pond. It is best to try and get your diffuser to the deepest part of your pond for maximum effectiveness of cleaning the pond water.
The way this aerator works is the air is sent to the bottom of the pond and released. The air rises to the surface of the pond and brings with it the cold, nutrient rich water from the bottom of the pond that is rich in organic matter, but low in oxygen. This nutrient rich (dirty) water is then given oxygen and sunlight to help break down the organic matter. The rising of the bubbles creates a current in the pond. The vertical current moves that cold stagnant water up to the surface where breakdown can occur and circulates the oxygen rich top layer of water down to the bottom. In ponds without aeration, the water is in layers like a thermocline. The top layer is warm water that has been warmed by the sun and it creates a layer that traps the cold water to the bottom of the pond. This bottom layer is where most of the pond muck, vegetation, and organic matter is decaying and breaking down. It takes oxygen to break down the organic matter and because of the lack of movement through the water column, the bottom layer becomes stagnant and oxygen depleted.
The pond aerator install fixes that and breaks up the layers of the water. Air rises from the bottom of the pond and brings with it the cold oxygen depleted water and mixes it with the warm oxygen rich water above. After a short time the entire large pond is mixed and turned over. Through time the oxygen now at the bottom of the pond goes to work breaking down the organic matter on the pond bottom and improving the quality of the pond water.
This solar panel system even makes air on cloudy days. The clouds do not decrease the aeration systems output. The nice thing with the solar pond set-up is there are no batteries, wires or anything to store. Just the solar panel on the post mounted at the shore of the pond. The system removed the string and floating algae from this pond in about two weeks. The fish in the pond will be happier and healthier with oxygen rich water. We hope to continue to grow our fish and minnows and baitfish in this clean and clear pond for many years to come.
All Comments (21)
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I added an aerator last year to our 1/2 acre pond which is 11 feet deep at the deepest part of the pond (Kasco 1/4 hp compressor and the Kasco diffuser). The pond was dug 70+ years ago with a grassy bank, but is now surrounded by trees/bushes which dump their organic matter into the pond and there is lot of muck on the bottom of the pond. The pond clarity was usually 6 inches or less in the summer with frequent algae blooms, and stinky and stagnant. We started the aerator in early summer, so we needed to ramp up its aeration over time to allow degassing hydrogen sulfide gas-and it was stinky.... So once the aerator was running 24/7, the pond turned green after about a week later for a week for a week's time, but then started to clear up to a little more than 2 feet after about a month (measured with a Secchi disc). Then 3 - 4 weeks later, the pond clarity improved to almost 3 feet, the clearest the pond has been since about 25 - 30 years ago. Then the duckweed happened and the pond was completely covered. A flotilla of ducks showed up and feasted on the duckweed and eventually ate it all - wow. This coming year I will add a second diffuser, which is needed because the pond is long and narrow, to enhance the mixing/oxygenation at the narrow/shallow end of the pond. Because you have a solar powered aerator, you are only aerating the pond part time, and so the aeration/mixing is reduced compared to one running 24/7. I would wait and see what happens this coming year once the aerator is running starting in early spring. Rather than pond dyes, I suggest beneficial bacteria which is good for the animal creatures, and helps to digest that organic matter, and it outcompetes the algae for the nutrition in the pond. That compressor seems a little tiny, what air flow are you getting? Mine puts out 3 scf/min. Love your videos, they are informative and lots of fun!
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Love your patience and honesty!
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Thanks for the videos
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Lookin forward to spring updates
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Keep making videos love them!! Its always been my dream to build my own pond hopefully i will someday!
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That wasn't a failure. It was just a new pond. Until you get grass established around the pond, run-off is going to cause problems. Cat tails around the edge where most of the run-off enters the pond my help.
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Hi Ryan, just letting you know I feel your pain. we have a dam that is super murky. Ive been looking at wetland/bog style filters on youtube for weeks. Also did some research on david pagan butlers organic pools. We have the same problem, too much nutrient rich run off entering the dam.
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I run the dye on mine. It blocks sunlight and plants can't grow under water. Another method I haven't tried is to sink some bales of barley . Suppose to work
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New sub here. Easy aerator setup. Do you have the pump info ? Thanks.
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Hey try to make a pond sand 55gl filter that should clear up your water over time.
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The key to pond and lake aeration is 1) aerating the deepest portion 2) aerating the entire pond evenly with enough diffusers to achieve a minimum of 4 fluid turnovers / day 3) adding enough cfm (volume of compressed air) that matches the number of diffusers. The unfortunate part of solar aeration is that they are extremely limited due to how much cfm the compressors supply. (1-2 cfm usually) They are also quite expensive compared to Systems that have readily accessible power. It’s all about mixing aka fluid turnover rates. 8-12 fluid turnovers / day is ideal for ponds less than 5 acres in size. 1 fluid turnover is the time it takes to mix the volume of the pond a single time with the installed aeration system. Undersized aeration system will take exponentially longer to achieve noticeable results. Fine bubble aeration will provide the most mixing and the non-turbulent rise rate of the bubbles settles solids out of suspension. Coarse bubbles do the opposite and are not recommended. The next component is to apply beneficial bacteria to digest the organics and nutrients that find there way into the pond. Think of pond aeration as recreating a river in a body of water that lacks both oxygenation and mixing. 3 of the membrane diffusers you installed will significantly improve the results achieved. I design and manufacture aeration systems for a living and I’d be happy to help you or anyone else out via DM. Best of luck with your project!
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Where did you get yours??? I have looked everywhere and yours is the exact one I want?
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What is the brand of the kit? Where did you get it? Looks like the perfect size for my pond
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Do not have your airreatter sitting at the bottom of your pond but have it a foot to a foot 1/2 below the water not close at all to the bottom.
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Add limestone. That will naturally bring up the PH levels. Add some west nile perch. Vegetarian algae eating fish.
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place a few hay bales at the point of water inflow to the pond, they will filter out particulate matter running into the pond
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Hi Ryan, Thanks for this content. I only came across it today. My pond is small but in need of help like yours was. Are you still happy with the aeration system and can you please give a status on how things are going? Thank You!
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I would like to know where you purchased and how much the solar panel cost for that setup in the video??
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Where did you buy that solar kit? Pond dye helps with the sun's ultraviolet rays which contribute to algie and also helps with birds preying on your fish.
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PLANTS!
