Pond Aeration Pumps - Three Popular Designs And How To Choose The Best One For Your Pond.

[@michaelofordum7521]

thanks for the video, I am about to work on a waste treatment system, we will have about 5 pumps for 3 tanks, the tanks are mounted surfaced though. Your information here is helpful

[@FKongvold]

Great video explaining the differences. Thank you! I'm having trouble figuring out a good plan to take care of my 6 acre farm pond that runs 3-6ft deep. The inline makes the most sense for cost of operation but covering the distance is tough with power only available on one side of the pond.

[@klmponds]

I agree with you...this is a big pond, and the other challenge is not much depth to work with. If you would want to email me through the website I can take a look at it and at least try and offer some suggestions - americanaeration.com/pages/pond-aeration-advisor

[@Project_Happy]

I have a few questions if you'd be kind enough to answer It would be very appreciated, sorry if you already answered the same ones already. The pond I'm installing aeration in is around 2 acres 24ft in the deepest section (middle ish of pond) Will running a diaphragm pump (hiblow 10ft rated) in the shallower section at 9 feet still be moderately effective assuming it is above the thermocline? If I split the hose to two diffusers on the diaphragm pump am I over stressing the pump diaphragm? lastly in relation to the first question... forgive poor wording but if I run a rocking pistol in the deepest depth for limited hours daily say 2-4 (24ft) will the combination of the diaphragm pump running 24 hours a day change the answer to the first question or how will it effect?

[@klmponds]

Hi John...so if you already have the HiBlow and want to use it there's no issue in doing so as long as you give it some room on the depth. If you don't have that aerator yet, I'd pass and just get a rocking piston to handle multiple diffuser locations. A single 1/4 HP pump would do it, or if you wanted a bit more air, you could go to a 1/2 HP. One diffuser doesn't have to be at the deepest but it should be reasonably deep...Anything around 15 to 20' will cover a bit more than an acre in size, so if the second diffuser is at 9' that would cover it all pretty well. But you would likely want to try to aerate most of the pond with something and aerating just in the shallow section, while useful at times, is not going to help as much with water quality or coverage. I mean, in reality you can try anything and see how it goes. No harm in that and if you can save money great...but being under aerated like that isn't usually going to produce the results you want. On the two diffuser arrangement....you want to have a manifold on the pump that has a valve for each diffsuer...this way you can control air flow between them as you wish, even with the depth variances. Splitting the line, such as with a T or such is not going to work becasue air will go to the point of least resistance...ie, the shallow diffuser. Does this help for you?

[@Project_Happy]

Thanks for replying. Yeah, I already have a hiblow running before I stumbled across your video, got the 80, undersized for the acreage. (thought process was some aeration is better than none, and it could at least keep the beach/dock area nicer) You was very helpful, and I think it's awesome you respond to peoples questions. I was curious about any experience with undersized/above thermocline aeration and how beneficial it might be, I knew starting out I would have to swallow the power bill and end up running a rocking piston, at least part of the day. @@klmponds

[@klmponds]

@@Project_Happy no problem at all. So my honest opinion is I don't think the limited aerating will help that much...but it can provide some place for fish to go that's better aerated. And, heck, I could be wrong. Since you have it in hand, see how it does and if you need to do more, you can over time. The 1/4 HP rocking pistons that you would use in the deeper water cost about 15 bucks a month to run full time. So not bad really...not as cheap as a linear of course but not bad for what they cover. Don't feel you need some kind of big pump just because of the depth. The 1/4 HP will handle it fine and you can put one diffuser on it to start, use your hiblow in the shallower area and you'd have good coverage if you need to go that way. Budget wise the best I have is the Easy Pro PA34...we have sold those for many years and it's been a good system for a reasonable price. americanaeration.com/sentinel-1-4-hp-aeration-system/

[@jamesandcheryljune1404]

Are the output port fittings / screw threads all standard? I have a Thomas 2680CE44 but nothing specifies what size connector fits the discharge port to connect the distribution manifold.

[@klmponds]

Hi James...so across the board, no, the threads/ports are not the same on the different types of pumps. On most rocking pistons though like your Thomas, the port/thread size should be 1/4" fpt. I hope this helps for you! Mark

[@JustAnotherGoddess52]

Thank you for this information. Do you have a video on solar pump aerators?

[@klmponds]

Hi Ann...you're welcome. The only videos I have for solar aerators is just a rundown of the brands and models we carry...and perhaps the pros and cons of alternative energy aeration you might say. Would either one of these be of interest?

[@skostro100]

Hi, hopefully you can help me out. I want to use a HIBlow 60 pump. I'll use 75' of weighted line in the water. I also would need 75' of something a little cheaper to run from the pump to the water. Any suggestions? Also, I'm confused about hose diameter. What size ID would be right for my setup? I can locate the difusser anywhere from 3-6' of water. Thanks in advance.

[@klmponds]

Hi Steve! For the over land run of airline you can go with non-weighted poly line. Something like this with an inside diameter of 3/8 is fine. amzn.to/3RkE1C0 Most weighted tubing that you'll see is 3/8 ID, but sometimes 1/2, and 5/8 is used...the latter being for longer runs of airline. Theres nothing wrong with any of them really, but for most standard installs, 3/8 is fine. With your shallow depths and relatively short runs of tubing, I would say 3/8 would fit for you as well.

[@skostro100]

@@klmponds thank you

[@jonathanrhodes4788]

Thank you! This was very informative! I am curious to know how loud each can be and their recommend proximity to a home.

[@klmponds]

Hi Jonathan...great question. Its tough to answer for all these pumps but I can tell you about two of them. So the linear pumps, like the one on the far right are very quiet...they just basically hum a little bit. The 1/4 HP rocking piston pumps...in a normal aerator system, with a cabinet, they have been rated around 65 db from 10' away. This db level has been compared to a window air conditioner...as one example. The Kasco pumps when purchased in a system come with a module that really quiets them down...you can purchase this module separately too for older systems...it's purpose is just to monitor the air intake filter and tell you when it needs changed, but it dropped sound out of the pump by 34% which was pretty good! None will ever be silent but they are getting better all the time and to be honest, most people don't seem to think they are very loud at all. Thanks again for the question.

[@jonathanrhodes4788]

@@klmponds Thank you for the quick reply! Again, this is great information. I would like to install a system sooner rather than later, however to install the system away from the house would require greater electrical work. I could install it near the house (which is approximately 30ft-40ft from the edge of the water), but I fear this would be loud for my neighbor and I. I am fairly certain I need a rocking piston compressor. Would it make an auditable difference if the compressor is in a cabinet mounted to concrete versus a cabinet fixed to a post?

[@klmponds]

​@@jonathanrhodes4788 you are welcome! So one thing to note...you don't necessarily need to run power to the water...at least in terms of running one of these aerators. We use burial airline all the time for what I would call remote power. The pump and possible protective cabinet goes by the power source, then you run airline in ground to the pond edge and the weighted airline goes in the water and down to the difuser. Its usually a lot cheaper doing this than running electrical. But if you want power near the pond anyway, then for sure, that's doable. Good question on the ground vs post mount. I don't know that I have a super accurate answer for you as I think it more has to do with the cabinet's ability itself to buffer the sound output. My perception is you might have a bit less vibrational noise out of a poly cabinet over a metal one, but I have no evidence to back that up...and the difference would probably be slight. I like this question though so I'll do more research on this and see what we can find out.

[@jaquelinewhitfield8753]

@@klmponds We have a wooden post that we ran conduit to from our outbuilding and took the post to the edge of the water. Installed 4 gfi outlets on the post. Works great. Use a "fake rock" to cover everything up and keep the noise level down.

[@TEKTONTIM1956]

On our Half acre pond (14 feet deep in one end and then up to about 6 feet in shallow end) .. I INSTALLED A KASCO SURFACE BUBBLER ( some call them “boilers ?”…) this past Spring(2023) … the results are remarkable. I Use SONAR RTU AS WELL as Tsunami and others for aquatic weed control. Dark blue lake dyes have also provided benefit by slowing down the photosynthesis of aggressive algae growth. It took a massive amount of duckweed and our pond “turning” resulting in a massive fish kill …. For me to better educate myself and get things right.

[@MrMr-hq1se]

The 1/2 hp has a bridged intake and exhaust. Are these motors designed to block one end or designed to have an intake filter on each end? I don't want to overwork it and the pistons probably aren't timed to run opposite of each other. Thoughts? If you run dual intake then should you also run dual exhaust instead of single with a split?

[@klmponds]

So I spoke with a Kasco engineer about this. He said he did lots of testing using both in ports and there was no benefit in doing so. There was minimal at best extra air flow so he said no need to use both. And if you did decide to run a dual intake you would not need to run a dual exhaust since extra airflow would be very minimal. Basically all of the systems we work with using dual pistons have one intake port open, and one out-port open. The air filter goes on the intake and the out-port has a brass elbow that connects to a heat resistant hose...or a multi-valve manifold. These of course ultimately lead to the airline that goes to the diffusers. We have great performance and great longevity out of them. Hopefully this helps answer your question.

[@antarjot]

Thank u for the video. I'm from India and was starting a fish business with a half Arce fish pond with a depth of 8 to 10 feet. Which aerator would work well for me. I would be doing intensive farm.

[@klmponds]

Hello! I would investigate a couple diffferent things. For a sub-surface aerator system, you could look for a 1/4 HP rocking piston pump as pictured in the video here. There is also a 1/4 HP rotary vane which would work at the depth you have. And for fish farming, you might consider looking at a surface aerator of some type. Those are often desirable for fish farming in warm/hot weather. A 1/2 or 3/4 HP model would work for a surface aerator.

[@antarjot]

@@klmponds thank you again, why a surface aerator? Do they work better for fish farm, if yes why so?

[@klmponds]

@@antarjot In certain situations I think the sub surface aerators can warm the water too much in hot weather. It is better to not turn everything over but just aerate at the surface...increasing oxygen in a zone so to speak, without stirring up the entire pond...which increases the temp of the entire pond in warm weather. Fish need a balance of good oxygen levels, and reasonable temps to do their best. Too low of oxygen, or too high temps will cause them problems.

[@antarjot]

@@klmponds thank you ever so much. This was very informative. I'll keep bothering you with more questions 😁

[@klmponds]

@@antarjot your welcome! Reach out anytime:)

[@zzman5306]

Nice video

[@baristucco]

Are the two in the middle the same used to inflate car tires?

[@klmponds]

No...I don't think they would be good for that. These are continuous duty pumps and the air output or psi is not that high. Typically we don't want it to go above 20 psi so systems have a back pressure releif valve built into them.

[@baristucco]

@@klmponds really helpful, Thankx!

[@timlynch6154]

I would be love to have you home out and diagnose my pond. Do you do house calls?

[@klmponds]

Hi Tim! Unfortunately we don't do onsite work much anymore. Maybe a few places in Eastern Iowa where we are located, but that's usually rare. Good news is we don't have to really...I consult with pond owners all across the US and there are ways to figure out what's going on, and what to do about it with a bit of information. Reach out to me anytime you have specific questions...its good of course to send along information on the pond, it's size, depth, and what the current problem might be.

[@timlynch6154]

@@klmponds I will do that. Thanks

[@lukeswain98]

Link please

[@klmponds]

Hi Luke...check the description...there are a number of links there to the pumps, cost to operate, and systems that use them. If you have any specific questions on anything, please reach out. All the best!

[@commonsenseprojects]

Can I leave my air pump outside all winter without running it.

[@klmponds]

The best answer I can give is, it depends. Most people leave their rocking piston pumps out...or I should say in a proective enclosure, cabinet, etc...all winter. Many will run them for fish protection. A linear pump, if it isn't being used, may be better off taken inside. The diaphgrams are rubber and I'm not sure how the cold affects those over the long term. It might shorten their working life. In most cases they aren't costly or hard to replace but I like to get the most life out of them that I can.

[@sweeyong7756]

do these piston pump require an air tank?

[@klmponds]

No, no air tank involved. They generate their own air output.

[@sweeyong7756]

@@klmponds are these silent oiless compressors the same type you find attached to an air compressor with tank usually used for spray painting? cheers.

[@klmponds]

@@sweeyong7756 Unforutnately I'm not sure about that. The only compressors I've seen for painting would have been more for air brushing work...much smaller than what these are.

[@abrahambambara177]

Where can I buy the pump please

[@klmponds]

Hello! The link is in the description but I'll include it here as well. These are the pumps we carry. I should note we only ship within the US at this time. If you are located elsewhere, let me know the pump you are interested in and I can see if the manufactuer has a distributor in your part of the world. americanaeration.com/aeration-pumps/

[@lukeswain98]

I live in Canada where can I buy this pump. Thank you

[@garyrmoore794]

What brand is your rocking piston pump

[@klmponds]

Hi Gary...in this video they are Kascos...but we have several we work with. Easy Pro is common, Airmax, as well as a few more but those are the main ones.