Pond aerator or heater???

[sianara]

Quote:
I don't think there's anything to freeze on an aerator. Basically, it's just pumping air into the water, it's not circulating water (which I assume if the water wasn't heated with a circulating pump it would then freeze up). Right now I'm trying to figure out how strong an aerator I need to keep the 337 gallons liquid.

I'm unfamiliar with what the forumula of what psi to volume it needs to be. Anybody know?

 

[katharinad]

They actually do freeze up when they suck freezing moist air or freezing fog into it. This becomes an issue when daytime temps are above freezing. Most of them warn you not to use them in freezing conditions. Also many of them have small aquarium air hoses, which will get compressed if ice around it freezes up. I don't know if there is equipment that is good in freezing temps, so check the air pumps paperwork first.

 

[sianara]

Quote:
Thanks for the info Katharinad. This is part of my frustration - not knowing exactly what product I need to do the job I want. I was thinking an aerator will work because all it's doing is pumping air into water right? I didn't know that they would freeze up when sucking moist air or freezing fog into it. That's probably not the same high concern in New England as it is in OR but I don't want to buy one thinking it will do the job and it ends up not working for me!

I read somewhere that someone used a submersible sump pump in her 750 gal ponds and they kept them ice free. So I've now added submersible sump pumps into my research.

I guess the main problem I'm having is I'm trying to use different products in an application they weren't necessarily designed for. They "might" do the job I need done and they "might" not.

 

[jellybean]

I just use a heated bucket for my ducks in winter, rather than dealing with hoses to fill ponds, etc. It gets cold here, sometimes to -20 or below. I use a cheap stock tank heater, like $40, for my horse tank. It's a med. size rubbermaid tank, so not as big as your pond. It's supposed to shut off around freezing, to just keep the water from freezing. But it actually keeps it lukewarm, in whatever temp we get. And doesn't take that much energy. One of those would for a pond I'm sure, you might want to make sure it's enclosed in wire or something in case it gets real hot or they get tangled in it.

 

[katharinad]

Quote:
We are on the other side of the Cascade mountain and our humidity is only 10-15%, so it would not be a real issue up here. A lot of people don't even know that it gets that dry in the center of Oregon that there are only sand dunes. Wild eh! I started think jacuzzi when you wrote about the submersible pond.

Sorry just came to my mind and made me smile.

 

[The Yakima Kid]

Most people don't know that much, if not most, of Oregon and Washington are very, very, dry. The coastal strip is lush and green; but you find yourself out among the pinyons, juniper, sage brush and bristle cones pretty fast. The Cascades make quite the rain shadow.

The forests off the coastal strip are generally dryland forests. Bend, Oregon gets only 10" of precipitation per year. Klamath Falls receives about 14 inches per year. Madras, OR receives a little over 10" per year although dryland forests are very visible in some areas to the west of the city while forested La Grande receives a whopping 19" of annual precipitation. My own birth place, Yakima, Washington receives less than 8.5 inches of precipitation per year - although it is the orchard capital of the US.

 

[sianara]

You're both right as I didn't realize Oregon was so dry

.

Well, when I get this thing built it WILL look like a hot tub (kinda

). Two years ago I built the 5' x 6' frame, filled it with sand and added a preformed pool (150 gallons) with drain pipe etc. It wasn't winter worthy (because I didn't do the winterizing research before building) and I ended up closing them off from it for that winter.

I also decided I didn't like wasting all that water in the lower level and I found all their poop just sat on the shelves (which I just couldn't stand!) So, I decided to remove the entire pool (it's out in the backyard growing weeds around it now - gotta get it on freecycle before snow flies!) last fall and they spent the winter crawling around in the sand in the semi enclosed 5' x 6' area.

I am bound and DETERMINED to have this new pool built and winter worthy before snow flies this year! I'm now leaning towards a submersible sump pump that is strong enough to aerate the water to keep from freezing and then when I feel the need to empty it (probably 7-10 days) the sump pump will do that too and I can then fill it up with clean water. If I can find the right sized sub sump pump I won't need to deal with a drain.

Anyone use a submersible sump pump in this manner???