Windmill Choices for Pond Aeration

[teveritt]

I have a small pond (1/10 acre (100ft x 50ft) 8ft deep) that is man made and about 6 years old now. The pond is following the typical cycle of a new pond and is currently in the algae bloom cycle. I've been using chemicals, but want to move to aeration to improve the quality of the pond. First choice in aeration is whether to use an electric pump or a windmill. I'm leaning toward the windmill since it's decorative at the same time and energy efficient. Looking at the various windmill aeration systems available, it looks like these are the primary choices:

• 
  Koenders (Koenders Windmills for water aeration)

• 
  Outdoor Water Solutions (http://www.outdoorwatersolutions.com/store/index.php)

• 
  Superior Windmills (Superior Windmills for Pond Aeration)

• 
  Beckermills (Pond Aeration Windmills from Beckermills, USA)

• 
  American Eagle (Pond Aeration and Pond Windmills from American Eagle Windmill)

Does anybody have any experience with any of these windmills? Can you comment on reliability, maintenance, performance or satisfaction with the product?

Thank you in advance.

 

[Localmotion]

I will be following your progress closely on this one :thumbsup:

We have a slightly smaller pond than you which I dug last year primarily for our small collection of ducks and geese. We installed a reed bed at one end, with a pump to take the water from the deepest (opposite) end and re-circulate it to the top of the reed bed - this has worked well at filtering the duck doo out, but this summer we too have had a few problems with algae (although not too serious as the fish are still thriving).

To try and improve the o2 content, I rigged up three jets running off the same pump, which fire narrow streams of water through the air into the pond. This helped a lot and cured the surface algae blooms, however the water is still of poor quality. Therefore I too have been thinking of installing some type of aeration...

Our problem is that we are on a poor electricty supply - the current pond pump is 1kw, and if I add on a compressor unit for the aerator then my beloved partner Karon will start complaining when the aircon cuts out! I had not even considered the windmill option - so your links are much appreciated

I look forward to reading the responses you get - if the windmill gets a thumbs up from TBN users then I will definately also be looking to purchase one (wonder what the shipping is to Spain?!)

 

[Sraczi]

I'm kind of in the same boat... Til now, I've done a bit of research with price being the biggest differentiator. The windmill option will cost me around $1200 while an air pump will be around $400. The pump I am considering is a: Gast 1/4 HP Rocking Piston Compressor from absoluteaquatics.com . Draws around 350W or $0.50 per day... $200 per year so the windmill pays back on year 5.

 

[jveretto]

In my area of east/central Texas, algae bloom is hard to prevent unless you can prevent fertilizer runoff into the pond. Don't know if you have that runoff but something to consider. Good luck!

 

[teveritt]

In my area of east/central Texas, algae bloom is hard to prevent unless you can prevent fertilizer runoff into the pond. Don't know if you have that runoff but something to consider. Good luck!

Both chemical fertilizer and "natural" fertilizer can sure be an issue. My pond if fed by 3 springs about 100 yards away. Plus all the run-off from the hill sides during heavy downpours. Luckily, with the large acreage lots around here, not many people can afford to use chemical fertilizers. But, the next door neighbor has a horse and he likes to spread out the horse manure around the bottom of the hill...right near those 3 springs. So, I do get "natural" fertilizers which I'm sure contribute to the algae bloom...but, he and the horse were here long before me, so I'm not complaining. The first 3 years, I didn't have any issues, but the past 2 years the algae has been getting worse. Doing research on the life cycle of a pond, this is about right. I'm in the "use chemical" phase, but that will only work for a few more years. The real answer from the research I've done, is to use aeration.

Most windmills use a diaphram type compressor with 1/2" stroke. However, the American Eagle uses a bellows type which looks intriguing. Of course they claim advantages to the bellow. I did find one windmill manufacturer claiming that the diaphram had advantages over a bellow. So, the marketing information confuses everything. I'm hoping someone here may have had experience with an aeration windmill of both types to introduce some truth

 

[Western]

I would go over to the Pond Boss Forums and ask that question, I had a small pond dug a few years (Approx 60' across) ago and also was considering a windmill as an option, especially since I have an extra well hole drilled not far from the pond. The windmill would have been more up from $$, but better on the "eye". I ended up deciding on an electric pump (cost), but never got so far as to install one, (pond drys up to continuously)

I got some good info here on TBN, but there is allot of expertise over on the farmboss site.

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[Biggreenavalanche]

I'll second what western stated, go check out the pond boss forum, it is full of good folks and a lot of free knowledge !

Rich

 

[zzvyb6]

I have a few 1930's era water pumping windmills on the ranch and also have a pond that needs refurbishing. In getting them restored, I've run into guys who use them for pond aeration by hooking a semi-trailer air lift bag onto the pull rod. Then all you need is a garden hose to run the air ot to a bubbler.

The thing to do now is locate the best, most favorable place to locate the mill if that's what you decide on. For some reason, you see a lot of Koenders for sale around here (as in they don't work or work properly or require too much maintenance).

You could also make your own windmill from a semi-tractor's cooling fan and an air compressor block. Be sure to locate it in a safe area. My dog nearly got wacked by the fan blades of one when it was on a test stand. For some reason, little kids also have a fascination for touching the blades of a spinning windmill fan.

 

[GGB]

I bought a used Koender last year for one of our ponds (.7 acre), and have been very pleased. My total cost including purchasing 100' of weighted airline and an antifreeze system is right at $1000. Since putting it up, there has been almost no scum or algae. I haven't had to put any chemicals or beneficial bacteria either, which should give me a payback in less than 3-4 years. And it just looks great next to our barn.

Speaking of chemicals, I've come to the decision that using anything other than beneficial bacteria may do more harm than good in the long run. The chemicals like copper sulfate will kill the good bacteria in addition to the algae and scum. Read up and see if you don't agree. All I'll use now is a liquid beneficial bacteria or even good old Rid-X. In the pond next to the house (2+ acres) which doesn't have a windmill or electric aeration system yet, I'll pour a couple gallons of liquid beneficial bacteria in early in the spring, which seems to help avoid algae buildup. And when I see algae starting, I'll add another gallon or two right away, but this year all I've done is the first application this spring. Now cattails are a different story-they've gone crazy again this year, so I've got work to do to get them back under control.

From my research, it looked like the American Eagle windmills would have made the short list if I were buying a new one. They use a 4 leg tower vs the 3 leg towers on most other windmills. And the bellows they use seems to be very rugged, but the others seem to work well. Maybe someone else can chime in here.

For the pond closest to our home, I'll probably do an electric aeration system with a membrane difuser which will do a better job than an airstone. There is some great information on one of the previously mentioned websites about building your own for a very reasonble cost-less than I have in my windmill, but an electric aeration system just doesn't have the visual appeal if that's important.

In any case, if you put in a system, be sure to pay attention to the startup procedures, especially on an electric system. You can actually kill your fish if you start it up and run continuously. You need to start slowly-as little as 10 minutes the first day, 20 minutes the next , and so on. Read up on start up procedures to get a good understanding.

Good luck with the windmill!

 

[teveritt]

Thanks GGB for the info. You've confirmed what I found about the benefits of aeration to eliminate the chemical usage which is a goal that I have. I never thought of using Rid-X instead of the high-priced "pond bacteria".

The bellow on the American Eagle seems to have many benefits including long-term durability and self-regulating pressure. If the hose becomes blocked, such as icing, they claim the excess pressure is automatically released. I'm wondering what customers' actual experience have been though. I did find one website with a comparison on different windmills (The Pond Report > Windmill reviews, windmill aeration for ponds, floating aeration windmills, build windmill aerator), but American Eagle had asked them to withhold the information on their model...that doesn't sit well with me.

Thanks for the info on startup. That makes sense since the lower layer contains the most toxic elements, so you need to be careful on introduing them into the higher layers and giving the pond a chance to release them.