Why aerate?

For a pond, aeration is a preventive maintenance tool. Some folks look at a pond and figure it pretty much takes care of itself without any help. Truth is, a pond begins to fill in the moment it is built. In time, granted a long time, silt (inorganic) and organic material (decaying leaves, grass clippings, aquatic weeds) accumulates at the pond bottom. In nature this is a fact of life; in a "display" pond, however, a buildup of bottom sediments reduces the depth/volume of the pond and will in time, dependent upon the speed with which the sediment accumulates, necessitate "dredging" to restore the pond to its original volumetric and aesthetic specs.  Aeration provides a means to hasten the breakdown of organic sediments, reducing the buildup of total sediment and in turn prolonging the intervals between dredging. To summarize: less organic bottom muck, less offensive odors, less algal growth, enhanced fish habitat, better fishing potential.  BACK TO TOP

What's that smell coming from my pond, and will aeration get rid of it?

Water, by nature, is denser as it cools. In a small pond not subject to significant wind or wave activity, the cooler water tends to sink and stay at the bottom of the pond. Water isolated at the bottom is relatively oxygen poor as compared to warmer surface water, which is exposed to the atmosphere. This water provides little or no oxygen for the aerobic decay of organic sediment; consequently, the decay takes place through an anaerobic process, which is slow and produces noxious byproducts such as hydrogen sulfide and methane. The result is the funky, rotten-egg, swampy smell associated with stagnant water. Aeration can prevent this process by enabling aerobic decay, which is a more rapid process with the far less noxious byproducts of carbon dioxide and water. BACK TO TOP

What size aerator do I need?

Functionally speaking, the rule of thumb for sizing in a roughly regular shaped pond of less than 15 feet in depth is about 2 horsepower per acre. Aesthetically speaking, a surface display in balance with the overall dimension of the pond. BACK TO TOP

When is the best time of day to aerate?

Plants generate oxygen through photosynthesis by daylight and carbon dioxide through respiration by dark above and below the water. Photosynthesis takes place in vascular plants and in algae below the water. During the daylight hours, the pond's dissolved oxygen (DO) level is enhanced by plants, but depleted by night -- so the darkest hour, DO-wise is just before the dawn. These cyclic ups and downs are not harmful unless a proliferation of algae or bloom, creates a very large shift in the ups AND downs. Algal blooms lead to large algal die offs which consume large amounts of DO from the water column if the pond. Aerating from dawn to "lights out" in the summer months will help to mitigate the ups and downs of DO levels. BACK TO TOP

How much electricity will an aerator consume?

Kilowatt (Kw)=(Amperage)(Voltage)(Power Factor)/1000

[Power Factors:  1Hp=0.81; 2 Hp=0.82; 3 Hp=0.96; 5 Hp=0.99]

Using the cost per Kilowatt Hour charged by your utility provider, you can also use this formula to compute an hourly cost for running an aerator. BACK TO TOP