Improve Your Pond's Water Quality with Surface Aerators
Lakes and ponds can be amazing assets (or headaches) for HOA communities, golf courses, businesses, and private property owners. We understand the challenges decision-makers face when caring for their water resources and strive to support them with tools like aeration to keep their waterbodies in peak condition for all to enjoy.
Surface Aerators vs. Other Aeration Solutions
Aeration is one of the original solutions used in lake and pond management. While aeration equipment has evolved over the decades, the purpose hasn’t changed – to circulate and oxygenate the water column. Floating fountains are usually the most recognizable type of aeration thanks to their eye-catching spray patterns and lighting features, but there is not always a need for the bells and whistles that set them apart. If function is more important than form, stakeholders can find great success with a surface aerator.
Surface aerators share a resemblance to fountains, but instead of pleasing conical patterns and pretty nozzles, surface aerators run at lower speeds with large propellers that produce a boil-like flow on the surface of the water. Because they maintain strong flow and inject up to 3 pounds of oxygen per horsepower hour into the water, they are an effective tool to help maintain balanced water quality conditions.
System Installation, Placement, and Maintenance
Surface aerators are an excellent choice for ponds with less than 4-6 ft. of average depth. The circulation and oxygenation benefits provided by surface aerators become more limited beyond that depth. An aquatic expert can evaluate the shape and size of your waterbody, determine how many units you might need, and identify where to place them for maximum impact.
An aquatic expert may often recommend pairing surface equipment with a bottom aerator that diffuses oxygen from the bottom. As the bubbles rise to the surface, they circulate the water column and prevent thermal stratification. Together, these aerators can reach the entire water column.
Like floating fountains, surface aerators are typically powered by an electric or solar powered on-shore compressor and do require recurring maintenance to ensure they keep working at full capacity and remain in peak condition well into the future.
The Benefits of Surface Aerators
Oxygen is essential to life on earth, even under the water. Dissolved oxygen promotes a flourishing ecosystem full of beneficial fish, microbes, and native aquatic plants. It also helps preserve aesthetic beauty by supporting healthy water quality.
Surface aerators are an important tool in lake management, but only one part of the toolbox. In addition to floating fountains and submersed aerators, new oxygenation solutions are in development to inject dissolved oxygen directly into the water column.
Adopt an Integrated Management Approach
Ultimately, the most effective and cost-efficient management approaches integrate a full array of proactive solutions that support a healthy waterbody – one that brings joy and peace of mind to those who rely on it:
Learn more about these proactive management solutions:
Enhance Water Quality with Oxygen
Discover the benefits of aeration solutions! These systems can help introduce oxygen into the water column, creating a more balanced ecosystem. When water quality is more balanced, nuisances like weeds and algae are less likely to develop.
