In summer months circulators can
move water out of dead end canals or keep floating debris from
accumulating around docks. In winter months circulators
deice to maintain open areas in lake or ocean ice.
Details:
A combination of thick ice and heavy snow can in
some instances be cause for concern in lakes/ponds. If your body
of water has a high concentration of organic material or it is
heavily infested with rooted plants in the summer, there is a
chance that severe winter conditions could result in a fish kill.
In shallow lakes that experience heavy ice and snow cover,
sunlight can not always penetrate through these layers. Without
sunlight there is no photosynthetic activity to produce oxygen, so
instead oxygen is consumed as plants die off. An open area as
small as a few percent of the overall water surface is typically
sufficient to aerate and prevent a winterkill. Keep in mind that the
saturation level for oxygen in water is temperature dependent.
Colder water will hold more oxygen. Because fish are cold blooded,
their metabolism is slowed down in winter, so only a small amount
of oxygen is required to satisfy the oxygen demand for the fish.
Introducing oxygen to the bottom depths via our circulators
allows faster decomposition of the bottom muck layer even in the
winter months.
Ice-free areas are kept open by moving warmer
bottom water to the surface and by simple physical movement to
inhibit ice formation. Aeration occurs
via diffusion at the air/water interface. Precise open area in
winter is a function of air and water temperature, water depth,
and method of mounting the unit. In certain conditions,
particularly in very small, shallow ponds (3 feet or under),
circulators may not be effective for ice prevention, however these
types of units are more efficient than our other units at moving
water and keeping an area ice-free. They do not splash water into
the air and "super -cool" the water.
Various methods of installing our
circulators.
ROPE SUSPENSION -The units can by mounted
in either a vertical or angled position with ropes or cables.
UNIVERSAL DOCK MOUNT- We offer an optional dock mount,
which allows for either a vertical or several angled positions.
FLOTATION KIT- Circulators can be suspended from our
optional float kit
