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On-Land Windmill Keeps Pond From Freezing
"I've been experimenting with aeration methods for keeping ponds open for years since we have a nearby lake where it's difficult to keep the fish alive," says Ed Walder, Wittenberg, Wis.
"One problem is that getting electricity to the lake is too expensive because of the distance. That leaves us with few options.
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On-Land Windmill Keeps Pond From Freezing ENERGY Miscellaneous 23-1-7 "I've been experimenting with aeration methods for keeping ponds open for years since we have a nearby lake where it's difficult to keep the fish alive," says Ed Walder, Wittenberg, Wis.
"One problem is that getting electricity to the lake is too expensive because of the distance. That leaves us with few options. I first bought a æwind-powered waddler' that floats on the lake and circulates water . That worked all right when there was wind but when the wind stopped, the unit would freeze.
"I started looking at old farm windmills, wondering if I could put some sort of air pump on one. I built a prototype by copying a neighbor's windmill and hooked it up to a billows. The billows pumped a lot of air, but was very unreliable.
"My next idea was to power a 2-stage air compressor with the windmill. It worked well in warm shop conditions but in cold weather the reed valves in the compressor didn't work. So I made my own head for the compressor using plastic foot valves. This, with the combination of over-filling the oil reservoir with synthetic oil, made this windmill trouble-free in even the coldest conditions.
"My windmill has a 9-ft. dia. propeller that's double-trussed to the center hub. The propeller is galvanized metal and the tail is aluminum. It mounts on a 16-ft. galvanized tower.
"It pumps air to a pair of æairstones' that create a cloud of fine bubbles. A valve next to the airstones does not allow water to go back up the line so that when the wind stops, the supply lines cannot freeze. When the wind picks up, the aeration starts again.
"Air from the windmill will open up a 50-ft. diameter area in winter.
"Besides keeping the surface open, using airstones keeps oxygen levels high, which helps keep fish alive. They also clear up cloudy algae water and prevents formation of methane, ammonia, and hydrogen sulfide gasses associated with anaerobic activities.
"If you're interested in this idea, let me know. We're trying to determine if there's enough interest to start building units commercially."
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ed Walder, Lake Renewal Company, 1525 South County Rd. I, Wittenberg. Wis. 54499 (ph 715 454-6458).
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