Air pump heated air for winter

[MitchM]

I set up an aerator and a couple of 12" air diffusers for this winter, and it looks like the air is fairly warm that comes out of the air pump. The temperature exiting the pump is about 102F, maybe a bit warmer. It will be interesting how it does running through the ice cover.
I'm also using 5/8" weighted hose which is fairly thick.
The pump doesn't use much power, only 71 watts.
The pump is a Hiblow 80:
http://www.petsandponds.com/en/aquarium-supplies/c5943/c275620/p16750932.html
and these are the air diffusers:
http://www.petsandponds.com/en/ponds-and-supplies/c207495/p17679194.html

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Won't the air compressor run at a considerably lower temperature during the Winter?
How long is the compressor line to the diffusers? That would enter into the final air temp at the diffuser also, don't you think?

 

[MitchM]

Yes, ambient air temperature now is 66F.
The air lines are approximately 20 and 30 feet each.
It will be interesting to see how much lower the output air will be in the cold weather. There's a 40F difference now. I'm skeptical about condensation building up in the air lines and plugging the airlines once the ice layer forms.
I'll also be running the pond breathers.

 

[Tula]

@MitchM , I hope you have better luck then I did, with those diffusers. While they dispersed tons of fine bubbles, the diffusers themselves, only lasted one summer, the rubber ripped. I replaced them the following year, with the same result.

I switched to this diffuser.Matala-Air-Diffusers-99998

They make another one with tandem diffusers. Just thought I'd share my experience

 

[MitchM]

Thanks Tula.
It doesn't look like those are available here in Canada.
I hadn't heard of them before.

 

[Magzire]

30 feet? I think any heat will he zapped out with anything close to 0C.

Did you measure the temps coming out the end?

 

[MitchM]

The airline walls are pretty thick, I guess we'll see this winter.
I did not measure the temps as it reached the air diffuser.

 

[MitchM]

Today's ambient temperature is -17C/1.4F and the air pump outlet temperature is 3.8C/39F.
A difference of 38.6F, about the same as August.

As this winter goes on, we'll see how the aeration setup does. I'll measure the temperatures again when it gets around -25C/-13F. Hopefully there are no condensation/icing up issues with the airlines. I'm not using the pond breathers this year. The cows wrecked them.

So far, the aerators are keeping open holes in the ice.

 

[Tula]

Oh, those naughty cows!

 

[sissy]

what about if you wrap the hose before it goes into the pond with that foam pipe insulation .

 

[MitchM]

I think that could be a good idea sissy.
When the outlet temperature drops below freezing, that's probably when ice will start to form in the airlines.

 

[sissy]

I know I use pipe wrap on my hoses and it even is in the water fall pond and partially in the pond and has not fail one and has not fallen apart .It is cheap also at habitat for humanity it is only 25 cents for a pack of 4 ,they have a whole bin of it .I guess most people here don't care about the water lines .win win for me