Outdoor Water Solutions Windmill Aerator: Wind-Powered Water Quality

We recently installed a windmill-powered dam aeration system for a client in Gippsland, Victoria. This site was the perfect location for this type of installation, and it worked beautifully. 

Today, I want to talk to you about windmill aeration, how it works, and why it’s a great choice for improving water quality.

How Windmill Aeration Works

The Outdoor Water Solutions Windmill Aerator we installed in Gippsland has a compressor behind its spinning blades. This is like the diaphragm pump in a home aquarium, just on a much larger scale. As the windmill blades spin around, the compressor diaphragm pumps air down a hose from the top of the windmill to the edge of the dam or pond. The air sinks through a self-weighted hose to the bottom of the water.

Two diffuser disks at the end of the hose release fine bubbles into the dam or pond — in our Gippsland installation, we used two single discs — and as the bubbles rise, they lift the lower layers of water up to the surface. The lower levels of water are low in oxygen. So as the water hits the surface, it fans out and has good gas exchange between the air in the atmosphere and the air in the water. It circulates the entire body of water, aerates the water and improves the water quality. It destratifies the dam, giving it a uniform temperature throughout. 

The Immediate Effects

After installation, you might notice rings forming around the bubbling area. That’s the “boil” on the surface where the bubbles are rising, and they show that aeration is working — that’s the deeper, oxygen-poor water being brought to the surface. You may also notice a bit of a smell, but that’s normal at this stage. The anaerobic water, which has been sitting at the bottom, is still mixing through.

As anaerobic bacteria don’t need oxygen, they thrive in these low-oxygen conditions. They produce the methane and hydrogen gases that cause these unpleasant smells you’ll experience here. But this stage shouldn’t last more than a few days. Once the pond cycles through a few rounds of oxygenation, you’ll find that the smell fades away and the water quality improves.

Long-Term Benefits

These immediate effects are nice to see, but the long-term benefits are even better. Bringing the oxygen levels back into balance means that aerobic bacteria start to replace the anaerobic ones. This is exactly what we want to happen: aerobic bacteria break down the nutrients and outcompete the duckweed that you’ll see on the surface. It will also help reduce algae, and it’s a very good way of improving the condition of your water.

Over time, you’ll find a clearer, healthier pond that’s easier to maintain.

Aeration is always one of the most effective ways to improve your pond’s conditions. In the Gippsland project, the OWS Windmill Aerator was the perfect choice. The property is right at the top of a hill with a lot of consistent wind and a good supply of nutrients in the water. A windmill system took advantage of natural energy and helped reduce ongoing running costs.

Windmill aeration is an environmentally friendly, low-maintenance solution with fantastic results when used properly.

Want to Improve Your Dam or Pond?

If you’re struggling with nasty odours, algae, and generally poor water quality, aeration can make a huge difference. Whatever its power source, an effective aerator system is the number one method of improving water quality. 

Reach out to us to learn more about how we can design an aeration system that brings your water back to life.