A compact surface aerator that packs a punch
about
Air-O-Lator
Air-O-Lator is a USA manufacturer founded in Kansas City in 1961. Renowned for quality craftmanship and powerful performance, Air-O-Lator aerators have a reputation for longevity, ease of use to install/maintain and effectiveness getting the aeration job done.
- Born in the USA
- Solar options available
- All parts stocked locally
why choose this aerator
Professional Highlights
What's included in the Professional kit
Specs
| Mains Power | Flow Rate* (lph) | O2 Transfer* (kg/hr) |
| Professional ½hp | 84,000 | 0.89 |
| Professional ¾hp | 96,000 | 0.91 |
| Professional 1hp | 270,000 | 1.1 |
| Professional 2hp | 287,400 | 1.36 |
*Measurements taken from local tests or extrapolated from US60Hz data and are approximations. Solar models will fluctuate based on local conditions.
How does surface aeration work?
Eradicating blue-green algae and aquatic weeds in 6 weeks with an Air-O-Lator aerator
Avalon Nursery near Ballarat was having a problem with red azolla and blue-green algae in one of their irrigation dams.
We recommended installing a 1.5hp solar-powered Air-O-Lator Carnival Aerating Fountain. Within days of installing the aerator, the weeds and blue-green algae began to retreat. After just 6 weeks, the weeds and algae were completely gone. The smell had disappeared too.
Frequently Asked Questions
Mains-powered Air-O-Lator Professional Aerators start at approx. 0.5m tall and 2m wide for the ½ hp motor and go up to 0.5m tall and 3.5m wide for the 2 hp motor. While the spray height doesn’t vary significantly as the motors scale up, the volume of water being ejected does. For instance, a ½ hp motor ejects around 84,000LPH, while a 2 hp motor ejects around 287,400LPH. This volume of water is what impacts aeration, which is why a ½ hp motor can aerate up to ¼ acre of water, while a 2 hp motor can aerate up to 1 acre of water. Solar motors have the ability to match mains-powered motors in spray height and width, but only in optimal sun conditions.
The general rule for a mains-powered Air-O-Lator Professional Aerating Fountain is you halve the horsepower to get the aeration acreage. So, a 1hp motor can aerate a ½ acre water body. This is based on optimal conditions, however. For instance, sun exposure, water temperature, dam shape and depth, nutrient levels, surrounding land use etc all need to be considered. Solar equivalents are more like 1 to 3, e.g. a 1.5hp motor aerates a ½ acre dam. This is because the aerator only operates when the solar panels are catching the sun. We would need to look at your water body’s specs to provide a more accurate estimation.
Yes and no. They pump the same amount of water when sunlight is optimal, but the sun is obviously not always out and optimal. And at night, a solar-powered aerator isn’t running at all. It means you need a larger horsepower motor to do the same job. So, if the ratio of a mains-powered surface aerator is 1 to 2 (1hp aerates ½ acre), then for a solar-powered aerator, the ratio is more like 1 to 3 (1hp aerates ⅓ acre). We would need to look at your water body’s specs to provide a more accurate estimation.
Yes, you can. The kit comes with instructions and is fairly easy to assemble. It can also be put together with common tools like a spanner, screw drivers etc. If you prefer someone else to do it, we offer an installation service for customers in the Melbourne area. Or we can put you in touch with a local installer.
It’s best if the equipment is installed by a solar-accredited and licensed electrician. That said, if you’re familiar with solar equipment and setups, you may be capable of doing the bulk of the setup yourself (e.g. arranging and mounting the solar panels and putting the aerator on the water), before getting an electrician to do the final hookup.
We can supply solar panels and racking to suit the capacity of the solar controller and aerator motor. You can also use your own solar panels and racking, but you’ll need to send us the specs on the back of the solar panel so we can advise if the panels are suitable or not.
If the solar panels are in good condition, you may be able to use them. That said, if there is not enough wattage, the system won't work well, and if there's too much voltage, you can potentially damage the solar controller. Send us a photo of the specifications panel on the back of the solar panels, and how many panels you have, and we’ll let you know if we think they’re appropriate.
You're best to have the power source as close to the water's edge as possible to remove the need for burying the aerator cable in a deep trench with conduit. This will also make it easier to remove the aerator for any maintenance or replacement in years to come without having to pull the cable up from underground. We have two cable lengths: 30m and 40m. All solar-powered aerators come standard with a 30m cable. Mains-powered aerators come with a standard 30m cable for the ½ hp and ¾ hp motors, and a 40m cable for 1hp motors and above. That said, we can supply any cable size required.
The Professional Aerator uses a square float with tie off points in each corner (total of 4). Anchor each corner using concrete blocks and lengths of marine-grade rope. Drop the concrete blocks into the water approx. 2-3m away so they form a pyramid shape with the fountain being the pointed end of the pyramid. You want a bit of slack to accommodate water level fluctuations but not so much that the float spins 360 degrees when anchored because this could cause the motor cable to wrap around the anchor cables and risk damage. The sweet spot is to be able to rotate the float up to 270 degrees (or less) when anchored. In small dams you can also anchor the float to opposing banks by tying it off to star pickets.
Only if you turn it off at the power outlet before entering the water because the power source is in the water. If you frequently use the water for swimming, and you don’t want to turn the aerator off and on, we recommend using a sub-surface aerator instead because the power source is not in the water.
