How to Install a Matala Aeration Kit

When you open up your “bag of goodies” from Matala, you’ll see a bunch of fittings. If you’re not already experienced with it, there’s a lot here, and it can be overwhelming. Fortunately, it’s straightforward to set up once you know what goes where.

We’re going to go through the steps to install your Matala Aeration Kit so you can get it done safely, efficiently, and without worrying. We’ll walk you through the process of assembling your air station, connecting the hoses, balancing the airflow, and performing basic maintenance.

What’s in the Bag

When you open up your Matala Aeration Kit, you’ll find a few key components and fittings. Let’s break these down so you can easily understand what’s in play:

– Air delivery pipes

– Hose clamps

– Washers (one flat, one split)

– Optional check valve kit

– Multi-stage hose tails for different hose sizes

If you’ve bought your system from us, you’ll have some stuff in there that isn’t listed. If you didn’t, you’ll just have the standard stuff.

Step 1: Preparing the Air Station Base

Start by filling the base of the air station with gravel or blue metal (crushed basalt or granite aggregate) to give it enough weight to stay in position on the dam floor. It’s a good idea to tape it up before you start, so there’s no dirt and grit in there that’s going to make it hard.

Once you’ve filled the air station base, push the diffuser pipe down into its place on the base and fit the clamp over the top. Place the flat washer on the bottom of the pipe and the split washer on top before tightening the clamp.

This setup is the exact same process whether you’re using the single-disc or the twin-disc air station. If you had a twin-disc system, you’d have another piece that comes up and branches out, so there’s a disc on either side. But everything else about the assembly is the same.

Step 2: Adding the Check Valve

Next, you’ll need to attach your check valve (if you’ve got one). This one-way valve prevents water from backflowing into the airline if the system shuts down. The valves have an arrow on them pointing in the direction of the air flow — you want to make sure it points away from the pump and towards the diffuser. If you put it on the wrong way, nothing happens. You won’t get any air going through, and you’ll end up overpressurising the air pump at the compressor or pump end.

Screw it in gently — you don’t need to over-tighten any of these fittings, and you don’t need to use plumber’s tape.

Step 3: Connecting the Hose

The kit has multi-stage hose tails that let you connect hoses of various sizes. You should have a ⅜ inch tail, which you need to leave as it is, and a ½ inch or a ⅝ inch tail. For the ½ or ⅝ inch tail, you’ll want to trim off smaller sections to widen the fitting.

This can be fiddly, so take your time. Attach the hose to the check valve fitting and lightly tighten the clamp with a shifter — just enough to secure it without damaging the plastic.

We use a riser in a deeper or dirtier dam with more sludge. This lifts the disc up further than the sludge. They sit in the sludge anyway because of the large base, but it’s a good idea to use a riser when you’re going into deeper waters. You want to screw these up so that they’re hand-tight.

Step 4: Positioning the Air Station

If you’re working in a larger dam, you’ll want to use a small boat or kayak to position the air station. You’ll want to keep the air hose coiled in the boat with you as you paddle out. Then, once you’ve reached the intended location, you should:

Cut the hose to length
Connect it to the air station
Paddle slightly beyond your drop point to allow for slack
Gently lower the air station straight down into the water

As long as it’s the right way up when you drop it, it will land the right way up in the water.

Step 5: Connecting the Pump and Manifold

At the power source, you’ll need to connect the pump. Your pump cabinet has a built-in exhaust fan and multiple air outlets — typically ⅜ inch. For longer runs, use ½ inch or ⅜ inch hoses to reduce resistance. These are heat-resistant hoses because when they run back to the air pump, they run quite hot. All the fittings inside will get hot, so if you don’t use a non-heat-rated hose, it will melt things.

We often set up remote systems where the air pump is about a hundred metres away from the dam. That’s fine, but in this case, we need to connect the pump to a secondary manifold that feeds a single, one-inch line, which runs down to the dam via a weighted hose. Your large hose will connect to the manifold, and then the weighted hose extends out to the water. It will sit with a valve box on top, with the hoses running underneath.

Step 6: Balancing the Air Flow

Once everything’s connected and running, check the water surface. You’re looking for an even “boil” of bubbles coming from your diffuser. If one station is stronger than the others, adjust the air valves.

You can try these steps for balancing:

– Slightly close the stronger outlet

– Slightly open the weaker outlet

– Make small adjustments of about a quarter of a turn each time

You want the diffusers bubbling evenly. If you leave all the valves open, you end up with one or two of them working while the others won’t, because all the air will try to escape through the shortest, shallowest run. You need to balance these to make sure that the bubbles are somewhat uniform.

Step 7: Troubleshooting and Maintenance

If your pressure builds up, there’s a pressure relief valve. If pressure gets too high, it will actually pop off and start making one hell of a noise — that’s telling you there’s something very wrong here: a blockage. But on the other hand, if you have pumps pumping away with no air coming out and the pressure gauge is at zero, it means the pistol seals are gone.

If that’s happened, you’ll need a rebuild kit to replace the seals and piston cups. This is a job you could do yourself, but we can come out and do it instead if you’d prefer.

Next, you’ll want to ensure you give your Matala system the proper maintenance to keep it at its best. These are the most important things you can do:

– Clean the air filter: Do this every few months. Unscrew it, rinse it, and rotate a clean spare back in.

– Check for balance at the surface: If it’s not balanced, adjust the valves.

– Flush your diffusers: You’ll occasionally want to flush your diffusers by isolating one at a time. Close two, open one fully, and then rotate through each to help dislodge any buildup.

Final Check

Once you’ve followed all the steps, troubleshooted any problems, and balanced your air stations, they should be happily bubbling along. Congratulations — your aeration system is ready to provide reliable, low-pressure oxygenation. You’ve got the perfect conditions for keeping your dam clear, fresh, and healthy all year round.

Need Help or a Professional Installation?

If you’re looking for more specialist help or if you want a no-fuss professional installation, contact us. We can guide you through the process, troubleshoot any issues, or handle the entire installation so you don’t have to.