Lake Aeration vs. Pond Aeration

Dec 8, 2023

We’ve all seen a backyard pond bubbling throughout the summer, sending ripples across the surface of the water. Some pond aeration is even solar-powered, floating on top of the pond or suctioned to the bottom, pushing water up through the water column or spraying above the surface.  While nice to look at, pond aeration is not the same as lake aeration when it comes to materials, design, and cost efficiency. Some companies offer pond aeration technologies as a solution to serious lake health issues like weeds, muck, and algae. This is a real problem because the tech just doesn’t transfer. Read on to learn why, when it comes to restoring your lake, pond aeration technologies don’t cut it. 

Materials

Pond aeration typically uses rubber membrane diffusers, which are inexpensive and require little cleaning in the first few months of operation. But, peer reviewed studies from the Green Bay Metropolitan Sewerage District and the Water Environment Research Journal have shown that these rubber membrane diffusers lose 30% of their efficiency in the first 12-18 months of performance and cost 20% more to maintain over the long term.  Our lake aeration technology uses ceramic diffusers, which start off more slowly and require more cleaning, but they are the better choice for long-term, large scale lake aeration. Even with added maintenance, our ceramic diffusers deliver cost-savings and higher performance over the long term. 

Design

A backyard pond aeration kit is designed back on water volume and can be installed by anyone. Some companies take this kit-style approach too far when designing lake aeration. They propose a cookie-cutter approach, multiplying one kit developed for 5 acres by 20 in an attempt to service a 100-acre lake. That’s not efficient, and it’s definitely not cost effective! Just take a look at an EverBlue design compared to our competitor’s design, obtained during a sealed bid process:

What our competitor proposed was messy, overwhelming, and invasive. What they could accomplish with 540 diffusers, we did with 25. What they proposed with 16 compressor locations, we designed with just one. And overall, our design was priced 40% lower. Each lake is different and each one will benefit from a thoughtful, efficient, and cost effective design.  A company might tell you they can clean up your lake, but make sure they’re not relying on the principles of ponds. Check out our EverBlue Lakes Solution to learn more about whole lake health.
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