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| Windmill
Aeration & Windmill Pumps Using the power of the wind for aerating a pond or pumping water. Please contact us by email for windmill recommendations. If you want to generate electricity with a windmill click here  Whenever I go to visit a pond in need of help I am always asked of the effectiveness of windmill aeration systems to supply the circulation and oxygenation needed to restore a pond that is full of stinky muck and sludge or feeling the common problems of thick algae growth on the surface. Of course an electric aeration system might be more efficient in the end there is still the idea that a windmill could assist in beneficial ways and as such would require no costs beyond the initial installation and proper anchoring of the windmill. The idea is sound and understandable with the cost of operating an aerator but sometimes a windmill is not all it is cracked up to be despite the best marketing points of dealers and the manufacturers of these devices. Before we continue I'd like to mention a few things. These windmills DO NOT create electricity and cannot be tinkered with or jimmy-rigged to create AC current. These pump air into ponds or pump water using air. So if you want to generate electricity and go off-grid then you need a windmill to generate electricity .
One more thing to keep in mind is that you can probably aerate a pond
cheaper with a small efficient electric system. The ideal of not paying
for kilowats of power to aerate is completly valid but windmills will
cost you at least $1500 and that doesn't include footings, time to
build it, etc. Expect $2000 to $6000 in costs.
The Windmill
Tower For the last
20 odd years the principle style of windmill tower has been a three-legged
twenty foot structure made of galvanized metal. The average footprint
of a 20 foot windmill is between 84 and 100 inches depending on
the precise model being purchased. There are similarities between
the models so ensure than the retailer offers the precise distance
for the anchoring pins especially if you want to anchor them into
cement footing prior to erecting the windmill tower. I have seen
some poor souls anchor their pins in 12 inch diameter sonotubes
only to discover that their footings were off center by 2 inches
and the results were not pretty! The three-legged windmill tower
has been popularized by the Koenders and Superior brand of windmills. A new arrival
on the scene is the uni-pole or single pole mount windmill. Until
now I've seen many people mount the head of a windmill on a number
of structures from old radio towers to telephone poles with limiting
degrees of success. The single pole can be aesthetically more appealing
to many pond owners who find that next to their pond the three or
four legged structure appears either too old-fashioned or too much
like a power company or cellphone broadcast tower! Let me get back
to the diaphragm: typically a sheer rubber circular piece of heavy
duty flexible composite material creates a seal on the pump head
and as the blades or fans of the windmill turn it pulls and pushes
the diaphragm and the sealed chamber builds up pressure and pumps
it down an airline towards the diffuser, airstone or diffuser tubing
in the pond. Because the high pressure capacity of the windmill
you can run a tubing length of up to several hundred feet and your
diffuser can be placed in a depth of over 20 feet. There are so
many options when it comes to windmill airiation that it is crucial
to use due diligence and to look for the best deal. But beware,
the best deal isn't always the cheapest. I have seen some people
save a few hundred dollars by buying a windmill on eBay but then
they got no service or tech support when things go wrong. My advice
has always been: deal with a company that does more than sell pond
supplies; make sure they have an actual store, with employees and
a track record of knowing what they are doing. There is more to
doing the right thing than saving a few dollars; getting good advice
and information is worth much more in the long run. High Air Output
and pressure capability with flows from 3.0 - 4.5 CFM rating depending
on wind speed. Compressor rated at 30 psi meaning you can aerate
a pond up to 50 feet deep! If you have one that deep let me know
because you must use a submarine to see the bottom! Outdoor Water
Solutions is also the only company to offer a full 5 year warranty
on their compressors bearing's and cam's! Koenders Windmills Made in Canada. For questions on suitability for your project email The Pond Report The diaphragm system of the Koenders compressors can deliver up to 30PSI which is great for deep water performance and is many times higher than the American Eagle. CFM ranges from 1.5 to 3CFM depending on if you have a single or dual diaphragm model. Koenders windmills have been in the windmill business for years and have undergone many changes in the last few years. Their website now claims they were voted the number one windmill in 2012 and there is a link to a website they created that says indeed they are number one. It makes us roll our eyes when these companies hire companies to create multiple blogs and websites to rave about how goof their products are! Heck, these guys even made a website called PondReports.com many years after The Pond Report website was started and they tried to use our good name to boost their own products! But we're talking about windmills and specifically Koenders so let's not focus on a website company called Relemtless Technology that creatse a bunch of spammy pages that appear as independant blogs and websites to boost Koenders reputation. Who know...but it's good to check things out! First, their products: They have three tower heights to choose fro: 12, 16 and 20 and new 24 foot tall tower towers (all with three legs) and they have a sleek and modern windmill the 25 foot high Uni-Pole Windmill Aeration System. Their Single Diaphragm Pump Compressor produces up to 1.5 CFM and the double pump compressor produces up to 3 CFM. Their comprehensive warranty is a solid three years on the their windmills. Their continuing efforts to improve quality have paid off, especially for consumers who want a quality aerating windmill, and in the newer Windmill Installation Manuals they reference to the offset hole technology they use which adds to the overall strength of the structure. Having to use tapered alignment punches and needle nose vice grips slows down the assembly but it adds to the strength enormously; some competitors use slotted holes to overcome this perceived ‘problem’ but when a nut comes loose then the strength is lost completely. The strength of any windmill is one of the keys to safety and longevity and Koenders Windmills have, through their years of product development, produced some of the best innovations in windmill technology that competitors often try to imitate. Fairly easy to build, a DVD is included in their kits, but watch the barbs on the metal when building the unit; gloves are recommended and handy gloves are sold by Koenders. They claim that the single pump head is suitable for up to 2 acre ponds and the deeper the aisrtone the more acreage you can airiate with a windmill. Koenders windmills have been icons of top quality so people wanting to buy a quality Made in Canada windmill should look no further. The quality in Koenders has been proven again and again by thousands of satisfied customers. Head offices in Regina, Canada means decent service anywhere in North America as they ship their mills from their central location very quickly. Pond Report Product Quality & Service Rating™ : 8/10
Superior Windmills Made in Canada. Another three legged system available in 4 sizes, 12',16, 20 and 24'; with Jetstream and Turbo Jetstream options. Superior windmills is based in Saskatchewan Canada, and is a serious competitor to Koenders Windmills. We have heard many customers who bought the Superior models complain about the lack of customer service and the poor quality of the merchandise. Of course time moves forward and we would hope that now after over a decade in business that their systems would have improved in quality. Their website was set-up by the same company that created the Koenders website and the whole range of websites and blogs that were created to give the impression that independent websites were giving glowing recomendations of their products.If you are like us you can see through such veiled attempts at trickery. It's actually been over 5 years that we've had a customer report on Superior so if anyone knows how the quality is p[progressing, if it is getting better or worse, please let us know. The company sent out press releases about how they are doing better but their website and blog seem to be stuck in 2009 so it's hard to tell. They still advertise their systems on the Internet but we can't give a hard and fast rating or review of their systems based on the timeline. Quality issues dogged the company in its early days but since manufacture reverted back to Saskatchewan, the quality has improved dramatically and they now offer excellent value for money Several years ago Superior Windmills designed a dual diaphragm compressor and now apparently hold a patent on this technology. So successful is this design, that the market leader Koenders Windmills uses this product under license in all its dual diaphragm models. Many of the design strengths of Koenders are featured in the Superior range, which is not surprising as they both shared many of the same manufacturing specifications and processes a few years ago. As I said, we don't have much current information on Superior Windmills. Like it or not they seem to still have a connection to Koenders windmill and we're not sure if this is for better or for worse given both firms history and issues over the years. Pond Report Product Quality & Service Rating™ : 7/10 Beckermills Windmills Made in USA. The Beckermills system is a sturdy four legged tower and boasts the largest diaphragm and large fan blades precision engineered to operate at lower wind speeds and allowing the single unit to deliver over 3.2 CFM. The highest air output of any single diaphragm model. Available in 12, 16 and 20 foot models and also an impressive array of colors these mills have never ceased to impress the owners who buy them. Large 72" Diameter fan wheel. Twelve blades are fully tapered and get wider at the outer tips, and also change pitch. This allows blade assembly to start turning at low wind speeds and also develop high power in strong winds. Welded steel hub is completely assembled. The blades can easily be attached to the hub. Hub securely attaches to shaft with 2 set screws tightened down to flat spots on the shaft, and a bolt and washer in the end of the shaft prevents the fan wheel from ever coming off. Direct drive diaphragm pump with 1/2" stroke. The compressor is made up of a precision machined diaphragm push plate, 2 valve retainers, and a cast iron bearing holder on cam shaft. (No welds to break or warping of steel due to welding.) The diaphragm is reinforced neoprene die cut for accuracy and longevity. The piston and diaphragm assembly is 60% larger than others, and with the added power of a 72" blade assembly, will pump 60% more air into your water. Intake Air: All intake air is filtered through a re-cleanable filter. Crankshaft and Bearings: The crankshaft is made of high strength 1045 TGP Steel. Bearings are permanently grease sealed, and are designed for heavy load capacity. Very good quality windmill, made in the USA, with a three year warranty. Head office in Wapakoneta, Ohio and no office found in Canada means most owners of these mills are in the USA. Pond Report Product Quality & Service Rating™ : 8/10 American Eagle Made in USA Windmill Rating & Review unavailable at request of manufacturer.  
33ft
American Eagle - FREE SHIPPING - Windmill Pond Aeration Windmill Aerator
The American Eagle is a fine brand but we've been asked to not print anything about them as they consider saying anything less than "The American Eagle Windmill is the Best Windmill in the World" to be an insult and a falsehood. They asked us not to compare their windmills to other popular brands because they insist that their brand is a higher grade and commercial quality and should not be mentioned in the same category as other windmills. They don't want to be reviewed so you need to talk with them directly to determine if their sales pitch is convincing. They have posted many videos on YouTube and many posts in forum showing how superior their windmills and compressors are to every other technology. They seem to have hundreds of satisfied clients. If you were to believe the claims of the manufacturer then the American Eagle is the absolute pinnacle reliability and efficiency. Public info from their website underlines these facts: " An American Eagle Windmill will aerate ponds up to 2 acres. The 13, 18, 23, 28 & 33 foot American Eagle are identical except for the Tower Height. The 28 foot has a larger 6 feet 6 inch Wheel. If you can erect the windmill in a wide open windy area at least 200 feet from any buildings, trees or other wind obstructions the 13 or 18 foot windmill is all you need. If you have wind obstructions closer you will want to purchase the 23, 28 or 33 foot American Eagle. It has been estimated by an independent study that the American Eagle can produce up to 6 CFM in strong winds 20 to 25 mph, about 4 CFM at 15 to 20 mph and 3 + CFM in Light to Moderate Breezes. The American Eagle is a High Volume Bellow type compressor taking a 1 & 3/4"Stroke unlike High Pressure Diaphragm types that only make a 1/2" stroke thus The American Eagle can produce over 3 times the volume of most competitors. Over 14,600 Windmills sold and NOT one unsatisfied customer." With such public display of their own perfection you really can't go wrong can you! As we tell everyone who asks. Do your research, ask for references and whenever possible find a local dealer where you can see the product before you buy. If there is no local dealer who actually has a store to visit to demonstrate the product then you really need to be able to trust the manufacturer you buy anything from. Ask questions or visit a local dealer near you. Pond Report Product Quality & Service Rating™ : American Eagle Windmill Rating & Review unavailable for publication at request of manufacturer.
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