Pond question for you pond experts

[Big Snow Man]

I have the small buckets for water on my sand box of land. On a average year these buckets will freeze shut around November 10-15. After that these water holes are worthless, I was wondering how deep and wide I would need a hole with a liner in it to stay open in the winter. I also would place a windmill with a aerater to keep a hole open in the winter. I have heard I would need a 8 ft deep hole but was wondering on the size. I’m also wondering if this would be a big draw or just a lot of work with little return.

 

[kl9]

Lot of work with little return IMO


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[Tree Spud]

Have you priced windmills & aerators?

 

[Telemark]

Sounds like a Sisyphean task.

 

[Big Snow Man]

Have you priced windmills & aerators?

Yes about $1200

 

[Big Snow Man]

Sounds like a Sisyphean task.

Is that word in the dictionary

 

[Telemark]

Should be.

 

[cavey]

Honestly without some form of flow your not going to achieve anything of added value as far as a winter water source, even say you dug a big enough pond and it would have to be big here in Wisconsin, had it 10 plus feet deep without hitting some form of a spring with some head pressure, its still going to freeze shut. An aerator might keep an area open for awhile (more of a death trap for wildlife) but without replacement ground water keeping the pond marginally warm or better described as less than frozen cold... its just going to freeze over and freeze deep... Ideally you would try to find a spot where there is a seep or a spring and dig it open - creating/freeing a flow that hopefully would remain active enough not to freeze, at least for a short distance anyways creating a year round water source... I hate to step on your parade... like I said "hit a spring and your golden", you can give it a try - failure would only result in a really nice warm season water hole. Been there so I know what your wishing for but I'm thinking its not your answer.

 

[Catscratch]

Look into solar charged battery operated aerators. Cheaper than a windmill and will run day/night, wind or no wind.

 

[Tree Spud]

Yes about $1200

At 8' deep, the DNR would recommend slope of 25:1 to meet their shoreline slope standards. Not that I agree with with the DNR ... but that would mean a very large pond.

Disregarding that ... an 8' waterhole aerated without proper slope, or some means of keeping the center thawed, would mean short area of hard ice, the area of thin or no ice ... without proper sloping shoreline to center would be a death trap.

 

[JFK52]

I have a pond on my land in the Town of Almond Portage county WI. I shut it down for the winter. It is set up with a valve that can be open or closed on the buried water supply line. I use a compressor to pump air into my holding tank to 70psi with the valve closed. Open the valve and the water in the line comes shooting out. I do it three or four times until the water coming out of the line looks like a fine vapor.
I looked into keeping a pond open all winter and there was just no feasible way to accomplish this task. No springs on my land.

 

[Big Snow Man]

I hear you JFK I don’t have a spring but I thought this would be a option but now thinking it’s not a good idea.

 

[Tree Spud]

I have a pond on my land in the Town of Almond Portage county WI. I shut it down for the winter. It is set up with a valve that can be open or closed on the buried water supply line. I use a compressor to pump air into my holding tank to 70psi with the valve closed. Open the valve and the water in the line comes shooting out. I do it three or four times until the water coming out of the line looks like a fine vapor.
I looked into keeping a pond open all winter and there was just no feasible way to accomplish this task. No springs on my land.

We have several springs on our property that stay open year round. Even after our sub -15 temps last month, there were flowing with green plants still growing. Our pond which is 14' deep and spring fed, has 12"-14" of ice on it.

 

[bjseiler]

I have the small buckets for water on my sand box of land. On a average year these buckets will freeze shut around November 10-15. After that these water holes are worthless, I was wondering how deep and wide I would need a hole with a liner in it to stay open in the winter. I also would place a windmill with a aerater to keep a hole open in the winter. I have heard I would need a 8 ft deep hole but was wondering on the size. I’m also wondering if this would be a big draw or just a lot of work with little return.

How far away from power are you? You can bury air tubes a couple thousand feet to a pump.

 

[Tree Spud]

I think we are now getting to the Sisyphean task stage ...

 

[Big Snow Man]

How far away from power are you? You can bury air tubes a couple thousand feet to a pump.

Not in the cards way to far away

 

[Big Snow Man]

I think we are now getting to the Sisyphean task stage ...

 

[H20fwler]

Is that word in the dictionary

I had to look it up....new one to me!

 

[Telemark]

I had to look it up....new one to me!

It's a good one. Especially appropriate for the type of work we do.

 

[TreeDaddy]

Yes..... my thesaurus lists the term with feral hog management.....

bill