Windmill Water Pumps

Windmill Water Pumps Dealer Makes the News

Terry Miller who recently retired as a UPS drive for 30 YRS in Batavia, NY became a U.S. sales representative for Koenders Windmills and Superior Windmills.

Terry Miller explains that these windmills are not used to generate power. They are used to keep ponds healthy and clean by aerating ponds Miller brings hands on experience – having owned a pond for 16 years, one that until a few years ago was plagued with problems until he discovered windmill aeration systems.

Every summer Miller would clean the algae out of his pond at least 2-3 times per/yr. He added fish such grass carp and largemouth bass to eat the algae and still would have problems. Treating and spending thousands of dollars on pond chemicals such as copper sulphate proved to be a good short term fix but the algae would die, sink to the bottom and the whole process would start over again.

The harsh winter of 2002 killed off all his fish and then another year went by of raking and pouring chemicals into his pond then he discovered windmills that would aerate his pond. This changed his pond and his life. The simple process of injecting fine oxygen bubbles into your pond and giving it the extra levels of air it requires in order to eliminate many of the excess nutrients that are suspended in the water helps keep a pond healthy and clean.

Miller has since learned that farmers out west have been using this type of windmill aeration system for years to keep their pond water clean for cattle to drink from. Studies have shown that cattle that drink from clean aerated water can gain 23% more weight over the same period.

Miller is happy to report that in a few short months his pond was restored to a healthy state. The algae had disappeared and he became quite passionate about sharing his success with other pond owners.

Read the full article on Terry Miller and windmills for water aeration here.

Pond Aeration for Weed Control and Algae Prevention

When we built our house 10 years ago I decided to have a pond dug and use the fill dirt to raise the yard up around the house. The back corner of the property was low anyway and as things turned out a perfect location for our pond.

After about 4 years we started to have problems with excess weeds and ugly green mat like moss that covered the pond completely in the summer. Also the water level during a dry summer dropped drastically to about 4 feet. We put up with it for a few years and finally my wife had enough.

Being the computer nut in the family, early this spring she searched for an answer on the web. I came home from work one day to find two piles of literature on the kitchen table she had printed off from Pond Owner Magazine talking about pond aeration. One pile was information on how to clean up problem ponds, the other was water pumping info.

"We have to fix this " she said "The mosquitoes are so bad in the back yard I cant stand it! The pond is so ugly I don't want anyone to see it". Then my wife handed me some papers that she had been holding behind her back. She had already ordered a pond windmill!

Well, I could see that there was no sense arguing with her. She was right, something had to be done and since she had already done all the research I sat down at the table and looked over our purchase during dinner. I must admit that I was surprised to see a picture of a windmill on the first sheet!

About a week later we received our Superior Turbo Plus Windmill and VT-6 windmill water pump. By the next weekend my brother and I (with help from my wife of course) had the whole mill erected and the diffuser installed in the pond. I am so glad that my wife opted to spend the extra money to purchase the weighted hose. It is easy to install and worth every cent.

We connected the water pump to an old hand dug well that is on our property. For now we have the pump running water into a garden pond that is just off our porch. Should we have another dry summer I can easily divert extra water to the pond to raise the water level.

She tells me Superior Windmill Inc. and another company Koenders Windmills Inc. is the only companies that make air driven windmills that can both aerate and pump water at the same time being driven purely by the air. The water pumps only have three moving parts and after all the research she did I guess I cant argue with her. I do know that I am very happy with the products that you recommended.

Assembly was a snap and the quality top notch. Summer isn't here yet but I am confident the windmill will perform as advertised. Right now there is a large circle of bubbles boiling up from the bottom and I swear the pond looks cleaner in just the two weeks since we installed it.

Thanks very much for the friendly service and great products. I'm glad my wife found you on the web.

-Liz and Chad,
Charleston, North Carolina

Wells that Feed Ponds

If you have a well and its one of the sources of water that is used to replenish your pond then you need to continually monitor it to ensure your pond is getting enough water.

In drought conditions most wells tend to produce lower water yields. In some cases wells are even pumped dry especially in wells less than 50 Ft deep. However, for the most part most of the issues are not to due a drought.

Listed below are some causes for lower water well yields:

Sediment, Algae or slime is blocking some of the casing, filters or intake valves in the well pump
Perhaps the well was pumped dry and needs to be stopped for a little time give the area enough time to refill with water
Maybe the drought has dried up the well and you will need to drill a deeper one
The well casing may have closed in due to corrosion if it's a metal well casing.

Measure the water well static levels on an ongoing basis and keep a chart so that you can monitor and track how quickly the water is depleting. To ensure this does not happen to you look into digging multiple wells and installing windmill water pumps that can cost effectively extract water from the various wells with very little operation costs.

There are now some extremely cost effective windmill water pumps that can pump from 50 ft and less and others that can pump from 100 Ft and more. For windmills that pump water the deeper you need to extract the water from the more expensive the windmill water pump will be. They range in price anywhere from $ 1500.00 which includes the windmill and the well water pump all the way up to $ 15,000.

If the problem with your well is that its clogging up your filters perhaps you should consult a well water specialist who can prescribe some chemical treatments that will reduce the levels of algae and other nutrients such as iron, manganese in your well water.

With wells that have a lot of mineral and sediment build up you may need to drill the well again in order to restore the flow of water or perhaps even drill a new well.

Farm Pasture Water Pumping System

Agriculture Canada and the Alberta Agriculture staff have conducted many studies over the years to help provide proven research for farmers to help them improve productivity of farm operations.

A great example of this support is the Windmill Water Pumping study that Alberta Agriculture staff worked on in the early 90's. Four cattle watering projects were conducted in the Edmonton area where air-operated windmill water pumps were set up at four farms in the Redwater, Westlock and Athabasca areas. The windmill water pumps were used to supply water to cattle at three pond sites and a creek.

Koenders Windmills Inc. with facilities in Englefeld, Saskatchewan, manufactured the pumps and windmills.

These projects were supported by both the local farmers and local municipalities who were concerned over the destructive impact livestock has when they are watering directly from farm ponds and other natural surface water sources such as creeks.

Of particular interest to the participants was the water pumping capacity, reliability, performance and improvement in water quality by the addition of these automated windmill water pumping systems. The farm ponds were all fenced off to prevent the livestock from directly entering the water.

The set up costs for such a project today would range between $ 2,000 and $ 3,000 for each site. This would include the windmill to pump the air, the air driven water pump and the air-line. Another $1,500 would be needed for a trough for the cattle to drink and a storage tank.

Koenders Windmill water pumps consist of only three moving parts which is a key contributor to the incredible reliability of these units. No wonder they come with 3 year industry leading warranties. There is a compression chamber with two valves. One valve allows water into the compression chamber and the second allows compressed air to escape so the chamber can refill with water.

The water pump is submerged just below the pond water surface. Compressed air from the windmill is supplied to the water pump from a 3/8 inch air line. Each time the pump chamber refills with water, the compressed air pushes anywhere from 2 - 4 gallons of water per/minute. A 3/4 inch plastic water line supplies water to a trough and or storage tank. A one way foot valve on the water line prevents water from flowing back into the water pump.

In order to create the tabled results weekly water readings were taken to estimate the pumping capacity and three times during the summer a series of water samples were taken for chemical, nutrient and bacteriological analysis. The following table is a brief summary of the water pumping capacity at two of the test sites located north of Edmonton.

At the Pembina site, the windmill kept up nicely to the water requirements of 80 yearling heifers. At the other site, the MyKyte farm, the pump kept up to 36 cow-calf pairs watering from a stock tank plus a 5,000 litre plastic tank.

The windmill was also used for pond aeration and this process improved the clarity of water substantially. Staff also noted that water storage is important to supplement the varying wind conditions. A unique benefit of the Koenders windmill water pump is that it aerates the water and well as pumping it, thus improving water quality.

Overall, the farmers were extemley happy with the performance of the windmill water pumping systems. Some recommendations for the Koenders windmill water pumping system are:

Install the windmill away from trees.
At pond sites, install the windmill at the highest point near the pond.
Use the 20 FT towers - these studies were only done with 12 foot towers - (studies show that the 8 foot tower difference will produce up to 25% more wind).
Include a minimum of two to three days' water storage.
All pumping systems, including windmill water pumps, should be checked regularly to ensure cattle have adequate water.
Change the diaphragm and check valves prior to each water pumping season to ensure high quality performance.
Remove the water pump each fall and leave the air line in the dugout for aeration purposes.
Remember that the capacity of windmill water pumps are directly correlated to the amount of wind your area receives and varies significantly across the country.
Water pumping capacity is dependent on wind speeds, the vertical lift required and the length of the horizontal movement of water and of air line travel.

For more information on windmill water pumping systems, visit Koenders Windmills.

Aerating Ponds and Dugouts

Aerating Dugouts and/or Ponds the Natural Way Works

Story from the Prairie Water News

The Denchant family farm in Alberta just North of Utah experienced a desperate situation 15 years ago during the winter of 1988. Their pond water quality was so bad that home usage had to be stopped. In fact, the quality of water was so bad that it had turned black and smelly due to the rotting plants under the ice in the pond.
windmills for pond aeration

Alberta Agriculture staff and the Denchant's were convinced that pond aeration would correct their water quality problem and avoid any fish kill that arises when there is a lack of dissolved oxygen present in the water.

A windmill aeration system was chosen as the aeration solution of choice due to the fact that the pond was situated far away from the home and the needed electrical power to operate these types of units would have been too costly to run.

A joint demonstration project was set up to monitor the effectiveness on the new windmill aeration system. The Koenders Windmill was installed in early March 1989. The windmill system worked so well that within two weeks the Denchants were able to use their pond water again.

Over the years the windmill system has worked very well and has provided the aeration system has provided the benefits of good water to the family.

The windmill aeration system is well suited for aerating farm ponds and lakes. The windmill starts pumping air into the water at speeds as low as 5 mph and averages 1.5 CFM per/min which is ideal capacity for ponds and farm dugouts. Bank mounted windmills allows the windmill to catch the wind better and they are also safer to service than other types of aeration systems.

Across the prairies there are thousands of windmills that have been erected over the years to aerate farm ponds and in the last few years more and more residential pond owners are starting to purchase windmill aeration systems for their private ponds for these main reasons;

The windmill aeration system keep ponds clean and fresh so they look good and do not smell.
Pond aeration avoids fish kill caused by lack of oxygen in the water.
The windmill aeration system is aesthetically pleasing, not noisy and requires little to no maintenance.

A few important recommendations for windmills and pond aeration systems;

Windmil ls must be exposed to prevailing winds.
Windmill aeration towers should be high enough to protect people from walking into the turning blades.
ponds should be well posted with warning signs of "Thin ICE" so children and snow-mobilers do not go on aerated ponds.

In summary, the windmill aeration system has proven to be a reliable, low cost alternative for water and pond aeration.