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Overview
It stands up to wind and 6" snow
storms without blinking. Without the mooring ropes, it blows right out
of the pond. The plastic is 4mil. I put the unit on the other side of the
bridge this year cause that side gets more sun. Also the wind comes from
the NW corner, so the bridge will hold it in case the ropes fail (I used
stronger rope this year). Once the ice sets it stays in place all winter.
Pretty cheap to build it. Probably about
$50 in materials. Stores up flat for the summer. Keeping a 5x10 hole open
using only 50 watts is pretty darn good wouldn't you say ?? I think I need to build a bigger one next
year.
Why
do you need a De-Icer ?
In Northern Climates (Zone 1 through 5),
our ponds can be covered with ice from December to mid-march. This ice
can be as thick as 8 inches. The ice traps toxic gases and doesn't allow
the exchange of oxygen to occur. If a hole is not left open in the ice, your fish could suffocate and die.
How
does the De-Icer work ?
The Deicer uses the heat from two standard
25 watt light bulbs to warm the air inside the unit. The warm air keeps
a hole open in the ice. The black color absorbs sunlight during the day,
thus an additional thermal gain. Air takes less BTU to heat than water,
so the unit is more efficient than a stock tank heater (which typically
draws between 1000 and 1500 watts). This efficiency can add up to significant
savings over the winter months.
Here's the cost comparison:
Greg's De-icer 50 watts x 24 hours a day
x 30 days / 1000kwh * .0962 (cost per kwh) = $3.46
Stock tank heater 1000 watts x 24 hours
a day x 30 days / 1000kwh * .0962
(cost per kwh) = $69.26
As you can see that's a savings of $65.80.
That's enough to pay for the unit in its first month. In central Iowa,
we usually have 3 months of ice on our ponds. The unit is designed with
2 bulbs to provide redundancy and will still work if one bulb burns out.
Proven effective up to 15 degrees below zero with a 45 below zero wind
chill factor at the recommended wattage. Higher wattage bulbs may be used,
but are not recommended. The floatation ring is filled with Styrofoam to
prevent sinking in case the base were to get ruptured. Bulbs may burst
if they come in contact with cold water. Deicer should be plugged into
a Ground Fault Protection Outlet (GFI). Snow, Debris, and small animals
should be removed from the top of the de-icer to pre-vent sinking. The
unit is designed to support its own weight only !!!
How
to build your own De-icer
Assembly (around 2 hours)
Cut two pieces pipe (item B) 6" shorter
than the length of your tub (item A).
Cut two pieces pipe (item B) 6" shorter
than the width of your tub (item A).
Fill each one of the pieces of pipe with
packing peanuts. Crumple up paper and jam in each end to keep the peanuts
from falling out.
Primer and Glue the PVC elbows (Item C)
to the pipes (from step 1 & 2) in the shape of a rectangular ring.
Place the tub (item A) on the top of the
ring (from step 4). Mount the tub to the ring using one screw at each corner.
Place the piece of plywood (item G) on
the inside of the tub. Place the piece of wood (item H) on the outside
of the tub. Use screws to go threw the plywood, threw the tub, and into
the wood. Thus mounting the wood to the tub.
Drill a 1/4" hole, 2" from the edge of
the wood (item H).
Cut the female end off the power cord
and run that same end through the hole from step 7.
Wire the wires to the two light fixtures.
Mount the two light fixtures to the wood
using screws. (about 8" apart)
Screw in the light bulbs.
Float the de-icer on the pond when you
see ice starting to form. |
