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Urban Pond Aeration

Exercise machines designed to aerate urban ponds
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This idea is to create exercise "machines" that give you a full-body workout while also providing aeration for urban ponds.

One problem with urban ponds – they suffer from too much fertilizer runoff, which leads to excessive plant growth, death & decay. The decay then results in lowered oxygen levels in the pond. One solution is to add oxygen back into the water through aeration. One prime example of an aeration system is the fountains you often see in ponds. They’re not there strictly for decoration. When the water is shot upward, it mixes with air and raises the oxygen content of the pond.

So, you would want machines that provide a workout while mixing air with water. A water wheel would be one example, giving you a stair-climbing type exercise. Water bicycles that allow you to churn around the pond would be fun. For an upper body workout, a water cannon powered by a two-handled cranking pump; the harder you pump the further it shoots. A jet-powered "monster" ala Loch Ness might be fun -- it would feature a pump connected by hose to a "monster" that sinks to the bottom when not in use, but rises and swims about bubbling and squirting as you work.

I’m sure the creative minds here could think of other machines. If done right, the machines could actually be an attractive addition to the neighborhood pond, while providing environmental benefit.

jdlaugh, Dec 14 2007

Eutrophication http://en.wikipedia...wiki/Eutrophication
Eutrophication in urban streams & ponds [jdlaugh, Dec 14 2007]

Pond aeration http://en.wikipedia.../wiki/Pond_aeration
Short discussion of the need for pond aeration and some related systems [jdlaugh, Dec 14 2007]

PlayPump merry-go-round http://www.playpump...e_Water_Problem.htm
This merry-go-round is designed for pumping water in third-world countries, but would work just as well for driving an aeration system. [jdlaugh, Dec 14 2007]

water heater windmill Windmill_20powered_20friction_20oven
Our idea [8th of 7, Dec 17 2007]


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Annotation:







       Swimmers, good idea. If they pass gas while swimming even better. +
can1073, Dec 14 2007
  

       The ponds in question might not be the best place for a swim.   

       Another possibility is a merry-go-round similar to the PlayPump merry-go-round, which is basically a merry-go-round attached to a pump to draw water from a well. See link. It would work just fine to drive a pump for pond aeration.
jdlaugh, Dec 14 2007
  

       I like the hand pump water cannon idea. Just put a beach ball in the pond and a water cannon on each side. You could then run competitions.
MisterQED, Dec 17 2007
  

       MisterQED: You need to wait for Pilates of the Carribean.
4whom, Dec 17 2007
  

       //You could then run competitions.// There's an idea! Or maybe one person could run the Monster while someone else tries to blast it with the cannon....
jdlaugh, Dec 17 2007
  

       //Duct airconditioning exhausts// You mean the furnace, shirley? 'Coz I'd rather not clamber into a tub that's had its heat siphoned off by the HVAC in cooling mode.   

       About a bazillion years ago - give or take - I read about a water heater windmill in NYC. It did its thing by running a vertical-axis rotor inside a silo cap, and ran a big water stirring system. The friction from the stirring heated the water, which was then circulated to radiators throughout the building. It could achieve 168 degrees (that number has really stuck with me) but they didn't specify whether it took a mere zephyr or a full gale to hit that temperature.
elhigh, Dec 17 2007
  

       <link>
8th of 7, Dec 17 2007
  

       That would be hilarious to see!
quantum_flux, Dec 18 2007
  

       Or in Belgium, Test Poirot ..... flies new aircraft and detects crimes at the same time. A sort of Flemish Biggles (or was he a Walloon ?).
8th of 7, Dec 18 2007
  


 

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