Technical Information
Physical Description
- The top of PondHawk® (U.S. Pat. No. 9,290,398) is 6’6” from ground level but can be lower if needed.
- The solar panel dimension may vary, but in most installations it will be a plane angled at 30° with a width of 39” and a length of 64”.
- The system includes the mounting structure and enclosure, solar panel, air compressor, weighted airline, tubing, diffuser, and platform. For PondHawk systems installed by LINNE Industries, it also includes the Quikrete.
- The mast foundation is subject to soil type and varies, but in many installations uses up to seven 50-lb bags of Quikrete.
- The overall weight of a PondHawk unit, excluding the mast and foundation, is 106 pounds.
PondHawk® performance curve naturally aligns with the seasonal requirements of the pond.
As water temperatures warm from winter to summer, the demand for greater circulation and oxygen in the water increases. Using the sun’s fuel, air output from PondHawk increases as the days grow longer, aligning with the increased seasonal needs.
As the seasons shift back from summer into fall and winter, PondHawk adjusts to the lower seasonal circulation and oxygen needs of the pond.
Using the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) solar radiation conditions for your location, we forecast the PondHawk production profile at each proposed site. The assessment evaluates location options to maximize the PondHawk performance.
In the assessment chart above, PondHawk has unencumbered access to the clear sky. During summer months when pond temperatures are highest and the need for circulation is greatest, the volume of air generated by PondHawk increases, since longer days yield more daylight hours.
PondHawk works year-round, and the increased summer season performance will reduce or eliminate your algae mitigation costs, helps maintain pond capacity and defer the expense of future dredging. Solar-powered PondHawk is grid independent, incurs no electric bill and is easy to maintain.
It is important to select a site that will provide enough access to the sun to meet the needs of the pond.
In this example we illustrate the annual yield of three locations.
The three dots indicate three potential PondHawk® locations. The performance curves show the impact of trees on the monthly volume in cubic feet of air that PondHawk will deliver at each location. The yellow dot location corresponds to the yellow performance curve in the graph, the green dot with the green line and the blue dot with the blue line.
As you can see, simply locating PondHawk away from the trees (blue dot and line) dramatically increases the April-through-May performance.
An on-site pond assessment will:
- Confirm available solar resources at pond site
- Analyze site installation options (for golf courses, it identifies locations that eliminates impact on play)
- Determine an optimal PondHawk location to maximize output and minimize cost
- Forecast annual PondHawk output at an optimal location
Install PondHawk anywhere the sun shines using the SunSeeker app.
The SunSeeker site assessment tool is widely used by golf course superintendents for tree management. The app determines the best location for maximum sun exposure.
In the screen shot below, you can see the PondHawk location marked by the red pin. This location is almost completely shade free. However, there is a potential for shading at 12pm if the trees at the lower edge of the pond are very tall.
The SunSeeker was originally designed for companies who install solar panels. Indoors, the app can show aerial shade coverage on any given day or time. Outdoors, you can use the 3D feature and your device’s camera to get a real time look at the sun’s path.
All ponds need management to help keep the habitat, water quality, and clarity in a healthy balance.
- The patented PondHawk® is a solar-powered subsurface aeration system that works without the need for grid electricity.
- Because PondHawk is not connected to the electric grid and needs no batteries, its operating and maintenance costs are minimal.
- PondHawk is designed to operate year-round, even under cloudy and freezing conditions.
- The innovative tamper-resistant design encloses and protects the components without leaving exposed wires or tubes that can be damaged.
- PondHawk is quiet and doesn’t require a lot of space, making it the most environmentally-friendly solution on the market.
Subsurface aeration addresses many of the underlying causes of problem ponds.
Poor water quality can be the result of a lack of circulation, hot/still weather, phytoplankton decay, anaerobic waste decomposition or pond stratification.
The process of diffused subsurface aeration provides a solution by creating circulation in the pond and dissolved oxygen in the water. Air bubbles released at the bottom of the pond with a diffused subsurface aerator add the much-needed circulation and oxygen into the water, providing the natural balance that allows organics to decompose and a healthy ecosystem for pond life.
Proper aeration also reduces or eliminates the need for repeated chemical treatments.
PondHawk® is a long-term solution that deals with problem ponds proactively.
PondHawk’s unique, patented (U.S. Pat. No. 9,290,398) design was created to fulfill the long-term needs of the pond manager. The construction is durable and reliable, working year-round to aerate the water even under partly-cloudy or freezing conditions.
Because it’s a stand-alone, self-contained system with no connection to the power grid, PondHawk can be installed nearly anywhere, allowing units to be combined to fit any large pond or lagoon.
By minimizing algae and pond scum, subsurface aeration defers dredging by maintaining the capacity, thus increasing the lifespan of the pond.
