Product Manual

11
OWNERS MANUAL
Startup Procedure
Important Installation Warning
Thermal stratification refers to the layering that can occur in some lakes which allows warmer (less dense) water
to sit on the top of colder denser water on the lake bottom. The Robust-Aire™ Diffuser system has been
designed to keep thermal stratification from occurring in the first place.
In the event that you install your unit into a body of water that is extremely stratified, caution should be used as
you start up the unit. In some cases, the colder water sitting on the bottom could be holding gases that if totally
mixed within the water column could be harmful to fish. There could also be concern that the colder water has
little or no dissolved oxygen.
I suppose you are asking yourself “what does this mean by extremely stratified and how do I measure it?” A
simple method of testing for thermal stratification is to drop a thermometer into the body of water and slowly
check for temperature change from the surface to the depths of the lakes. Our suggestion would be to measure
temperature every two feet. Be sure to keep the thermometer at a given depth long enough for the correct
temperature to be measured and then bring it to the surface fast and read it immediately.
If the colder water (4 degrees F colder than the surface water) represents more than 30% of the overall water
volume, it is suggested to allow the water to mix at a slower pace by not running the system continuously but for
only short time intervals. Suggested start up on time for the unit for a stratified lake might be initially running for
1 hour per day during daylight hours for the first week and gradually increase until running continuously. Each
lake will react slightly different to our unit so a precise timeframe is difficult to predict. Sunny days are preferable
to cloudy days to start the system because the photosynthesis will supplement oxygen levels as the water is
mixed.
If you are at all uncertain about this procedure, contact the distributor you purchased the unit from or e-mail us
at
[e-mail]
Winter Warning
Check your local laws and ordinances as some areas require warning signs to be posted. The owner will
assume all risks with operating the Robust-Aire System during winter months.
Operating the Robust-Aire® system during the winter or freezing temperatures may create open areas of ice at
the diffuser locations. Also, ice will be thin surrounding those areas. Extreme caution should be used in these
areas to avoid injury or fatality from falling through the ice. It is highly recommended to use warning signs to
indicate the danger to others.
In the spring, refer back to the Startup procedure to avoid a fish kill.