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Can air lift technology  replace the water pump in a small system?

Also how much CFS do you need to push 30 gallons per minute?

2 " (sch 40)  pipe is enough?

Who has the best air stones?

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Air lifts can move a lot of water/watt... compared to water pumps....

 

But only at low head.... probably 4-6" would be the max...

here is one i built with a chamber, it did make larger gulps, but didnt improve volume as much as they claim it does.

i was at 5 gpm, with a 40L pump

Was that designed along the lines of a "geyser" pump Rob??

larger pipes move more water/ less height

small pipes more water higher/ less volumn

small bubbles work better than big bubbles
more air volume causes more water flow.

The lower you inject the air the higher the water will go.

how high do you want to go?

If you want air lift help let me know.  I love them.

Rob Nash said:

here is one i built with a chamber, it did make larger gulps, but didnt improve volume as much as they claim it does.

i was at 5 gpm, with a 40L pump

IME small bubbles work better to diffuse Oxygen but large bubbles work better for moving water with air lifts. A larger bubble will rise faster and displace a larger volume of water giving you more lift. We typically inject through a collar without an airstone (again, b/c we want a larger bubble).

Gyser pumps are pretty sweet Rupe but I havent seen anyone selling them over here in a few years. Just need a ton of weight to hold them down if you are using a big one. Great for solids removal if centered in a circular tank.

That might because you were restricting flow with your diffuser.  I assure you, more water will move with little bubbles.

We have made whole pond airlifts.

Sorry Matt, I was thinking more in terms of vertical lift but you are correct (didn't word it all that well). Cfm for cfm, smaller bubbles over a wider area will move more water. We make synergistic airlift diffusers for ponds as well so I hear ya. 

matthew ferrell said:

That might because you were restricting flow with your diffuser.  I assure you, more water will move with little bubbles.

We have made whole pond airlifts.

No worries.  I thank Dr. Allen Davis of Auburn for a wonderful airlift lab one day.  Best lab ever.

Can I lift water 4 feet with an air lift?

Yes.  But not well or in any sort of volume. 

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