Air bubble de-icer?

[Posse]

Does anyone have first hand experience in using air bubbles for keeping the boat clear of ice during cold winters?

I am thinking a small/cheap solution like a small air pump with a diffuser lowered under the boat. But unsure if this would have any real effect, and looking for practical experience.

I know that a de-icer pump/fan could be used quite effectively, but these are expensive to buy, and have quite high power consumption.

 

[pvb]

It should work, but I think you need quite a volume of air to achieve results. There's some good information on airflow rates etc in the literature you can download from the Kasco website.

 

[jiris]

This system has been used for decades for keeping ice of dams. As a former pro diver I have done a lot work on cleaning the nozzles as they were getting blocked by rust from the pipes. I am not sure however about the amount of air needed to do the job. I suspect it is quite a lot, probably too much for our purposes (power consumption of the compressor).

 

[alant]

Does anyone have first hand experience in using air bubbles for keeping the boat clear of ice during cold winters?

I am thinking a small/cheap solution like a small air pump with a diffuser lowered under the boat. But unsure if this would have any real effect, and looking for practical experience.

I know that a de-icer pump/fan could be used quite effectively, but these are expensive to buy, and have quite high power consumption.

Used in marina's on Long Island, so should work here.

 

[thinwater]

Propeller units work better in relatively shallow water, like marinas, bubbles better in deep water, such as dams and ponds.

 

[matthewriches]

Been working on a dredger a lot recently and they have some currently at Chatham in the bit over from the yard. I think they are there for algae protection though?

 

[knuterikt]

This is from the harbour close to Oslo, video was shot after a period with temperatures below-10c
The water is no so deep where the swans swim

 

[knuterikt]

One more video, the box in this video houses the compressor, this one only cover a few boats.
A compressor installed above water is less prone to get water into the electric motor?

 

[No Regrets]

Can't see it working for more than a few hours.

 

[knuterikt]

Can't see it working for more than a few hours.

What won’t work for more than a few hours?-