We’ve all seen the fountains of water emanating from a floating fountain unit. Fountains add beauty to a body of water along with the pleasing sound of flowing water. They also help control an ugly problem. That being the tendency of a pond to turn itself into a swamp!

The natural process for a small body of water is to become a bog. We aggravate the problem with nutrient rich run-off entering the pond. Since a marsh is not the look people want in their yards, in front of their office, or on their golf course we have to control this natural process.

One of three methods is available. First is to periodically dredge the pond which is a messy and costly affair. Second is to constantly apply a healthy dose of chemicals and that is also costly and unfriendly to pond life. Third is mechanical aeration.

To aerate a pond the fountain must move a massive amount of water. Only a few are designed to do so while others are designed purely for the fountain display with little aeration. If aeration is important, be sure to use a capable fountain unit. Good aeration performance costs more, but if you need it don’t waste money on a cheaper unit. 30 years ago we settled on Otterbine because their units had the best aeration function and still do today.

Otterbine provides the best aeration performance and they are the most durable units on the market. Cheaper fountains will likely not provide good aeration and they definitely don’t last very long. We have Otterbine units in the field over 20 years old that are still working. Our service staff will also attest that much of their service work is on the other brands.