Excessively Running Dock Circulators

[Eagle54]

Originally Posted by DickR

I would think that having circulator ON time controlled solely by air temperature would at times lead to too much use. Once a circulator has opened up a small area around the dock, there is no point in having it stay running, even if the air is cold. Sure, a thin skim layer of ice will form after a while during an OFF interval (with a programmable timer), but it has no particular strength, and the next ON interval melts it out easily. But the key to minimizing circulator power use and extent of ice-free area is regular adjustment of programmed ON intervals. That requires regular attention over the winter.

I would suggest to the OP that he approach the offending owner and get his OK to make those regular adjustments. Over recent years, I have done this for an abutter. I can see much of what I need to see from my window, and I'm outside often enough to see all of it. During cold snaps I add short ON intervals and lengthen them as needed, then trim ON time when the weather moderates. Everyone using a circulator needs to understand that when the wind moves the ice sheet, no amount of circulator action will stop it.

I completely agree about controlling ON times, not just setting and ignoring. Many times I have offered to adjust his circulator when we have a warm or very cold spell, and I've suggested to him that if he doesn't want me to do that he should hire someone to adjust it when it's running too long. He insists he knows how to handle it, and he's too cheap to pay someone to come and adjust it.

[4 for Boating]

We have/pay for wifi year round so what we do is have a wifi camera pointed at the dock so we can view it remotely. With that we have one of these that can be controlled remotely at any time via an app on my phone. As well as it has timers that you can set remotely that can run on/off even multiple times a day if need be. Completely controllable.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It can run up to 15A/1800W and is waterproof if it needs to be outside.

The app is free, easy to use and we have it with other devices like lights and outlets as they sell other type nodes.

Works great for us as I agree, during the winter a one size fits all for the timer is usually not optimal in either power use or results... Again if you have Wifi year round.

[Lakegeezer]

After years of frustration about my neighbor's bubbler, I started using a tarp curtain to contain the warm water to their property. The top of the tarp is wrapped around swim noodles, using tie-wraps to hold them in place. Along the bottom, a chain is wrapped with the tarp and again, tie-wraps are used to keep it there. Some years, I deploy the tarp before the ice sets in, but other years, I've use a chain saw to cut a slot in the ice. That helps install with precision. It works best if the tarp is curved, to direct the moving water back towards their dock. It gives me a week or more longer access to the lake on both sides of the season.

[Mink Islander]

Originally Posted by Lakegeezer

After years of frustration about my neighbor's bubbler, I started using a tarp curtain to contain the warm water to their property. The top of the tarp is wrapped around swim noodles, using tie-wraps to hold them in place. Along the bottom, a chain is wrapped with the tarp and again, tie-wraps are used to keep it there. Some years, I deploy the tarp before the ice sets in, but other years, I've use a chain saw to cut a slot in the ice. That helps install with precision. It works best if the tarp is curved, to direct the moving water back towards their dock. It gives me a week or more longer access to the lake on both sides of the season.

very clever!

I have timer AND thermostats on my ice eaters. And I direct the flow so my dock cribs have water flowing across them, but the direction of flow is on shore. Keeps from creating massive open water in front of my dock.