Bickal Pond De-Icer

Why do you need a De-Icer ? In Northern Climates (Zone 1 through 5), our ponds can be covered with ice from December to mid-march. This ice can be as thick as 8 inches. The ice traps toxic gases and doesnt allow the exchange of oxygen to occur. If a hole is not left open in the ice, your fish could suffocate and die.

How does the De-Icer work ? The Deicer uses the heat from two standard 25 watt light bulbs to warm the air inside the unit. The warm air keeps a hole open in the ice. The black color absorbs sunlight during the day, thus an additional thermal gain. Air takes less BTU to heat than water, so the unit is more efficient than a stock tank heater (which typically draws between 1000 and 1500 watts). This effeciency can add up to signficant savings over the winter months. Here's the cost comparison: Bickal Deicer 50 watts x 24 hours a day x 30 days 1000kwh * .0962 (cost per kwh) = $3.46 Stock tank heater 1000 watts $69.26 So you can see thats a savings of $65.80. Thats enough to pay for the unit in its first month. In central Iowa, we usually have 3 months of ice on our ponds. Try the cacluation yourself using my on-line calculator

Design Features The unit is designed with 2 bulbs to provide redundancy and will still work if one bulb burns out. Proven effective up to 15 degrees below zero with a 45 below zero wind chill factor at the recommended wattage. Higher wattage bulbs may be used, but are not recommended. The floatation ring is filled with styrafoam to prevent sinking in case the base were to get ruptured. Bulbs may burst if they come in contact with cold water. Deicer should be plugged into a Ground Fault Protection Outlet (GFI). Snow, Debris, and small animals should be removed from the top of the de-icer to pre-vent sinkage. The unit is designed to support its own weight only !!!

Step by step instructions are available on my DIY CD.