When to Install your Dock Deicer

A Dock Deicer is meant to prevent ice from forming and keep the water circulated in a specific area. Dock Deicers, also known as bubblers or aerators, are often used by people trying to protect their dock, boathouse or boat from ice damage, or people use them in their pond to keep water open to prevent fish kill. Dock Deicers are inexpensive insurance to help prevent winter ice damage, regardless if you are worried about fish kill or damage to your dock or boathouse. Some people install deicers when the water is frozen at the surface (by auguring a hole in the ice). However, installing deicers in the fall is much easier.

Dock Deicer Description and Use

The mechanism of a dock deicer is pretty simple. They have a high speed propeller that brings the warmer, deep water to the surface creating open water. Our standard duty de-icers come in ½ or 1 HP models and our industrial de-icers come in ½, 1, 1.5, 2 and 3 HP models. Depending on the model you get, they move between 500 and 2700 gallons of water per minute. In typical applications, adequate running depth for de-icers would be 3-5’ below the surface. A minimum of 1’ clearance from the bottom of the deicer to the lake bed is necessary to ensure the units performance. The propeller moves the water and drives it to the surface to keep an area ice free.

Dock Deicer

Be Aware of Regulations and Laws

Unguarded holes in the ice may need signs or other means of notifying people in the area, so be aware of the rules, regulations and laws in your area before installing your de-icer, so you can properly announce your deicer if need be, and protect yourself, and those that may come in contact with the open water.