Heater vs Aerator vs Waterfall (or combination of any)?

[AmeBee]

Help us pond experts! Totally new to pond-keeping (we bought a house with a small koi pond earlier this month -- photos in my intro thread) and are currently in a debate about the benefits of running a heater vs an aerator vs a heater and/or also leaving the waterfall running. Right now we have a heater that was left for us in the garage that the former owners used (1250w) and in the care instructions from them they advise that they also ran the filter (waterfall) all winter as it made the water clear up faster in the spring.

I'm in the camp of getting an aerator (looking at the PondLogic PondAir aeration kit - the 4 stone/8w model). He thinks that "the heater can't be that expensive to run" (I've already run calculations that prove that entirely false). Also, I went to the hardware store today and got a Thermocube, so in theory whatever we end up using will only come on once the temperature drops below 35* (fahrenheit). What would you choose? We are in Massachusetts, so I imagine it will be running quite often.

Additionally, would you run your filter all winter or turn it off for fear of freezing/damage? This morning there was ice buildup on the sides of the waterfall spillway but otherwise the water was flowing fine. The pipe from the pump to the filter runs underneath a flagstone patio -- I'm pretty sure the frost level is not that far down and we should be safe.

Thanks so much!

 

[Tula]

My vote is for the aerator. I also use a deicer. Placing air stones 10 -12 inches below the surface of the water should keep an area open for gasses to be released. With your pipes under a flagstone patio, repair of a burst pipe would be costly and difficult. I'd also make sure you blow the lines out, so no water remains in them…..lots of folks use their shop vac for this. Kim

 

[MitchM]

Something I'm trying this year is a Pond Breather. Here's a link: http://www.amazon.com/8PB-Breather-Heated-Aerator-Watts/dp/B000HHM9U0
We have a frozen pond for 6 months of the year and a floating heater doesn't work for us.
I have 2 Pond Breathers going this year. They take 40 watts each.
Welcome, by the way.

The pond is about 29' X 31', 5 feet deep.
This is a picture from a couple of weeks ago:

 

[addy1]

That sounds like a neat idea, hope they work as advertised.

 

[MitchM]

I came across good reviews most everywhere I looked. Wayne on here had a problem below -20C, but I may have come up with a solution for that.
We shall see.

 

[dieselplower]

My 300 gph water pump worked great last year so this year I am using it again.

 

[Tula]

The Pond Breather looks interesting. I read the reviews and they seem positive. Let us know how it works out for you this winter. Kim