Step by Step: Assembling Your New Kasco VFX Aerating Fountain

This particular fountain was installed into a pond that has a desperate need of circulation / aeration (as you’ll see from the photos). Enter me! Pond Biologist Extraordinaire!  Worker of pond miracles!

 

 The single best tool there is for managing ponds is good aeration, period, full stop.  No other tool / strategy will work faster or more effectively to cure what ails a pond than a well designed and implemented aeration system. There are other strategies that I employ (i.e. chemical treatments, beneficial bacteria, pond dye, etc), but the most bang for your ecological dollar will always come from investing in an appropriate pond aerator for your backyard oasis.

 

See our Aerating fountains and diffused aeration systems at our website: Midwestponds.com

 

Kasco’s 1/2HP – 1HP fountains come in two boxes.

 

motor and cord:

Float, control panel, ropes, bottom screen & attachment hardware:

The fountain I am installing in this article has a longer than standard cord (150ft), so there is a 3^rd box for that longer cable.

 

Step 1: Open up the boxes and make sure you have all of your hardware and instructions.

TOOLS: To assembly your new 1/2hp – 1HP fountain, you will need a pair of 7/16” wrenches (or a 7/16” wrench and 7/16” socket & socket wrench) and a 11/32” wrench (or pliers) and a phillips screwdriver.

 

Step 2: Mount motor to fountain float

 Line up the four grooves in the float tube with the four bolt holes on top of the power unit.

 

Using the longest bolts in the parts bag, thread the bolts into the holes using a washer and lock washer.

TIP: Do not tighten the bolts down until you have all of them in the correct position, this will make it easier to get everything lined up correctly.

  

 

Step 3: Assemble & attach debris screen

Using the #8 fasteners (the smallest bolts, nuts, & washers) in the parts bag, assemble the three screen pieces.

**I used a Phillips screwdriver and a pair of needle nose pliers for this step. Assembling the bottom screen is tricky, I definitely recommend doing this on a workbench or tailgate. The hardware is small and the nuts and lock washers are black and will be instantly lost if dropped into the lawn or other areas near the pond’s edge. (Ask me how I know this. There was cursing involved, with some special epithets reserved for the engin-nerds who designed this particular piece.)

Once complete, it should look like this:

 

Step 4: Attach bottom screen to fountain float

 Flip over the fountain so the motor is sticking up vertically.

 **Notice the groove/trough for the power cable to sneak under the bottom screen.

Place the assembled bottom screen over the motor and attach it to the float using the bolts provided.

Use the 1-3/4in bolts, nuts, washers, and lock washers to secure the screen to the float.

 

Line up the holes in the base of the screen with the holes in the float. Do not over tighten the nuts, these are plastic parts, so snug is good enough.

   

**This is where a socket and socket wrench would come in handy, alas I secured this screen using 2 x 7/16in wrenches.

 

 Congratulations! Your new VFX fountain is assembled. Now it’s time to install it in your pond.

 

Step 5: Installing your new fountain in the pond

 Unroll the cable so that most of the memory plays out of the wire. A nice straight cable is easier to pull out without tangles and lays flat on the pond bottom where it will be out of reach of any cord hungry rat type creatures (musk rats in particular).

For this project we trenched in a bit of conduit to hide the cable and make it easy to remove in the winter.  If you choose this route, be sure to select large enough conduit (in this case, 2”) to enable the passage of the plug end on your cable(s).

Mount the C-25 Control panel on the post near your electrical supply/outlet, then feed your motor cable up into the box and plug it in.

** NOTICE: There is an outlet for a light kit, if ever you want to install one. **

  

For this pond we elected to anchor the unit shore to shore with the supplied 50ft ropes.

 

I when to the hardware store and picked up some tent stakes, but you can use rebar or any other anchoring hardware you choose.

 

Be sure to briefly turn the unit on while it’s still on shore. This makes sure everything is hooked up right and all your connections are secure. You’ll hear the motor hum to life telling you it’s ready to ROCK!

 

Do not let the unit run out of the water for more than a few moments as it will overheat very quickly.

 

I grabbed my helper (my son Jackson) and proceeded to pull the unit into position in the middle of the pond.  The ropes were the perfect length as this pond happens to be just under 100ft wide.

  

Push those stakes into the bank of the pond and fire up that fountain.

 

 

This aerating fountain has some serious work to do this year, I’ll be checking on it periodically to make sure the pond has what it needs to be a clean and healthy ecosystem.

 

NOTICE: the algae already being pushed away from the center of the pond. The longer this stays running, the better this pond is going to look.

 

 I hope this little step-by-step helps you install your new Kasco fountain in time to enjoy the rest of your day!