The Power House solves aeration problems

OWINGS MILLS, MD - It is sometimes easy for us to take for granted the basic tools used in today's fish farming operations. But even for a young industry, many of the systems and technological advances have emerged from recent creative thinking innovations made in the last 15 to 20 years.

John Blumenthal, president of The Power House Inc. in Owings Mills, MD, is one of the early architects of aquaculture's technology structure.

Having cut his teeth on the family electrical contracting business (established by his grandfather in 1909), Blumenthal opened The Power House in the mid-'70s as a motor shop. He had patented a device appropriate for marinas: the Ice Eater, a submerged motorized unit designed to pull warm water up to the surface and thereby prevent freezing and ice damage to boats and piers. The unit was clearly useful, but had a limited season.

It wasn't until a decade later that Blumenthal made what he considers to be his fortuitous leap into the world of aquaculture.

According to Blumenthal, it was in 1985 that someone began complaining loudly and openly about fish dying at the headwaters of Chesapeake Bay.

"I thought that if we could rig a flotation collar on the Ice Eater and raise it to the surface, we could get more oxygen to the fish," recalled Blumenthal. "The first day we turned it on was the last day the fish died in the headwaters of the Chesapeake."

The invention was sent to Auburn University for independent testing, where the new aerator was compared against the only other primary aeration system in use at the time, the paddle wheel. Dr. Claude Boyd suggested that Blumenthal get his new aerator to fish farmers as quickly as possible.

Blumenthal soon found himself attending a trade show and conference of catfish farmers in Alabama. "I was unprepared for the response. I was inundated with people who wanted to look at the aerator," he said. By the end of the conference he turned to one of the sympathetic participants, Ray Jennings, and told him he now had a lot more questions than answers.

Jennings was kind enough to invite the newcomer to tour catfish farms, and honored him with the moniker John "Bubba Catfish" Blumenthal. The guy who knew motors had just found his new career designing aquaculture aeration systems.

Aeration variables

Aeration equipment is a study of variables, among them being the size and depth of a pond, stagnant areas, and aesthetic considerations. The Power House has developed a range of aerators to accommodate most water oxygenation puzzles.

"I don't believe I can solve everybody's aeration problems," said Blumenthal, "but I can work with people and offer them customized systems."

With his background in the electrical field, he feels he holds an advantage over other system designers he knows what it costs to run the equipment.

Power House aerators range from a single-prop 1/20th horsepower (hp) model used in hatcheries and rearing tanks to a three hp adjustable aeration model used in shrimp farming and large fish culture ponds.

The F1000 aerator, available for single and three phase electrical service, can also be purchased with a diffusion head to create a visually pleasing effect while supplying substantial water flow and high oxygen transfer. The unit is used in corporate office parks and golf courses where high water quality and image are of equal importance.

Kathy Oles, manager of The Power House, has seen a variety of applications for the company's product line in the 12 years of her tenure.

"These systems have an extended range of use," she explained, "from indoor tanks to wastewater treatment facilities." A cranberry farmer in WA is finding the device useful during harvest, and a shampoo company is putting a single-prop model into its tanks for blending purposes.

"The fish farming industry is growing larger every year," Oles said. "We're trying to achieve a product with high energy efficiency, horsepower vs. output."

As an example of installation needs, Oles noted that a 3/4 hp aerator could successfully aerate a one-acre pond; a larger pond might require multiple aeration units.

Sound reputation

The Power House reputation for superior performance has been built not only on energy-efficiency, but on high quality materials, workmanship, and service. Every product is accompanied with a warranty. The company's warranty returns have run less than 2% over 25 years.

"We service all of our equipment, that's part of our product credibility," Oles explained.

Two years ago, The Power House achieved its CE Certification (Conformity Europe), a long process of testing and meeting requirement specifications. Because of that tenacity, the Maryland-based operation now has distribution in England and Norway. Sales of The Power House aeration systems extend from the US to Europe, Korea, Chile, and Scandinavia.

"There are niche markets everywhere, particularly in South America," said Blumenthal. "Once someone gets the product and uses it, that satisfied customer will tell someone else." It is by word of mouth that The Power House reputation for quality aeration has spread.

When Blumenthal looks back on the development of these water oxygenation products, he still boasts like a proud father about his ice prevention model.

"I call it inexpensive insurance," he said, noting the devastating amount of damage that can occur to boats and pilings during standard winters on the eastern seaboard. The submerged system is currently used in all seasons, in fresh or salt water, to improve water quality around gas docks or, with a flotation collar, to remove debris from stagnant water.

Blumenthal has helped generate Maryland's aquaculture awareness by serving on the Governor's Aquaculture Task Force and helping to write the state's first aquaculture legislation.

"I wanted to do for Maryland with striped bass what catfish did for Mississippi," he explained, citing his deep appreciation for fish farming, an impression formed on his first trip to the southern states in 1985.

"There is a real opportunity for aquaculture in this country right now," Blumenthal said. He encourages support of the entrepreneurial spirit, because of his own background and by what he sees among the producers and manufacturers in the aquaculture industry.

When asked what he feels could benefit the industry the most, he replied: "The ability to have a standardized test, independent analysis, for new products. I want comparison standards."

Spoken like a man who has nothing to fear about product integrity.

Zoë Alexis Scott

For more information, contact The Power House Inc., 20 Gwynns Mill Court, Owings Mills, MD 21117; phone (800) 243-4741 or (410) 654-9700; and fax (410) 654-9706.