Patent Publication Number: US-2005121645-A1

Title: De-icer apparatus

Description:
This invention claims priority of provisional Patent Application No. 60/523,437 filed on Nov. 19, 2003. 
    
    
      This invention relates to a de-icer apparatus. More particularly, this invention relates to a de-icer apparatus for use in ornamental ponds and the like.  
      As is known, outdoor ponds or pools, such as ornamental fishponds, Koi ponds, and water gardens, are usually made with liners to hold a body of water in place without leaking to the surrounding environment. Should these ponds be used in a climate where ice forms on the top of the pond, the combination of the ice formation on the top of the pond and the liner used to create the pond effect a sealing-in of the water. One result of such a sealing-in of the water is that gases that build up from decomposing organic materials within the pond cannot escape. As a result, the gases can lead to killing of the fish within the pond.  
      In order to prevent a build-up of detrimental gases within a pond sealed over by ice, use has been made of various types of de-icer devices to maintain a small hole in the ice so that the gases may escape and allow the fish within the pond to remain healthy.  
      Many of the de-icers which have been used operate electrically to heat the water to prevent ice from forming. Some of these de-icers operate at a high voltage with a power rating of 1000 to 1500 watts. Consequently, such de-icers are costly to operate. In addition, these de-icers keep a large portion of the pond free from ice thereby creating a hazard for small children. Other electrical de-icers operate on a low voltage, for example using 100 watts of electricity to heat the surface of the water.  
      Still other de-icer devices make use of air or pumped water in order to maintain an opening in any ice that forms over the surface of a pool. However, while air may work efficiently at maintaining a hole in the ice, if the pond is large enough, the air, however, cools the overall water temperature under the ice. This condition of cooler water causes stress on the fish in the pond and could kill them.  
      Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a de-icer apparatus of inexpensive construction for preventing ice from forming over a body of water.  
      It is another object of the invention to provide a de-icer apparatus that is inexpensive to operate.  
      It is another object of the invention to provide a de-icer apparatus for de-gassing frozen ponds in an efficient manner.  
      Briefly, the invention provides a de-icer apparatus that utilizes a thermal layer of water under an ice cap to maintain an opening in the ice cap. The de-icer apparatus operates to warm a flow of water from a thermal layer of water under an ice cap and to direct the warmed flow of water by convection upwardly to the surface of the body of water to prevent the formation of ice thereat.  
      In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a housing having a passage for a flow of water, a heater mounted in the lower end of the housing for heating the water thereat for upward convection flow through the passage and a floatation device disposed at an upper end of the housing for suspension of the housing in a body of water.  
      The apparatus also includes a grid across a lower end of the housing for passage of water and gases from the body of water into the passage of the housing as well as an apertured cover across the upper end of the housing for exiting of the gases.  
      As is known, the water under an ice cap is warmer than the ice cap itself. By utilizing a thermal layer of this water and warming the water, for example by 20° F., less energy is required in order to effect a convection flow of the warm water from the bottom of the housing to the upper end of the housing.  
      The floatation device, for example a ring of buoyant material, allows the de-icer apparatus to float on the body of water. As ice forms on the surface of the water, the ice will envelop the floatation device without freezing over the floatation device and, particularly, the apertured cover of the housing. Thus, the de-icer apparatus itself will maintain an opening in the ice. In addition, any warmed water that is brought up through the housing of the de-icer apparatus and passes out of the apertures of the cover will also serve to prevent ice from forming about the apparatus to maintain an opening in the ice. At the same time as warmed water is brought up through the de-icer apparatus, any gases that build up from deep decomposing organic materials within the pond are also brought up and expelled through the apparatus. Thus, the de-icer apparatus insures that the gases escape and that any fish within the body of water remain healthy.  
      By using warmer water beneath the ice, less energy is required for the heater of the de-icer apparatus. For example, the heater may have a power heating output of as little as 25 watts. This has been found to keep an opening in an ice cap all winter and even in extremely cold climate zones.  
      In another embodiment, the apparatus includes a housing that extends upwardly as a chimney from the flotation device, for example by 12 inches. In addition, the housing has elongated slots in the upstanding sides to vent gases from the housing into the surrounding environment. The extent of the housing above the flotation device allows the de-icer apparatus to take on a large amount of snow before becoming blocked 
    
    
      These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:  
       FIG. 1  illustrates a cross sectional view of a de-icer apparatus in a body of water in accordance with the invention;  
       FIG. 2  illustrates a top view of the de-icer apparatus of  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 3  illustrates a top view of the de-icer apparatus of  FIG. 1  with the cover removed; and  
       FIG. 4  illustrates a cross-sectional view of a modified de-icer apparatus in accordance with the invention. 
    
    
      Referring to  FIG. 1 , the de-icer apparatus  10  includes a housing  11 , a heater  12  and a floatation device  13 .  
      The housing  11  defines a passage  14  for a flow of water and is constructed, for example of a pair of tubes  15 , 16  that are disposed in telescoping relation to each other and that define the passage  14 . As illustrated, the tubes  15 , 16  are of cylindrical cross-section but may be made of any suitable cross-section, such as polygonal or curvilinear shape. Also, multiple tubes may be used to extend the overall length of the housing  11  or one tube of a desired length may be used. The tubes  15 , 16  slide one within the other so as to be collapsed into a more compact condition for shipping and packaging purposes.  
      The housing  11  also has a cover  17  across the upper end of the upper tube  16 . This cover  17  includes a plurality of apertures  18 , for example, of rectangular shape (See  FIG. 2 ), for passage of gases therethrough, as indicated by the arrows  19 , from the lower end of the housing  11 .  
      The housing  11  also has a grid  20  across the lower end of the tube  15  that has a plurality  21  of openings for passage of water and gases from the body of water into the passage  14  of the housing  11 .  
      The heater  12  is disposed on the grid  20  and operates under a low voltage, for example with a heating output of 25 watts. Preferably, the heater  12  is a 60 watt heater that provides additional heat to provide better lift and to move more water up and down the tube  16 . For movement of a larger quantity of water a 100 watt heater can be used.  
      The heater  12  may be powered via an electrical line  22  extending to a suitable power source  23  or may be battery operated.  
      The heater  12  is mounted within the tube  15  of the housing  11  in a manner so as to be easily replaced in the event of a failure. For example, the heater  12  may simply sit on the grid  20  in an unconnected manner. Should replacement be necessary, the heater  12  can be lifted out of place and replaced by a fresh heater.  
      The heater  12  is mounted relative to the tube  16  to leave an annular gap  24  between the heater  12  and the lower tube  15  to allow water to pass into the housing  11  and be warmed by the heater  12 .  
      The floatation device  13  is disposed about an upper end of the upper tube  16  and serves to suspend the housing  11  in vertical disposition within a body of water  25 . The floatation device  13  may be of annular shape as indicated in  FIGS. 2 and 3  or may be of any other suitable shape. Also, the flotation device  13  may be made of any suitable material that is buoyant or of any suitable construction, such as hollow, that is buoyant.  
      The flotation device  13  may be permanently secured to the housing tube  16  or may be removably secured about the housing tube  16 .  
      As illustrated, the surface of the flotation device is flush with the surface of the cover  17  and is located above the surface of an ice cap  26  that forms over the body of water  25 .  
      When in use, the floatation device  13  is intended to float 4 to 5 inches above the water level and thus act as a buffer to the cold air and ice cap  26  to protect the opening in the ice cap  26  made by the de-icer apparatus  10 .  
      The de-icer apparatus  10  is initially placed in the body of water  25  before ice begins to form. Once the outside temperature falls and ice begins to form, the heater  12  is activated to warm the water in the lower end of the housing. As the water warms, the water begins to slowly rise upwardly through the passage  14  to the surface of the body of water  25 . This warmed water serves to prevent ice from forming over the cover  17  and maintains an opening in the ice cap  26  to vent any gases that may accumulate within the body of water  25 . The water is then cooled by a heat exchange and moves downwardly as indicated by the arrows  27  within the passage  14 .  
      Referring to  FIG. 1 , each tube  15 , 16  of the housing  11  is provided with a plurality of circumferentially disposed openings  28 . The openings  28  in the upper tube  16  are spaced below the floatation device  13 , for example 6 inches below the floatation device  13 , so that warmed water and gases may escape in order to prevent ice from forming about the outer surfaces of the housing tube  16  and to leave a cone of open water in the ice cap  26  through which gases may escape.  
      Because of the constant up flow of warm water, the de-icer apparatus  10  functions to efficiently de-gas frozen ponds. Further, cold water moves downwardly on the outside surfaces on the housing  11  causing a constant circulation in the water. This constant circulation breaks up the thermal layering in the body of water  25  that would otherwise inhibit a gas exchange. In addition, the rising and falling of the water in the tube  16  exposes the water to oxygen and serves to aerate the body of water  25 , for example, a pond.  
      Referring to  FIG. 4 , wherein like reference characters indicate like parts as above, the de-icer apparatus  10 ′ includes a one piece cylindrical housing  29 , for example having a diameter of 4 inches, that is mounted in circumferentially spaced relation in a flotation device  30  via a plurality of attachment brackets  31 . As illustrated, the flotation device  30  has a central opening  32  of downwardly-directed conical shape through which the housing  29  passes in spaced relation.  
      The housing  29  is of a length to depend, for example 12 inches below the underside of the flotation device  30  and to extend, for example 12 inches above the topside of the flotation device  30 .  
      The housing  29  also includes a plurality of longitudinally elongated slots  33 , for example four, in the sides of the exposed end that are disposed circumferentially of the housing  29  in order to vent gas from the interior of the housing  29  rather than being backed up. These slots  33  serve to make the de-icer apparatus  10 ′ more efficient and allows a larger hole to be maintained in the ice cap  26 . As illustrated, the slots  33  extend from 2 inches below the top of the housing  29  to 2 inches below the underside of the flotation device  30 . In this embodiment, the cover  17  is not provided with openings.  
      The slots  33  also allow heated water to flow out of the housing  29  in a plane below the underside of the flotation device  30  as well as within the plane of the flotation device  30 . This allows the heated water to maintain an ice-free opening between the flotation device  30  and the housing  29 . Depending on the wattage of the heater  28 , more or less quantities of water can be moved through the slots  33 . That is, the higher the wattage, the greater the amount of water is uplifted through the slots  33 .  
      The heater  12  within the housing  29  is connected as above by a line  22  that passes through a wall of the housing  29  in sealed relation to a suitable power source.  
      The height of the housing  29  above the flotation device  30  allows any snow that falls about the housing  29  to be melted by the heat generated within the housing  29  thereby allowing a large amount of snow to fall before becoming blocked. The extended chimney effect provided by the housing  29  also moves air off the area of open water faster than if the area of open water were simply open, again moving gases away with the updraft generated by the housing  29 .  
      The invention thus provides a de-icer apparatus which is able to maintain an opening in an ice cap while allowing gases trapped under the ice cap to escape from a body of water.  
      The invention also provides a de-icer apparatus that operates to circulate water without effecting the mean temperature of the water  
      The invention further provides a de-icer apparatus that can be made of a relatively small size for employment in fishponds, Koi ponds and the like or of a larger size to operate in larger bodies of water.  
      The invention relies on heat and convection for the movement of water rather that on a water pump or air pump. Thus, the invention provides a de-icer apparatus that is not only more efficient but also will not cool the body of water in which the apparatus is used.