All parts of all diffusers must be at the same submergence, or air will not be evenly distributed. This is a requirement for any aeration system. Some designs depend on a level floor to achieve level diffusers, while others do not require that the floor be level. Lagoons present special design problems, because it is difficult or impossible to construct a lagoon with a level floor. Even if the floor is level when the basin is new, sedimentation and other variables assure that it will not be level after a period of operation. Three types of retrievable lagoon diffusers are used by AerResearch – suspended, floor mounted, and adjustable. Important considerations in the design of a retrievable and replaceable lagoon aeration system are (1) the cost of preparing the basin floor for installation and (2) the operator's ability to level diffusers or adjust their submergence in response to future changes.

AerResearch floating lateral designs support either suspended aerators or floor-mounted aerators and offer features not offered by our competitors. Suspension assemblies remove all loads from the air hose. Multi-point suspensions guarantee that all parts of each aerator will be at the same elevation. Adjustable suspensions allow aerator submergence to be adjusted to accommodate changes due to replaced diffuser membranes or other factors that change the operating pressure. Suspension saddles distribute weight over a wide area of the lateral and can be moved when loads cause laterals to sag. Flooded-tube aerator designs minimize the weight of the aerator to make installation and maintenance easier. Internal ballast protects synthetic liners and ensures that aerators can be easily lifted even after being lowered into sticky mud. Linear designs mean that membrane replacement is the easiest in the industry. Optional unions and valves on each feedline allow easy isolation and removal or replacement of each aerator. And a wide variety of enhanced quality options is available to increase the life of your equipment.

AerResearch floor-mounted lagoon aerators are advantageous when the floor is level and made of a hard material such as concrete, or when budgets are limited so that the least expensive system is required even though maintenance costs may be high. This requirement does not happen often with lagoons, but floor-mounted aerators can be used in many other applications. Floor-mounted aerators are often used when existing basins require supplemental oxygen. Typical examples are the conversion of an existing chlorine contact basin to use as a post aeration basin. Another common example is to provide supplemental oxygen to an existing oxidation ditch. Floor-mounted lagoon aerators are convenient for use in small activated sludge or digester basins when the ability to retrieve the aerators is desired.

AerResearch adjustable lagoon aerators provide the best of both of the other design concepts plus important benefits. Like suspended aerators, adjustable aerators achieve equal submergence without depending on a level floor. Like floor-mounted aerators, adjustable aerators allow all components to be installed below water where they are protected from ultraviolet light, wind, ice and vandalism. And unlike either of the other design concepts, operators do not have to lift ballast when retrieving or replacing the aerators. Adjustable aerators represent the ultimate in retrievable lagoon aerator design. When equipped with optional features and quality-enhancing materials of construction, they represent the ultimate for your client.

An equally important design consideration is the quality of components used in the system, since these affect the life of the equipment. For example, it is not uncommon for manufacturers to recommend such inexpensive options as plastic rope when stainless steel cable is actually needed. AerResearch has a long-standing commitment to recommending quality components. Examples include fiberglass-reinforced polypropylene fittings when others recommend PVC, stainless steel cables and saddles when others recommend plastic ropes attached with knots, reinforced EPDM vacuum hose when others recommend polyethylene tubing, and separate cable and saddle assemblies to hold the weight of suspended aerators when others recommend that the weight of the ballasted aerator be applied to the air hose fittings.

A specially significant example of a poor recommendation is external ballast for suspended aerators. External ballast accumulates sand and grit on top, and this load increases the effective weight of the ballast. In addition, the ballast "sucks into the mud" whenever it touches bottom, and this can sink the lateral or pull hose fittings apart. Some even go so far as to recommend painted carbon steel external ballast. AerResearch recommends internal stainless steel ballast for this application. Further, we always recommend a suspension system which allows the aerator submergence to be adjusted. We never recommend metal components which are not stainless steel.