Lunker777 Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 (edited) Hey everyone I bought a frabill minnow bucket last year and I find the aerator is REALLLY unreliable ? Sometimes throughout the day I will look in the bucket and the stone has NO bubbles coming out. ( I have replaced the stone 3 times now ) Yesterday, I had the last draw..... about half way through the perch trip. The stone stopped bubbling. I blew into the hose itself and bubbles came out. so clearly it has something to do with the pump. I don't know if the pump just gets really weak as the batteries die down, but they were new batteries. If they only last a couple hours , well that doesn't help anything. So I guess my question is.... can you simply cut the wires on a "plug in" style house hold aquarium pump .... solder on some battery leads and use the same battery that I use for my F/F to power an aerator? Edited May 21, 2013 by Lunker777 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRIFTER_016 Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 No you can't. But you can get a small inverter and hook that to your boats battery/electrical system and plug a regular aerator into it. You should be able to get away with a small one like this. http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/4/Auto/Truck-Accessories/Interior-Truck-Accessories/PRD~0111851P/MotoMaster+100W+Mobile+Power+Outlet+and+Inverter+with+USB.jsp?locale=en Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 Short answer, NO, battery powered ones are usually, 3-12 volt DC, household ones are 120volt AC. That said, you can get better quality ones compared to the chinese junk. Or, you can go with a larger 12 volt battery, 100 watt AC inverter and then use your house pump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunker777 Posted May 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 awesome thanks I tried a inverter that you plug into a cigarette lighter and for some reason it wouldnt work ? I don't think I have to have the main motor running in order for it to work, and I never tried to see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillM Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 Buy a 12v aerator and be done with it. Then you can wire it in directly... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ch312 Posted May 21, 2013 Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 (edited) awesome thanks I tried a inverter that you plug into a cigarette lighter and for some reason it wouldnt work ? I don't think I have to have the main motor running in order for it to work, and I never tried to see. 12 volt auto inverters are all different and each size is rated to power different items. for instance, a small inverto will do nothing more than charge a cell phone while the next size up may power your aerator and the larger ones will power a microwave and TV. i think they're rated by watts so you'd need to know how many watts your aerator draws and then by the suitable invertor. or buy a 12 volt aerator or rig up a mini board with resistors to lower the 12 volts down to whatever voltage is required for the frabill aerator. then for less than $10 or so you could power your normally battery powered aerator with the 12 volt system on the boat... Edited May 21, 2013 by ch312 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Bacon Posted May 22, 2013 Report Share Posted May 22, 2013 awesome thanks I tried a inverter that you plug into a cigarette lighter and for some reason it wouldnt work ? I don't think I have to have the main motor running in order for it to work, and I never tried to see. I seem to recall reading that there are some items that will not run on an inverter. The electricity from the inverter must not be exactly the same was what you get with your home wiring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhickey Posted May 23, 2013 Report Share Posted May 23, 2013 Sounds like you should check the diaphragm if its cracked the pump motor will run full tilt and drain your batteries in no time because it isn't pumping air. Mine runs about 30 hrs in winter on 2 d cells . Check the diaphragm.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Posted May 23, 2013 Report Share Posted May 23, 2013 I seem to recall reading that there are some items that will not run on an inverter. The electricity from the inverter must not be exactly the same was what you get with your home wiring. Items that have integrated electronics with timers such as microwaves, some TV's, computers, etc may well not because most of the cheaper inverters are not a clean true sine wave. Most modified sine wave inverters may/will run motorized equipment although the motors may not run at the specified speed or get a "little warm". A small 120V AC pump may draw around 10-15 watts and even the cheapest of the 100watt inverters will suffice. Some come broken out of the box. I had 2 from CTC that wouldn't even power a 9 watt curly tail bulb at the trailer. Then I paid for a good one, no problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunker777 Posted May 23, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2013 It looks like Im on the hunt for a 12V Aerator Thanks for the tips Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Posted May 23, 2013 Report Share Posted May 23, 2013 Something like this one: http://www.basspro.com/Power-Bubbles-Aerator/product/20898/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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