Dock Bubbler Hardware

The builder of my dock had included a bubbler system built in a cheap plywood enclosure. It was heavy to move and it was getting pretty shabby because of the plywood's exposure to the elements. For a Spring project, I wanted to upgrade my bubbler with a new weatherized housing and a one-piece thermostatic outlet.  

At SepticSolutions.com I found an outdoor air pump enclosure that was just large enough to hold my Gast compressor.  For $129 with free shipping, the cost was reasonable.  Getting rid of the big wooden platform meant I had to find a new mount for the Kasco thermostat, which had its own industrial sized enclosure.

Instead, I found that Allied makes a $30 thermostatically controlled outlet. This plug will turn on the bubbler at 35 degrees and off at 37 degrees. The two degree difference keeps it from transitioning back and forth when temperatures settle around the threshold. Its microprocessor controlled and rated for 15 Amps.  It can be found online at NorthCoastPets.com

There are other thermostatic outlet products, but most of them have a wide temperate range that isn't as well suited to a bubbler.

Update:

The next year I replaced the Gast rotary vane pump which was not designed for outdoor use, with a Hiblow HP-200 linear pump. It was also purchased from Septic Solutions.  The Hiblow pump has been running fine for 10 years.

Summary of current bubbler equipment:

• Hiblow HP-200 linear pump
• Septic Solutions vented housing and platform
• Allied TCO

Newspaper Coverage

Two new articles have appeared covering the riparian lease issue:

Two River Times, Jan 29, 2010
by Ryan Fennell
"Waterfront Residents Seeing Red Over Cost of Riparian Leases"

Asbury Park Press, February 3, 2010
by Kirk Moore
"N.J. refiguring dock fees for nonprofit boat clubs"
http:/www.app.com/article/20100203/NEWS03/2030342/N.J.-refiguring-dock-fees-for-nonprofit-boat-clubs

Tidelands New Fees

Like many dock owners, I got a nasty surprise from the Bureau of Tidelands Management just a few days before Christmas 2009. My riparian license is going up 340%. Furthermore, its retroactive to Jan 2008, and they're assessing a $150 "processing" fee for good measure.

When the dock was built, I paid $290 per year. Now, I'm going to be charged $995 per year. Over a decade, that will add up to $10,000. With these exorbiant new fees, I might prefer not to own the dock, and just moor my boat, but I have no choice since the dock exists.

The letter from the Bureau merely states:

the Council adopted a license fee calculation method based upon a flat base rate multiplied by the square footage of the license area.

It doesn't describe the flat base rate amount nor the size of my license area. Fortunately, an article in the Press of Atlantic City on Sept 30th, 2009 goes into some of the details.

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/top_three/article_13b0c2d0-ace4-11de-bcf2-001cc4c002e0.html#user-comment-area

The article explains that the new rate is 49 cents per square foot. Attorney John Scott Abbot is quoted in the article explaining that dock owners may be overcharged for lease areas greater than their dock requires.

I've put in a call to my State Senator to see if she is aware of this issue and how it affects a potentially large number constituents. Senator Jennifer Beck's (R-Monmouth) district covers several towns with residential waterfront properties, including Fair Haven, Red Bank, Little Silver, and Ocean Port.