Risk Management Considerations For Dock Bubbler Systems

Over the winter months, lake front property owners can suffer severe and costly damage to permanently attached dock structures from the impact of large drifting sheets of ice. Dock bubbler systems create an “ice free” zone by constantly moving the water around, similar to the effect of a flowing stream. A dock bubbler is a device that releases small air bubbles from a perforated hose or air diffusion tubing placed at or near the lake bottom. The hose is attached to an air compressor that would typically be located in a specially made enclosure on the dock or in a boathouse or other similar type of structure.