• Aerators help mix water and air in order to purify the water.bubbles image by Diana Wolfraum from Fotolia.com
  
  Aerators are machines that purify water. They are designed to bring water and air into close contact with one another, which will cause the release of toxins within the water. For instance, the process of aeration will remove dissolved gases such as carbon dioxide, and also oxidize metaltiny dissolved metal particles.Aeration is an important part of the water purification process. Several major types of aerators exist.
  
  

Cascade Aerators

• Cascade aerators consist of a series of steps which the water flows over.The idea is to reproduce the type of aeration that happens in a flowing stream. Aeration occurs in the spots where the water splashes.This type of aerators is the most frequently used as well as the oldest design of aerator.
  
  

Cone Aerators

• Cone aerators are used specifically to remove the iron content from water by oxidizing it.It is similar in conception to the cascade aerator, except that instead of a series of steps the cone aerator is made from a series of cones set one atop the other.
  
  

Slat and Coke Aerators

• Slat and coke aerators are another variation on this same concept. This time, the aerator is made by placing three to five trays one atop the other.The trays have spaced wooden slats in them.The trays are also filled with mid-sized pieces of rock, ceramic, or limestone which increases the contact between air and water.
  
  

Draft Aerators

• Draft aerators work from the same concept as the other types, but are a more automated version. Air is introduced into the system not through gravity but through the use of a blower. Draft aerators come with blowers on either the top or the bottom of the machine.
  
  

Diffuser Aerator

• A completely different form of aerator is the diffuser aerator. If introduces the air into the water in the form of bubbles.The smaller these bubbles are, the more effective the aeration process.Many different types of diffuser exist. Sometimes, it is a plastic pipe, sometimes a carborundum stone, really anything that effectively disperses the air in the water.
  
  

Surface Aerators

• Surface aerators spray the water into the air through the use of a pump or a set of rotary paddles or brushes, partially submerged in water. They cause great turbulence in the water at extremely high speeds.
  
  

Turbine Aerators

• Turbine aerators use propellers to mix the air and water together.They require a great deal of energy in order to operate, so they are not the most efficient type of aerator.