For over 20 years, Oyster Farmers have been buying a standard Ice Eater to operate their floating upweller system (Flupsy). Over the past year, we stopped and asked the question “how can our product better suit the farmer’s needs?” We received terrific insight and learned they needed a variable speed system which could be dialed back or ramped up depending on the stage of their oysters.

With that in mind; we worked with some fantastic engineers from WEG, using some of the latest variable frequency drive technology, and the Vari-Speed was born.

So with the help of oyster farmers and WEG, we can now provide MORE FLOW, MORE FOOD, AND MORE GROWTH, significantly reducing their production time, and taking the common Flupsy into the 21st century.

Simply put, this is a 3-phase motor operating in an axial flow system. However, what separates it from anything else on the market is that this variable speed motor can run on a standard 115V GFCI protected outlet. No one else is doing this yet!

*We would like to thank Tom Kiefer with WEG Commercial Motors and John Eblacker with WEG Electric Corp. for all of their help to make this possible.

WHY CHOOSE THE VARI-SPEED CONTROL PANEL?

Simple Start/Stop button with a run indicator.
GFCI provides operator protection from electrical system
Dial for decreased or increased flow allows for simple operator setup.
Reduces Vari-speed electrical harmonics back to customer’s electrical system.
Load reactor provides protection from motor issues (i.e., jammed propeller, motor failure, etc) and creates clean, constant power.
6’ pigtail plugs directly into a standard 115V GFCI outlet
Twist Lock plugs directly into Vari-Speed Ice Eater
Works with any 3 phase motor up to 1 horsepower.
Vari-Speed Control Panel is 23 1/2 x 23 1/2 (Ships separately from Ice Eater).
2-year warranty

“I now have flow rate flexibility. I can dial it down when a seed is small and gradually turn up the flow speed as the seed grows. This is a huge improvement for my operation. I plan on upgrading all of my Flupsy units to the new Vari-Speed motors this winter.”

– TROY MORRIS
Owner of Calm Cove Shellfish

” The Vari-speed is a versatile addition to the Powerhouse line of equipment and makes available the necessary control for a key element to our aquaculture operation. Coupling a powerful 1 HP motor to a fully speed reducing dial allows us to place very small spat into Floating Upweller systems early in the culture season and prevents displacement, rumbling and ejection of the seed. Dialing the flow upwards as the animals grow is effortless and makes tailoring the seston rate to spat volume possible. Thanks, Powerhouse for adding innovations to a product that has been the backbone of our nursery system for the past 20 years.”

– KIM TETRAULT
Community Aquaculture Specialist

WHY CHOOSE THE VARI-SPEED ICE EATER?

1 Horsepower motor with a single propeller able to push 0 – 1,379 gallons per minute.
The 3 phase motor uses less power than the P750 Ice Eater, making it more efficient and cost-effective.
Running amperage at full speed is 6.2 amps and reduced speeds as low as 1.2 amps.
Water circulation with little to no Bottom turbulence.
Aluminum Sacrificial Anodes & Dielectric Lubricating Fluid are Incredibly Environmentally Friendly.
Salt Water Compatible
Excellent Shallow Water Operations
Twist Lock plugs directly into Vari-Speed Control Panel
1 Year Warranty

How it works

The Ice Eater continuously pulls water out of the central trough of the Floating Upweller System, drawing water from each silo, and as a result creating flow through the seedbed providing nutrients to the oysters.

The Vari-Speed Axial Flow System allows you to change the speed of the motor, giving you control of the amount of water the Ice Eater circulates.

EASY INSTALLATION

Step 1

Control panel and transformer are mounted to a 23.5″ x 23.5″ black UV protected HDPE plate so that you can easily mount the control panel to a flat surface beside the FLUPSY.