Mark thanks for the help
I think that you and I are on the same page. I did want to put the
Kasco a little deeper and face it in
could you explain what you mean by polyballs and what do you do with
them and the cinder blocks Thanks
I think that it might be too late to swap it for the 3/4 hp one at this
point (the dock and pilings are only about 20' by 6')and next year I
will re-invent the rigging before the ice comes.

Mark (remove this) wrote:
Richard, I have 14 of the Kasco and Ice eater brand deicers going
currently. The do need water depth to be effective and do not work
well in
shallow water, but there are some things you can do. They work best
when
driving the warmer bottom water up a slope to shallower water. If
you can
get the deicer in deeper water off the dock facing towards it you
will do
much better. You can do this with a couple of polyballs and some
cinder
blocks. The deicers have additional holes in the sides to make it
hang at
an angle to direct the water flow. The Kasco models use the cage for
offset
hanging. Place the unit off the dock in deeper water facing towards
shore.
The units can be placed very close to the bottom, almost touching.
The
units have to be checked often for debris caught in the blades, they
will
suck up any rope or plastic anywhere around. The trick in future
years is
to have everything setup before the ice hits, but it certainly adds
to the
fun to try it on ice covered decks and pilings. FWIW, I would return
the
1/2 hp model and get the 3/4 HP. Much better coverage with just a
few more
amps.