Lake Dye

[Sebgo]

What's everyone's recommendation for lake dye to use. Can you please provide approximate cost and how long it last for you. Thanks in Advance.

[Horton]

I go through about 60 gallons of Milken Mirage per year. 1/3 black & 2/3 blue.

 

I have a white rock 18 inches below the surface and add dye any time I can see the rock. Without dye the water is very clear.

 

It should be noted that before we rocked the shorelines there was always clay in suspension / the water was muddy. When the water was muddy we had to use about 1/3 more dye. The theory is that the dye sticks to the clay in the water and ends up on the bottom of the lake.

 

I hate the look of the blue water but it keeps the lake weed free. If we did not dye the lake would be solid weeds.

 

[The_MS]

Any data on water temperature heating and cooling with dye and without dye in a lake? Does water with dye heat up and cool down faster?

[Horton]

I would speculate that dye makes the water hotter. I have also heard some smart guys claim it changes the way a lake feels to a skier. All Speculation.

 

Hard to pin anything down because every water source is different. Here in Armont there are 12 lakes that are feed by 5 wells. It is my understanding that some of the wells produce water with a much higher mineral content then others.

[The_MS]

We just dyed the lakes and it seams like it’s taking longer to get them warmed up.

[Horton]

seems like we need some science. The top layer of the lake is certainly going to absorb more heat. The deeper portion of the lake is certainly not going to get much radiation. Be interesting to know which way the scale tilts.

[RAWSki]

@MS maybe your blood is just thinning? Your water probably feels really warm to those of us in the upper Midwest!?!

[The_MS]

@RAWSki i am the only one skiing without rubber on. If it’s 65 or above it’s vest only.

[NameUnavailable]

We use Milliken like Horton but all blue at Princeton Lakes. We have 4 lakes and I dye it twice per year to keep it blue...otherwise it is tan from the clay. 1 treatment is 120 gal and it last 6 months roughly depending on rain fall/weather. It is not cheap. I do believe it limits our algae growth. You know slalom skiers some try to tell me it skis different when the dye is first put in.....lol

[igkya]

We used to use Lakefx and a few skiers thought the temps were a bit cooler but no one thought it skied differently.

[LLUSA]

We use Keycolour

[Horton]

I'm not going to embarrass anybody by naming names.... there's a story of a very wealthy lake owner who decided to dye the lake for the first time and when they did used maybe 10x as much as they should have and made the lake basically unskiable for about a year.

[A_B]

@Sebgo there are various dye concentrates on the market, and we use Keycolor Pure Blue and some Black to give it a darker glossier finish. I buy with another lake owner so we can get to the free shipping price point.

 

As far as how much and how long, it really depends on your lake bottom. Clay will hold dye and water level while sand is basically a filter to the water table. I have a 2000' long lake typical width and 18' deep, all clay bottom, and I use about 15-20 gallons a year. The guy I order with is about 1750' 10-12' deep with turn islands in mostly sand bottom, and he uses somewhere around 80-90 gallsons if I remember correctly.

 

Look at dye solid content that is in the various products. I always try to get the heaviest solid content suspended in water per gallon.

 

There are powder dyes out there, but even on the calmest days the powder will get on everything and turn you and your boat into smurfs.

 

I only deal with powder when I occasionally toss some Red/Yellow in, as that knocks out differnt UV spectrum than blue and black. I can't remember the last time I did though. It is part of the standard blue Aquashade dye package though..

 

Dump the dye in early though to stay ahead of weeds and algae, and I add some more in mid-summer, before it really heats up.

 

AB