---
title: "N1 nanobubble unit for backyard ponds | Alchemal"
url: "https://alchemal.com/technology/n-series/n1/"
description: "A nanobubble unit that plugs into a standard outlet, sits on the shore, and measures the pond it restores. Specs published as labeled targets."
source: "Alchemal — alchemal.com"
---
# The N1, for ponds to a quarter acre

Until now the choice was an aerator from the pond store or a commercial quote with a sales visit attached. The N1 is the missing middle: a shore cabinet about the size of a large cooler that plugs into a standard 120 V outlet, restores the pond from the bottom up, and shows you the recovery in numbers.

## What it is

The N1 draws pond water, charges it with oxygen as nanobubbles made from ambient air (no bottles, no deliveries), and returns it at depth, where the conditions behind algae, odor, and fish loss actually form. Nothing else enters the water. The dissolved-oxygen and temperature sensors are built in, every reading is tagged with its calibration record, and cellular telemetry is included with no SIM card or contract on your side. Alerts for low oxygen, faults, and power loss come to your phone.

It runs itself to a dissolved-oxygen setpoint: when the pond doesn't need oxygen, the unit slows down or shuts off, and your power bill knows it. The rest of the platform story, from the self-clearing water path to the safety hardware, is on [the N-Series page](https://alchemal.com/technology/n-series/).

## The pond it fits

The N1 is designed for ponds to a quarter acre and about eight feet deep: backyard ponds, garden ponds, farm ponds. It sits on the shore within reach of the waterline. The assessment confirms the fit against your pond's size, depth, and condition, and if the N1 is the wrong unit, the report says so and names the right one.

## Engineering targets

Every figure marked "target" is an engineering target for units now in build. Targets are published so you can plan, not to impress you; they can move during production, and the measured value replaces each one when units ship. Changes are logged where the number lives.

| Specification | Value | Claim |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Coverage ponds to 8 ft deep | to 1/4 acre | target |
| Sound at 1 m about normal conversation | under 57 dB | target |
| Weight | 35-50 kg | target |
| Power connection 15 A circuit | 120 V outlet | by design |
| Off-grid option | solar + battery | by design |
| Mounting | shore | by design |
| Sensors calibration-tagged | DO + temperature | by design |
| Telemetry | cellular, included | by design |

## What it costs

Pricing publishes when the first production units ship. If cost matters to your decision before then, ask in the [assessment](https://alchemal.com/assessment/) and you'll get the current answer in writing, installation and Stewardship included, before any commitment.

A fountain or a diffuser is genuinely cheaper, and for shallow water it can be enough; the full comparison is at [nanobubbles vs aeration](https://alchemal.com/technology/nanobubbles-vs-aeration/).

## Questions owners ask

**Can I plug it into the outlet I already have?**

The N1 is designed for a standard 120 V outlet on a 15 A circuit, the kind most sheds and patios already have. The assessment confirms your electrical situation before anything is scheduled. For ponds with no power at all, a solar and battery option is a factory configuration, not an afterthought.

**How loud is it?**

The design target is under 57 dB at 1 m, about the level of normal conversation, and quiet enough to live near a house. That number is a target, not yet a measurement; the measured level replaces it when units ship.

**What do I have to maintain?**

Approximately nothing, by design. Stewardship carries the service visits, sensor calibration, and seasonal transitions. The one wear part in the unit is a plate that swaps out in under five minutes during a routine visit, and the water path has no fine passages to clog.

**What happens in winter?**

Winterization is a single drain port, handled for you as part of the seasonal transitions in Stewardship. Powered equipment near water in winter deserves a plan, so the proposal spells yours out.

**What if my pond is bigger than a quarter acre?**

Then the N1 is the wrong unit and we will say so. The N2 covers ponds to five acre-feet, and the assessment sizes the system to your water. If nothing in the line fits, the assessment report says that too.

## Tell us what your water is doing.

A specialist reads your description and replies in writing: what it usually means and what we would measure first.

[Get a free assessment](https://alchemal.com/assessment/)