Fountain aerator with flow straightener

A fountain aerator for propelling and aerating water comprising:

• a float having a flow tube extending therethrough for suspending the aerator in a body of water;
• a motor base assembly containing a motor provided with a rotatable output shaft;
• an open ended housing spaced from the float and connected between the flow tube and the motor base assembly;
• a wear ring secured within the housing and defining a central opening therein;
• a covered impeller retained in the housing in spaced relationship with the float and coupled to the motor output shaft for rotation therewith, the impeller having an upper wall and a lower wall interconnected by a number of radially extending blades, and a water admitting inlet depending from the lower wall and extending through the central opening for rotation therein, the upper wall, the lower wall and the blades defining a series of outlet passages in communication with the inlet, wherein the impeller creates centrifugal output streams of water when the motor output shaft rotates, and the wear ring minimizes return flow of water through the inlet;
• and
• a flow straightener spaced from the float and fixed to the housing in overlying, surrounding relationship with the impeller, the flow straightener having flow straightening slot structure overlapping the outlet passages of the impeller for propelling substantially vertical streams of water upwardly through the flow tube.