Installation And Maintenance Of A Residential Outdoor Water Fountain
Posted on: 22 March 2016
An outdoor water fountain is a great addition to any residential garden. These fountains are beautiful to look at, create a humid atmosphere for nearby growing flowers and plants, and emit soothing sounds of splashing water. Another advantage of having an outdoor water fountain in your garden is that it will attract birds, bees, butterflies, and other outdoor creatures to your yard and create a natural habitat for them to continue to visit. Here are some fountain designs and maintenance information to consider if you would like to install a backyard water fountain for sale:
Cascading Bowls Fountain - A cascading bowls fountain is a series of glazed ceramic bowls stacked on top of each other with the largest bowl at the bottom and the smallest bowl at the top. These bowls can be level or tilted so the contained water easily flows from one bowl to the next. You can partially fill the bowls with round rocks to give your cascading fountain a very natural stream or river appearance. The edges of these bowls can act as perches for small garden birds to take a drink or bathe in your fountain. The submersible fountain pump for a cascading bowl fountain is located in the lowest bowl and recirculates water from that bowl to the highest bowl in the fountain.
Stone Garden Fountain - You can easily build your own free-form stone garden fountain by purchasing all of the stones and fountain parts at your local home and garden center and assembling them in your yard. Purchase a fountain pump that has an adjustable knob so that you can control the speed and flow of water in your garden fountain. You can build a stone garden fountain as follows:
- Embed a hard plastic pool or construct a concrete bowl in the earth as the basis for your stone garden fountain.
- Install a submersible fountain pump in the pool or bowl at one end and bury the attached electrical connection to an outdoor electrical outlet in your yard.
- Attach 1/2" clear plastic tubing to the top of your fountain pump approximately twice as long as you anticipate needing for the height of your fountain.
- Place round river rocks or flagstone paving stones around your sunken pool or bowl to create a natural pond shape and edge.
- Build up one side of your stone garden fountain with more river rocks or flagstone to create a series of layered ledges for fountain water to flow over and down into the pool or bowl. Keep piling up the rocks or flagstone to a height of 3 - 5 feet.
- As you are building up the rock and stone ledges, thread the free end of the clear plastic tubing through the layered ledges to the top of your fountain and secure at the top with epoxy glue.
- Fill your pool or bowl with water, connect your fountain pump to your electrical outlet, and turn it on.
- Water will flow down the layered ledges into your pool or bowl and recirculate up through your stone ledges via the plastic tubing to begin flowing from the top again.
Garden Fountain Maintenance - Inspect your garden fountain often and remove any visible debris whenever you see it in the water. Depending on your location and climate, you may have to refill the water in your garden fountain every other day. Clean your garden fountain thoroughly about once a month or as needed. To thoroughly clean your garden fountain:
- Unplug your garden fountain pump at the electrical outlet.
- Completely drain the water in your fountain by siphoning it into a gutter or drain.
- Scrub the interior sides of your base pool or bowl to remove any growing moss or accumulated algae.
- Remove your fountain pump's filter, thoroughly clean it, and replace it on your pump.
- Refill your garden fountain with fresh water, plug in your fountain pump, and turn it on.
- Between cleanings use a commercial algaecide as directed to inhibit the growth of algae.
A garden fountain will give you, your family, and your guests much pleasure to see and hear. It will become a focal piece in your garden for years to come.
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