A Beautiful Water Garden Made Easy
A water display in the yard, garden fountains, or patio fountains turn the yard from ordinary to special. Scientists deduce that we humans began as water creatures and evolved to hunters who speared fish in the water. Hence our eager desire to be around water and to skip rocks. A child will be drawn to the water’s edge to start throwing rocks. People are drawn to water.
How does an outdoor water fountain work?
Making a simple water fountain anywhere is figuring out how to move an amount of water around in a circle, from the bowl through the fountain mouth and back into the bowl or to operate features. Several items are necessary, a bowl, a pump, and tubes to pass the water through. That’s it.
A simple fountain outside requires some way to operate the pump, solar power, battery-powered or electrical connection. A fountain requires that the water be lifted out of the pond and up to be forced into a fountain display or to run over something and back into the pond. The pond may be a simple bowl or a birdbath that will be changed into a fountain. Some fountains can be lighted the lighted features making the fountain an evening feature.
It is necessary that everything needs to be sealed, including the tubes where they go into and out of the fountain features. If these are not sealed, water will leak back.
How can I make a simple outdoor fountain?
We are looking at small garden fountains for the yard. If we are design motivated, we can design one for ourselves. But we are talking easy. So find a fountain on the market, a traditional or a modern design, usually concrete or fiberglass. Go to a floral or water supply market. I found a fountain at the thrift store but had to buy my own motor and figure out how to get it to work.
The fountain simply recirculates water, sweeping it up and out, to return it to a container pond. For this, it needs a pump that is always working as long as the water is to continue moving, electricity, or solar fountains.
Two problems for even a small pump are from the build-up of chemicals from the water on the bowl and in the nozzles of the pump and the other problem is the noise level of the pump. If the pump does not have enough water, low water causes the pump to be under a strain that makes ugly noises, not the pretty sound of water trickling over the top, but an annoying noise that causes people to turn water features off. The pump will eventually fail under this strain.
Not much gets rid of the chemical trash that builds on the display and around the nozzle. The best way to remove this crud I have found so far is sandpaper for the taping of drywall. It will remove the mess with a little scrubbing without damaging the container. Other chemicals found in the supermarket don’t work.
Where do you want the fountain to be placed? It should be near a water supply so the fountain can be refilled constantly, every day in the heat of summer. The fountain needs to be steady on the ground, often requiring concrete blocks beneath it to keep it balanced and simple. Patio fountains may be easy to find some stable spot. Sometimes it is possible to use a huge flat rock or sturdy place in the yard.
Do outdoor water fountains need electricity
Outside electricity may be difficult to find for the fountain. Solar fountains are simple for this problem. The fountain needs to be near a plug or electrical supply or the fountain needs to have an electrical line hidden and a tunnel dug and hidden underground. There can be no chance that people will trip over the line. If it is a solar-powered pump the solar panel will most likely be on a spike near the fountain. Still, the pump needs electricity if it is larger and needs more pressure to move a greater amount of water pushed uphill, which is standard. The display must push water uphill.
For small fountains and keeping it simple, a solar or battery-powered pump will do the trick. Any fountain larger must have the pressure needs calculated to be sure enough pressure is supplied. This can be calculated at the pump store or even on the computer.