How to Build Outside Water Features
Outside water features lend a sense of peace and tranquility to any landscape. Waterfalls, fountains and colored lights are only a few of the many features you can incorporate into your new waterscape. Although outside water features come in all shapes and sizes, the basics of building them are essentially the same. You're only limited by your imagination, so take the plunge and create your own water feature. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Shovel
- Pond liner or preformed liner
- Conduit
- Electrical wire
- Outlet
- Water
- Aquatic plants
- Fish
- Water conditioner
- Pump
- Waterfall or fountain
Instructions
-
-
1
Plan where you want your feature carefully. You want it to have a good mixture of sun and shade. Too much sun, and the water can get very hot for fish, especially in Southern U.S. climates. No sun at all, and aquatic plants won't grow. Also, keep in mind that if you put the pond under trees, you will have to deal with leaves falling in and cleaning these out frequently.
-
2
Decide on the electric features you will be incorporating and if you'll need to power a single fountain, pump, bio filter or running waterfall. Whatever your power needs, you must provide the cabling to meet them. If you're putting the water feature far away from your house, you will have to run an underground conduit to provide power. If you are unsure about working with electricity, use extension cords rated for outdoor use that can be buried just under the soil. Follow any manufacturers instructions.
-
-
3
Start digging. The type of liner--preformed or flexible--will determine how you dig the hole. Preformed ponds come in a number of shapes and sizes. Flexible liner is just that; you buy a set amount of liner, dig your hole and set the liner inside it.
-
4
Line the bottom of the hole with construction sand, required for either kind of liner. This will protect the bottom of your pond and provide it with a layer of protection from sticks or stones that might be poking up through the dirt. It also helps level the pond. Edges should be at the same height, or your water will simply run out the sides.
-
5
Put the liner in the hole and conceal the edges of your outside water feature with rocks or paving stones. Whether you want it to look formal (such as with bricks) or natural is up to you.
-
6
Place the pump, biological filter and any waterfall features in the pond. Connect these to the power source.
-
7
Begin filling the pond with water. Do this slowly. If you're using a flexible liner, use this time to adjust the edges of the liner and smooth them out as the pond fills. As the level of the water rises, adjust plants to different depths to see what works best.
-
8
Add any decholorinator or water conditioner after the pond has filled. This step is very important as the chlorine in most municipal drinking water is poisonous to fish and other aquatic life.
-
9
Add fish, while still in their plastic bag, into the pond. This will allow the fish to gradually become acclimatized to the temperature of the pond. After half an hour, open the bag and release your fish to their new home.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Try digging during the spring or when the ground is wet. This makes the job easier.
Check with power companies before doing extensive digging. Always turn off the power at the circuit breaker when working with electricity.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit valeehill/flickr.com, RevKeaponLaffin/flickr.com
