How to Build Your Own Pottery Outdoor Fountain Basins

Achieve romance in your garden with an easy fountain project. This simple project will transport you away from your ordinary backyard and into the serene atmosphere of a tropical garden. Most of the supplies for this project can be found at your local home improvement store.

Things You'll Need

• Submersible pump
• Plastic tubing, one foot in length
• Plastic bucket
• Ceramic planter or basin slightly taller than the bucket
• Plastic saucer
• Utility knife
• Small decorative bowl
• Goggles
• Electric drill and masonry bit
• Awl or ice pick
• Polished rocks

Instructions

Process

1. Turn the submersible pump to the desired setting and fit the plastic tubing over the output valve. The diameter of the plastic tubing should be sized to fit your pump.

2. Cut an opening with the utility knife in the top half of the plastic bucket about 2 inches in diameter. This will be where the electric cord is threaded through the side of the bucket.

3. Put the submersible pump in the bottom of the plastic bucket and snake the electrical cord through the hole you have just cut. Place this assembly including the pump and plastic bucket inside the ceramic planter or basin. Bring the electric cord up to rest over the edge of the planter.

4. Fill the plastic bucket with four cups of water, or enough to cover the pump's intake valve at least by 1" inch. You have now completed the base or foundation of your fountain.

5. Use the utility knife to carve a niche in the edge of the plastic saucer to encase the electrical cord. Now cut a hole large enough in the center of the saucer to accommodate the small decorative bowl you have chosen. The bowl will rest and be placed in the hole, about halfway down the saucer. With your awl or ice pick, pierce the surface of the plastic saucer to create a series of holes along the inner rim of the saucer. This is where the fountain water will begin to be re-circulated.

6. Put on your goggles and drill a hole in the bottom center of the decorative bowl.

7. Fit the plastic saucer into the planter so that it rests on top of the plastic bucket. Find the loose end of the plastic tubing and bring it through the large opening in the plastic saucer. Push the tubing through the hole in the decorative bowl, and nestle the bowl into the opening in the plastic saucer. Trim the tubing so that about 1/4 inch remains at the top.

8. Spread the polished rocks in the tiers you have created with the bowl and the plastic saucer, taking care to cover up any exposed mechanical items such as tubing or cords. Plug in the pump and adjust the flow of water according to your tastes.

Tips & Warnings

• The drill bit you use should create holes that fit snugly around the tubing. Use a thin plastic saucer made to catch drainage from potted plants.

• Wear safety goggles to protect your eyes while drilling.

References

• Outdoor Style, Amy Elizabeth Cook,Time Life Books, 2000.