How to Make My Own Water Fountain for the Garden
Building a water foundation for your garden is a project that can be completed in a weekend with the right tools and resources. Water fountains have three components: water, a water pump, which moves the water in a continuous cycle, part of which will be in a pipe, and decorative item which the water flows over. The decorative item can be anything that will not rot or decay with the presence of constant water, stones being a popular choice. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Shovel
- Waterproof tub or bucket
- Gravel (optional)
- Sleeve for electrical wire (PVC will do)
- Water pump with attached wire plug
- String and bolt or small weighted object (optional)
- Hand saw or similar (to cut PVC)
- Scissors or similar (to cut plastic tubing)
- Plastic tubing (must be same size as output on water pump)
- Decorative item or sculpture (must be waterproof)
- Mesh or screen or chicken wire (must be waterproof/galvanized)
- 2 x 4s or similar (to hold weight of sculpture if mesh is thin)
- Pliers (optional)
- Caulk or Goop (depending on project)
- Rocks
- Aquatic plants (optional)
Instructions
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1
Dig a hole slightly bigger than your waterproof tub. Make sure there are no sharp rocks underneath that might puncture the tub, as it will serve as your water reservoir. You may want to line the bottom of the hole, underneath the tub, with fine gravel, if you are worried about rocks in your soil migrating upward toward the tub.
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Place the waterproof tub or basin in the hole that you dug for it. Set it firmly in the hole, readjusting the gravel bed or dirt underneath if necessary.
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3
Dig a small trench from the hole to your electrical source, ideally an electrical outlet.
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4
Cut a protective sleeve for your electrical wire to the length of the trench. You can use a variety of protective sleeves depending on what you have around the house, but if you have to buy something, PVC would be an inexpensive and easy option. You need a protective sleeve because rocks move about under the soil surface, and can wear away the rubber protection off a power cord, or even cut the cord in half. If you have an old sturdy hose or warsbo left over from another project, these are also options.
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Thread the electrical wire through the protective sleeve. Depending on the length of the sleeve, you may wish to tie a small weight (like a bolt) to the end of a string, and thread that through by gravity, then remove the bolt, tie the string to the plug, and pull the cord back through the sleeve by way of the string.
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Set the sleeve and power cord in place in the trench you dug. Make sure that the electric cord can either move independently of the sleeve or has the perfect amount of length to plug into your power supply. Cover over with dirt. Avoid rocks.
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Set the pump in the tub, tied by a rubber band or string to a brick or rock. This will keep it at the bottom of the tub once water is added.
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Measure how far you want the water to travel from the pump to the output, and cut the plastic tubing to the appropriate length. Better to leave it a little long, as you can always cut it back later. Most plastic tubing can be cut with anything from scissors to a blade to a saw.
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Attach the plastic tubing to the pump. The pump will have a place where you can attach plastic tubing, usually 1/2 inch in diameter, although the size may vary. You can set the other end to the side for now.
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10
Set your screen or mesh over the top of the reservoir, making sure it is large enough to cover the entire tub. Using tin snips or a metal saw, cut the screen or mesh to several inches bigger than the tub on each side. You can use chicken wire or other materials, whatever will not rust, because the water will be flowing over it. If you use a sturdy material, then you can set your rocks and decorative materials directly on it. If you use a soft material, like a screen, you may need 2-by-4 inch boards on which to sit heavier objects.
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Bend any sharp edges on the screen down into the soil using pliers. This will prevent people or animals from injuring themselves.
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Thread the plastic tubing through the screen wherever you want to direct the water. This may require cutting a hole, depending on the size of the mesh.
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Cover the mesh with rocks and other decorative items that will not decay from water. Ensure that the pump, electrical cord and tubing are hidden.
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Run the plastic tubing to your decorative item, and set your decorative item in place. You can use a waterproofed clay pot, a stack of rocks with a hole in the middle, or any waterproof sculpture. You may need to readjust the rocks you put over the mesh to allow for a firm setting for the sculpture.
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Waterproof the connection between your plastic tubing and decorative item, if necessary. This will not be necessary if the tube is running up the center of a stack of rocks, but if the end of the tube will be underwater, you will need to use caulk or Goop to ensure against leaks. Allow sufficient drying time. If you moved the decorative item to do so, put it back in its place.
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Fill the reservoir with water and plug in the pump to test your water fountain. Make minor adjustments to the placement of the tubing, sculpture and rocks to create an optimal effect. If your pump is not working, check all connections and make sure it is completely submerged. If you are using a secondary reservoir as a decorative item (like a pot) and wish to put in aquatic plants, disconnect the power supply temporarily to do so.
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Tips & Warnings
Do not place your pond more than 50 feet from your power source. Be sure to choose a pump with an electrical cord that is a sufficient length, as pump manufacturers recommend against using an extension cord.
References
- Photo Credit fountain image by Mat Hayward from Fotolia.com
