How to Build a Solar Birdbath

A solar birdbath will attract birds and use renewable energy.

A solar-powered birdbath is a good way to use renewable energy in your garden. You can build a solar-powered birdbath with a small pump that will help prevent stagnation by circulating the water. Mel Hinton of the San Diego Audubon Society says that the running water from this type of fountain will attract lots of birds without requiring conventional electricity or batteries.

Things You'll Need

• 2 5-gallon buckets
• Hacksaw
• Sandpaper
• Drill
• 14-inch polyethylene plant pot saucer, 1 1/4 inch tall
• Scissors
• Aquajet fountain kit
• Standpipe
• Tire inner tube
• Waterproof sealant
• Paintbrush
• 1 1/2-inch sink strainer
• Cable ties
• Wood barrel cut in half
• Soil
• Flowers
• Spade
• Level
• Gravel
• Rocks
• 3 feet copper tubing, 1/4 inch
• 2-by-2-inch stakes
• Rubber mallet
• Plastic ties
• 3 feet vinyl tubing, 3/8 by 1/4 inch
• Clamps
• Mulch

Instructions

Building the Birdbath

1. Saw a 1/2-inch-square notch in the rim of a five-gallon bucket (reservoir bucket) with a hacksaw. Sand it down with sandpaper so that it is smooth enough to hold the electrical cord and tubing without cutting into it.

2. Drill three holes for water drainage, about 1/2 inch in diameter, in the bottom of your second five-gallon bucket (casement bucket) .

3. Drill a 7/8-inch hole in the polyethylene pot saucer, 3 1/4 inches from the rim (this will be the drainage hole). Using scissors, cut a two-inch section with a one-inch hole from an inner-tube tire to serve as a gasket. Open the Aquajet fountain kit, take out the standpipe and place it into the drainage hole with the threaded side beneath the basin (the standpipe will serve as a drain). Cover 1/4 inch of standpipe section above the basin face with the gasket.

4. Cover the standpipe and gasket with the 1/2-inch strainer and apply waterproof sealant with a paintbrush. Do not clog the drain with sealant.

5. Remove the pump and the plastic tubing from the Aquajet kit. Heat the end of the tubing with hot water to make it more flexible and slip the tubing over the pump outlet. Connect about 18 inches of tubing and electrical cord together with cable ties.

Installing the Birdbath

1. Fill the wood barrel half with soil, then plant flowers around the perimeter of the barrel, using your spade. Dig a hole in the soil in the center of the barrel about 12 inches deep and 10 inches wide, using your spade (wide enough for a five-gallon casement bucket to fit into but not the basin).

2. Place two inches of gravel into the casement bucket, then backfill soil around it. Align the casement bucket with a level (it must be level for the pump to work).

3. Place the reservoir bucket into the casement bucket and add few rocks to decorate the basin so that it blends into the nature around it. Place a few rocks around the bottom of the basin to hold it in place.

4. Bend the top of the copper tubing, from the kit, into an arc. Hammer a three- to four-foot-tall stake into the ground near the basin, using a rubber mallet. The stake should be tall enough to hold the copper tubing above the basin. Attach the copper tubing to the stake with plastic ties. Adjust the copper tubing by bending it into shape so that the water will be able to flow from the tubing into the basin.

5. Cut the excess copper tubing hanging from the bottom of the stake off and slip on the plastic tubing from the pump. Connect the two types of tubing with a small hose clamp. Cover the exposed plastic tubing with mulch.

6. Hammer a three- to four-foot-tall stake into the ground, using a rubber mallet. Place the solar collector mounting bracket, from the Aquajet kit, onto the stake. Point it in a south-facing direction and tilt it at a 45-degree angle so it will receive direct sunlight.

Tips & Warnings

• It will not be necessary to use all the items from the Aquajet Fountain Kit.

• When cleaning the birdbath, replace the dirty reservoir bucket with a clean one.

• During migration periods, look for different species of birds.

References

• Fly Way Cities: Build-Your-Own Solar Birdbath
• DIY Renewable Energy: Making a Solar Powered Pump Birdbath
• Think Green Articles: Making Your Own Solar Powered Birdbath

Resources

• Sign On San Diego: Solar Solution Found for Cabrillo Birdbath