How to Make a Bucket Water Fountain

Make a bucket fountain with a decorative metal bucket.

A bucket water fountain can add charm to a backyard patio or design interest to a flower bed. Make your own bucket water fountain to suit the décor of your landscape using an old rustic-style bucket or a shiny new one. Embellish the bucket with decorative acrylic painting techniques to add a country style design. Make a bubbling bucket fountain with water churning from the center or channel the water to an old pump head or faucet above the bucket to add vertical interest.

Things You'll Need

• Bucket
• Silicone sealant
• Submersible fountain pump
• Fountainhead
• Copper pipe
• Measuring tape
• Pipe cutter
• Drill
• 3/4-inch diameter metal drill bit
• Copper fitting
• Safety glasses
• Work gloves
• Flux
• Solder
• Propane torch
• #4 rebar, 3-foot pole
• Mallet
• Plastic tubing
• Scissors

Instructions

Bubbling Bucket Fountain

1. Fill the bucket with water to check for leaks. Seal any cracks or openings with silicone sealant. Let the sealant dry.

2. Place a submersible fountain pump in the center of the bucket. Run the power cord over the most unobtrusive side of the bucket and out to the power source.

3. Attach the fountainhead to the fountain pump spout. Pull the fountainhead extension to 2 inches below the rim of the bucket.

4. Fill the bucket with water to cover the fountainhead. Start the pump. The water should bubble in the center of the bucket.

Bucket Fountain with an Old Pump Head

1. Make a bubbling bucket fountain, but place the fountain pump next to one side of the bucket, not in the center. Do not add the fountainhead.

2. Cut a 3-foot-long copper pipe to direct the water from the bucket to the pump head. Drill a 3/4-inch diameter hole through one side of the pipe, 20 inches from one end. The drilled hole should be slightly above the top rim of the bucket; adjust the placement as needed.

3. Solder a copper fitting to the base of the pump head. Solder the end of the pipe farthest away from the drilled hole to the inside of the copper fitting.

4. Position the bucket in place for the water fountain. Insert a 3-foot-long #4 rebar pole 15 inches into the ground directly beside the bucket. Fit the copper pipe over the exposed rebar. The pump head spout should be directly over the bucket.

5. Attach a 3-foot section of plastic tubing to the fountain spout on the submersible pump. Feed the plastic tube through the drilled opening in the pipe, up to the pump head. Fill the bucket with water before activating the fountain pump.

Tips & Warnings

• Wear safety glasses and protective gloves when soldering.

References

• Graystone Creations: Frequently Asked Questions about Fountain Pumps

Resources

• The Family Handyman: How to Solder Copper Pipe