Making Your Own Outdoor Water Fountains

Making your own outdoor water fountains has its benefits. You save on purchase costs, moving cost, and installation cost. You get to make something that suits your garden; something that is a unique piece, not available anywhere else. And you get to have a lot of fun doing this on sunny Sunday afternoons when you are in the mood for testing your DIY skills.

Materials Needed

First, you need to source the materials, equipment, and parts for making the fountain. You will need a plastic pool, pump, tubes, sand, and a plastic fountain water spout. The pump should be powerful enough to draw water from the pool into the spout, and throw it high. Depending on your requirement, you can even get decoration pieces such as plants, colorful rocks, shells, and plants. Statues and sculptures sourced from flea markets, garden sales, and online stores can really brighten the pool up.

Selecting The Pump

The pump is the most active mechanism of the fountain. Therefore, you need to select the right pump for the pool and fountain. The pump provides lift and sucks the water by volume. These two measurements must be kept in mind while purchasing supplies for the fountain. Smaller wall or tabletop fountains draw 30 gallons of water per hour. The large fountains need 500 gallons per hour. You need to have an idea of the volume of water in the pool to be able to calculate how much force your pump should apply.

The Procedure

First, the electricity line has to be laid to connect the fountain to the mains. The farther the fountain is from the electricity switchboard, the longer would be the length of cord that you need. Next, you would need to clear space on the ground and dig a trench the size of the pool. Fit the plastic pool into this. Check the level using a carpenter's tool.

Next step is to fit in the decorative fount and do the plumbing. The sculpture is placed in the middle of the pool. A hole is drilled through it so a tube can pass through. Attach the tube to the pump by fitting it into its outlet slot. Fill the pool up. Plug in the pump to the electricity line and start the fountain.

All the major work is done. Now you need to decorate the fountain. Use shells, pebbles, rocks and additional sculptures to create a unique look for your garden. Any old pieces from decoration sets, china, and similar material can be used for creating a fun/elegant/theme-based fountain.

Now your DIY fountain is ready. With a little creativity and almost no cost, you can create spectacular outdoor water fountains for your home.

Apurva writes for Ethan Paul Fountains, a leading retailer of outdoor water fountains and wall mounted fountains. For more information about different types of fountains visit http://www.soothingwalls.com

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