Pond Fountains
are one of the delights of the backyard water garden.
There are a few important tips to understand when you design or install them.
Plumbing Fixtures
Plumbing fixtures should be of the highest quality possible.
Cheap plumbing parts either corrode (use stainless steel instead) or degrade in sunlight (use spa quality plastic instead). Yes, that stuff is a bit more expensive to buy but it is almost trouble-free.
Trust me on this, you don’t want to be messing around in your pond in the second year “fixing” things rather than enjoying your pond and pond fountains. Cheap fittings and plastic usually last the first season OK but then you run into problems in subsequent years.
I know a person who used construction grade 6 mil poly to line the pond. Put rocks and gravel over top of it to “protect” it from the UV degradation (a good practice) but forgot that the edges needed protecting (they degraded) and underground water might heave the plastic (it did) and that sharp rocks puncture thin plastic (they did). In short, the pond had to be totally rebuilt in year three. But it was cheap to install!
Pond Foam
Pond foam is an invaluable assistant in setting and securing small pond fountain fixtures. Easy to use and harmless to fish, this stuff acts to stabilize key rocks or fountains. DonÂ’t leave your pond without it.
Pump Inlet
Make sure your pump inlet is clear at all times or you’ll quickly burn out your pump. On small ponds without exterior filter systems, this can be a daily event at some times in the summer.
Watch the output of the fountain carefully, if it decreases at all, clean the filter.
And no, you don’t want to remove the filter or you’ll get gunk into your pump and burn it out quicker. (been there, tried that).
The entire subject of pond fountains, pond plants, water garden construction, fish and other topics is broad enough that I’m writing a lot about creating and running them on my water garden and pond fountains website.
Do you have a question about Pond Fountains?