Monday, March 26, 2012

Tips for Installing an Outdoor Garden Fountain

By Vincent Yim


The sound and sight of an outside home garden fountain can be exceedingly peaceful and relaxing. These fountains usually become the point of interest of a garden and bring much enjoyment, particularly when interesting birds come to drink or bathe.

Lots of garden water fountains are pre-assembled and the homeowner needs to decide on the most suitable spot to put the unit. These pre-assembled fountains need only to be full of water and to be connected into a power source. It's also feasible to source the numerous elements for your fountain separately and to assemble a unit that is unique to your own garden.

Home Garden fountains can be either free standing or can be installed against a wall. It's really important to ensure that the wall you select will hold the weight of both the fountain bowl and the water it contains and such advice is best obtained from a credible contractor. Big fountain basins also should be supported by a T-bracket, of which many decorated ones are available. Water entering the basin should do so at approximately eyelevel, which is the proper height to drill thru the wall to install the outlet plumbing. The water consumption pipe can be positioned at knee level and you'll need to drill a second hole in the wall to accept the water consumption pipes.

Though wall fountains have their following and can be decidedly attractive, many house owners will opt to have a fee standing garden fountain. These fountains are available in different sizes and the larger ones will require an important base, built ideally from cement. The cement slab on which your fountain will stand should ideally be 3 inches larger on every side than its base. A bedrock for your stand-alone fountain should extend approximately 2 - 3 inches below ground level.

The base of your home garden fountain must be level and it is smart to position the fountain as near to an electrical outlet as practical. Add to the final aesthetic of the garden by burying the electrical cable. By doing this, you will also be skyrocketing the safety factor, as children and pets will struggle to access it. Garden fountains, which weigh less than 30 pounds, don't require a concrete foundation and can just be placed on paving stones or bricks.

Small water fountain garden may also be positioned on patios or in atriums, which visually extend the great thing about the garden into the living space of the home. Fountains designed for these areas will sometimes be free standing and relatively small and compact.

Select a small submersible pump that runs noiselessly to be used in these areas and make sure that the basin you use is watertight. Also check that joints in the plumbing are similarly watertight. This is extremely important when piping is to be buried under the ground, as it becomes terribly injurious to plants if the plumbing should be dug up after the first installation to mend leaky connections.

In the case of very big stand alone fountains, be sure to place a pre-filter over the intake of the pump if you intend to place small pond fish in the basin. If you fail to do this, fish will be drawn into the impeller housing of the pump, with deadly results.

Fountains that stand in parts of the country that are prone to frost are best drained prior to the first frost to prevent damage to the pump and in serious cases, damages to the fountain also. For those wishing to create a quiet area in a special spot on their property, an outside water fountain is a good choice.




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