Home Decor

Your Queries for an outdoor fountain

“Be like the fountain that overflows, not like the cistern that merely contains” ~ Paulo Coehlo.

Keeping a fountain in your outdoor area is a perfect way to utilize the space. Blending the greenery of your garden with the purity of water is an excellent approach to decorate your outdoor area. After buying the fountain, some questions can come to one’s mind. These can be as follows.

Whether to leave the fountain on all the time?

Pumps in the fountains are like machines, running on electricity. If there is enough water in the fountain for the pump to pump, there is no need to worry. However, if you’re going away on a holiday the water level can decrease by spilling out from the fountain or evaporate in hot weather. So, if you’re not there to refill, it’s better to not take a chance.

What you can do is connect your electrical appliances that don’t need to be switched on all time, with one main switch. This way you can turn them off when there is no need (while at night or going away for the weekend) to save electricity and your hard-earned money

How to clean my fountain and how often?

Water in the fountain is in contact with atmospheric air and microbes, especially outdoor foundations can get contaminated easily. The normal protocol to clean your fountain is after every two months or early but no later. It also depends on the usage of clean, distilled water or hard salty water. Simply remove the decoration pieces, rocks, leaves, and then drain out water. Take the pump out and clean it thoroughly to rid of any algae build in the corners and narrow spaces. Put the fountain back, fill it with water, and voila! Good as new. You can add some bleach to your water or use chlorinated water to avoid algae or microbe invasion.

Keeping garden accessories in good shape is not a piece of cake. Check my article Keeping your garden accessories safe and last for a long time

What traits should be at the top of my head while buying an outdoor fountain?

Some of the main points to consider that you can assess at the very first or second observation while buying an outdoor fountain are as follows.

What sounds are suitable for you?

The sound of the water, the ripples, is it soothing to you or is it too loud. Everyone has a different threshold for noise. Some people find rock and roll music pleasing while others find it straight-up disturbance.

What style appeals to you most?

The style if it appeals to you or not. A modern-style home should have a sleek design of a fountain either indoor or outdoor. A grand mansion needs a traditional big fountain with intricate patterns and design.

What should be the size of the fountain?

The size of the fountain if it’s too big or too small. The size matters because you don’t want your garden to be invaded by the fountain taking up all the space. You also should be able to showcase your fountain perfectly.

What material should my fountain be made of?

The material that attracts you the most. There is ceramic that is strong but heavy, marble with natural patterns but can chip, glass with crystal-like appearance but easy breakage, metal with durability but corrosion. Every material has its ups and downs, but you can choose the one that suits you the best.

What to consider while buying a pump for the outdoor fountain?

While the pump can get old, worn out, or can have algae build up in it. So, it is necessary to change it and replace it with a new and equally efficient pump. You can either follow the number and model specification of the old pump or if you cannot find one, consider the following things.

●     The pump needs to be able to pump water properly through the fountain.

●     The size of the pump should be as per the size of your fountain. The pump that cannot be submerged properly into the water is not useful because it cannot operate.

●     Consider the height of your fountain and the volume of water in the fountain and analyse if the pump can work with the given height .

Why does my pump make more noises than the water stream of the fountain?

Pump making extra loud noise and disturbance means it is not sitting in well with the water. The water level should always be above the pump. To completely submerge the pump into the water, add water almost up to the brim or wherever the sound stops. The sound can also be due to the reason that the pump is hitting or vibrating onto the fountain side. Adjust it well or place a sponge to give soft support to the pump.

How can I maintain my fountain to last longer?

Taking care of your fountain is a rather easy task. Just make sure the water doesn’t change color to murky, cloudy, or green. If it does, you need to clean the fountain thoroughly because of possible algae and dirt built in the fountain. The murkiness of water can be due to debris accumulation that can hinder your pump’s working. Replace water after a short duration even more so in the summer because it can evaporate. You need to keep the water clean if there are birds drinking water from it. Drain the fountain dry before winter and cover it with a plastic sheet to avoid the water freezing up.

How powerful does the pump need to be?

This part is easy to figure out. The pump is best if it can pump half of the total water out of the fountain in the time of one hour. This means that for a 10-gallon water capacity of a fountain, a pump should be able to pump out 5 gallons of water in 60 minutes to keep the water running smoothly. The power as in how many watts does a pump need depend on the size of the fountain. There are 12 watts, 44watts up to hundreds of watts power of pumps depending on how much water needs to be pumped out.

How can I keep my fountain water fresh for longer?

Add in some apple cider vinegar. A cup or two would refresh your fountain water. Vinegar is an acidic liquid with anti-bacterial, viral, and septic abilities to keep the water uninfected for longer. It will kill any unwanted microbes. Put some copper coins if you have them. Copper can also help avoid algae buildup. Copper releases certain ions in water and has a biostatic reaction on the microbes and stops their growth.

At last, you know how to choose a fountain for your garden. I am sure you would also like to read Perfect Guide for Buying Outdoor Garden Statue

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