Designing Your Own Backyard Water Fountain

By Sue Varlo

Backyard water fountains have really changed over the years. Today they are made out of all different kinds of materials like copper, stainless steel, bronze, stone, even fiberglass. If you are thinking about purchasing a fountain, there are some things you should take into consideration.

Backyard fountains can be found all over the place in trade shows and gardening magazines. There are many different styles so you'll probably have a few choices to make.

My favorite style of fountain is made out of stone. You can go to Mexico and see large, handmade stone fountains, and these are the most beautiful. Some mass-produced fountains from China are even made of stone, but you can't really tell because they crush the rock and mix it with resin to fit in a mold.

Another option is to build your own fountain. There are many products out there to get you started.

The easiest way to build a backyard fountain is to get a small water pump and place it in a small tub or over a liner. You would then cover the liner with either a plastic of mesh grating and cover it with a layer of rock and small pebbles.

Next, you want to connect some PVC pipe to the pump so water will rise up out of the rocks. Black PVC pipe for sprinklers is the best at concealing your setup, but its also expensive so you make the choice. This way you won't have to worry about kids or pets getting in the way.

This would be a great time to build a small waterfall! Then just cover up all your electrical and tubing under large rocks.

If you bought your backyard water fountain in a store, it should tell you what size pump you need, if it doesn't come with the fountain. If your making your own, you should try to estimate so that every inch of width you add, you have about 100 gallons per hour being pumped. Remember elevation will also affect how much water you are pumping. Many newer pumps can be adjusted or turned down, but not much.

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