How to make a fountain: 6 types

Plot decoration is a favorite pastime of summer residents and homeowners. Beautiful flower beds, flower beds and even flower beds are a true decoration. However, nothing is more pleasing to the eye than reservoirs and reservoirs surrounded by beautiful vegetation. And if a stream of water still gushes out of it, then the corner turns into the best resting place. If you still contrive and make not only a fountain with your own hands, but also a beautiful lighting, put a swing or benches nearby, in the evenings all the inhabitants will gather in this patch.

Fountain device

To make a fountain in the country does not need very high costs. Of course, it all depends on the size of the reservoir and how you imagine it. According to the method of construction, fountains are of a closed and open type. It is about the cyclical use of water. The closed type uses the same volume of water, driving it in a circle. Open - new all the time. Garden and country fountains are made mainly of a closed type: their device is simpler and more economical. Of course, the water has to be topped up and changed periodically - it evaporates and becomes polluted, but still, the costs are not very high.

When installing an open-type system, you will have to think over the water supply system, control of its level, drainage and discharge. You can, of course, use the reservoir of the fountain as a container for heating water before watering, and from the bowl make a layout in the garden, but watering is not needed around the clock, and the fountain can work in this mode.

In the simplest version, for the manufacture of a small-sized fountain, some sealed container and a submersible pump are required. Any container can be adapted - a special plastic for a pond, a barrel, an old bathtub, a basin, a cut tire covered with a film, etc. Pumps are a little more complicated.

Fountain pumps

Fountain pumps are sold special, with built-in filters. To make a fountain with your own hands it was easier, you can buy such models. It is very simple to work with them: they put it in a container, secured it so that it does not move, poured it with water, carried out the starting manipulations (described in the instructions) and turned it on.

Fountain pumps are of different power, raise the jet to different heights. Often the kit includes replaceable nozzles that change the nature of the jet. They are powered by a 220 V network, there are models powered by solar panels. They are hermetically sealed, so there will be no connection problems, step-down transformers are not needed. The only thing that will not hurt is an automatic machine and an RCD on the line to which the pump will be connected. This is just in case, to improve security. The price of the smallest and lowest-power pump for a fountain is $ 25-30. Performance models cost several hundred or more.

Any submersible pump can be used for the fountain. But to him you need to buy or make filter (you can make sand) and a step-down transformer. A security group from a machine and an RCD on the line will not be superfluous here. This circuit is worth tinkering with if you have an old pump that is not currently in use.

How to do without a pump

Can a fountain be made without a pump? It is possible, but open type. For example, bring a water supply pipe into a pond - central or supplying water from a well or well... The water escaping under pressure will give a jet of some height. By installing a tip on the pipe, we can change its shape. But with such a construction, it is necessary to figure out where to drain the water. You can - back to the well or to the river, to the area for irrigation, etc. Although with such an organization, a pump is present, but it pumps water into the house, and the fountain is only one of the flow points.

The second option is to put some kind of container at a height, supply water to it, and from there it is fed through pipes to the fountain located below. To create a more or less decent jet height, the container must be raised 3 meters or more. But the question remains: how to supply water there. Again with a pump, but no longer submersible. They are cheaper but require a filter. You will also need a pit in which the equipment is installed. It is connected to the bowl of the fountain by a system of pipes.

Read how to make a waterfall here.

Fountain lighting

In this area, things have become easier with the advent of LEDs. They are powered by 12V or 24V, which is much safer than regular mains. There are even solar-powered lamps.

The backlight can be done using waterproof LED strips or the same spotlights and lamps. To power them, an adapter is needed that converts the voltage of 220 V to 12 or 24 V, but they are usually sold in the same place where the LEDs are, so there should be no problems. Installation is simple: the spotlights have mounting brackets, the tape can be "shot" from a stapler, only the brackets need to be found more tape sizes: it is unnecessary to punch it so as not to break the tightness.

Fountain schemes of various configurations and photos of their design

You probably know that the main component of a fountain is its bowl. In fact, this is the same pond, but with additional equipment - a pump. A pond can be made in at least a dozen different ways, and some of them are described in a separate article, because we will not describe how to make a bowl for the pool. Let's pay maximum attention to the organization of fountains and their decor.

Small fountain

The device requires a container and a pump. A decoration is put on the tube that comes from the pump. These can be stone slabs, in which it is necessary to drill and screw out, with a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the pipe. These plates are strung one on top of the other like a children's pyramid.

To avoid overflow of water, it is necessary to provide for a drainage system - just below the maximum level, cut a pipe into the container, the second edge of which should be brought into the sewer, drainage system or into the garden. You can do it differently: arrange a collection of water around the bowl - make a concrete groove or dig in a plastic one. Collected water should also be removed somewhere. Usually, in closed systems, the problem is not overflow, but the lack of water - it evaporates, but you can play it safe.

DIY fountain: photo report 1

And now a photo report of how a mini-fountain was made according to this scheme. It turned out interesting.

To make this fountain you needed:

• square plastic flowerpot without holes;
• small pump for the fountain;
• plastic pipe 0.7 m long, diameter such that it fits over the pump outlet;
• bag of decorative pebbles;
• three bricks;
• red granite sawn on slabs.

From the tool - a drilling machine to drill holes in granite with a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the pipe.

We install a bowl in the prepared hole, put bricks in it, closer to the edges. They are necessary for the stability of the structure and in order to reduce the amount of pebbles. They also serve as a support for a stone structure.We put a pump with a pipe on between the installed bricks, pour water and check how it works.

Holes were pre-drilled in the slabs in the workshop. They should be located approximately in the center so that the stones do not overturn the structure with their weight.

The first slab rests on the lying bricks, the rest are strung so that the center of gravity does not shift. Having laid the first one, we fill the remaining space with pebbles. After the last piece is laid, a mark is made on the pipe. The very last stone is removed, the pipe is cut down just below the mark, then the last fragment is returned to its place. When the water is turned on, it seems like it is running straight out of the stone. Very unusual and uncomplicated.

Photo report 2

The next version of a small fountain is made according to the same principle, only a flexible hose is used instead of a pipe, and a driftwood is used instead of a stone. The effect is just wonderful.

Everything is so clear that there is no need for comments. It differs from the previous design only in the presence of a mesh. This is to increase the volume of water: the pan is small.

Until you see, it's hard to imagine how easy it is to make things of amazing beauty. As for the pipes - it is better to use polyethylene ones - they bend well and are not afraid of ultraviolet radiation.

How to make a fountain from a tire, see the video report.

Indoor or desktop

Mini-fountains are made according to the same principle, only the pumps use very low-power ones. Suitable even for aquariums, but without aeration. They even work almost inaudibly. We will make a Japanese-style fountain. In addition to the pump, you will need a small ceramic container for this. In our case, it is an oval baked clay. A piece of bamboo - about 70 cm long (bought at a flower shop, sold as a support for climbing plants), a bunch of live growing bamboo and some small pebbles. From all this, such a beauty is obtained.

First of all, we cut a piece of bamboo into pieces of different lengths. It is hollow inside - these are natural pipes that, moreover, do not rot for a long time. One of the sides should have an oblique cut, the other should be straight. Saw so that the longest piece near the straight cut end has a "joint". The lower incision is about 5 mm below this thickening. There is just a baffle inside, with its help it will be easy to put this segment on the pump outlet. It is difficult to cut, but it was possible to cut a thin trunk with a metal blade.

We put a small pump in the vessel, put on the longest piece of bamboo - its length is about 35 cm.On the other side, we put a bunch of live bamboo, fill the space between them with pebbles.

Tie the two remaining pieces of dry bamboo to our "pipe". You can use a hemp rope. That's all, we made a mini-fountain with our own hands. It remains to fill in water and turn on the pump.

Other models can be made according to the same principle. Now you understand how it will be easy to change the design. Several photos for inspiration.

Another type, more traditional and familiar to us, uses almost the same idea and the same tools. The difference is in decoration. You can use a large ceramic or even plastic pot. It is only important that it be without drainage holes. Further - a matter of technology: divide it with a plastic partition into two or three zones, pour more soil into one and plant one of the moisture-loving plants.

The second part will be the reservoir. Only with the organization of circulation is multistage filtration necessary: ​​water is obtained very contaminated.Therefore, one by one, glasses of filtering materials with different cells are inserted - first, a wire or plastic mesh, then a cloth with a different cell, and a small pump inside this structure.

You can do it yourself not only the composition of such a tabletop fountain, but also a pump. How? Watch the video.

Pebble fountain

A very interesting design at the pebble fountains. Their bowl is disguised so that it looks like a dry fountain without a bowl. In fact, there is a bowl, but it is decorated with pebbles, which are laid on a net that covers the tank.

A container is installed in the dug pit. Its volume and size should be pretty decent: to collect all the splashes, or at least most of them. A pump is placed in the container, and the top is covered with a metal or plastic mesh with a fine mesh. It serves to protect against large contaminants from entering the water, and a thick wire mesh can be laid on top of this fine mesh. This is if you use pebbles. If you will be laying stone slabs, you can use boards or bars.

With pebbles, it is probably better to do the opposite: first, lay a grid with a large cell as a basis, and on it - with a small one. So you do not have to suffer with the choice of large pebbles, and debris will not get into the water.

If you include imagination, you can come up with very interesting compositions on this basis. For example, one of the options with a garden watering can. If your garden decorated in the classical style, the watering can hardly fit well, but in the country style - very much even.

As you can see, the water is collected in the same vessel, hidden under the pebbles, and from there it is pumped into a watering can with a small pump.

Near the wall

This is a classic version - a small or large stream of water runs from the wall and flows into the bowl. As you may have guessed, there is a pump in the bowl that supplies water through a pipe to the water outlet. It's simple if you know how. It's only about implementation and decoration.

To make the pump float up, it is screwed to some kind of heavy plate. At least for the sidewalk, if only the size fits. The case usually has corresponding holes for mounting, but when choosing it is worth paying attention to this.

If you plan to do something similar against a wall of a house or fence, take care of its waterproofing. Even if the water does not flow down the wall, splashes will fall on it and the humidity will be increased. At a minimum, it is necessary to smear it with a hydrophobic compound several times. Try to find one that doesn't change the surface color much.

The design style may be different. A flat surface is made at the upper bowl, from which water flows down a wall. The effect is very interesting. It is important that the surface from which the water falls is mirror-like and absolutely horizontal.

Fountain cascade

Iridescent jets look very interesting. Fountains of this type are called cascades or cascading. With this organization, water is poured from one bowl to another. In the case of a country or garden fountain, you can come up with interesting shapes. For example, a fountain made of buckets, watering cans, teapots and even old garden carts.

The principle of organizing such a cascade is simple: several vessels or bowls, fixed above each other so that a stream of water falls from one to another. Below is the most voluminous tank, and which is the pump. He supplies water through a hose to the topmost vessel.

How to make a bowl for a fountain

If you need a classic shape - a round, square or oval bowl, from which a stream of water gushes, the easiest way is to find a suitable plastic tank. They are of different shapes and volumes - from tens of liters to several tons. They are mainly black and blue in color. Although it seems that for our purposes it is better to take a blue color, keep in mind that against such a background, pollution is more visible. To prevent your fountain from looking like a swamp, you will have to clean such a bowl often. From this point of view, it is more practical to take black - the water looks the same, and you need to wash it less often.

The selected tank can either be buried flush with the ground or left with a side. Most often, the sides are decorated with stone or pebbles. Depending on this, the depth of the pit is chosen. It is dug out in size slightly larger than the bowl.

You can read about how and what you can decorate the site here.

When the required depth is reached, all stones, roots, driftwood are removed, the bottom is leveled, tamped, poured in sand, in a layer of about 10 cm. It is well leveled and spilled so that it thickens. A bowl is placed on the prepared base, filled with water. Sand or soil is poured into the gap between the walls of the bowl and the pit. Sand - if the soil is clayey, and the soil - if it is normally draining. Having filled in a small layer, it is compacted - carefully, with a sixth or a deck, falling into the filled gap. But no matter how well you compact, be prepared for the fact that in a couple of weeks, you will have to add more: the soil will sit down a few centimeters.

You can do without a plastic bowl. There are two other options: make the tank out of in-situ concrete. In this case, you can make a fountain with sides. The process is long and costly, and you need to worry about waterproofing.

The cheapest option is to dig a pit and cover it with foil. In principle, any high-density polyethylene is suitable, but it will last a year, maybe two. Then she begins to let water through. More reliable in this regard are special films for pools, but they cost decent money, but they can be used for years. The manufacturing technology of such a bowl for a fountain is captured in the photo.

The first stage is digging a pit and leveling the walls. After the required shape and dimensions are reached, the horizontal platforms are leveled and covered with a layer of sand. It will protect the film from possible damage.

We put the film into the finished foundation pit. Inside, it should lie without tension, freely. Its edges are covered with soil, pressed against by boulders. To prevent the germination of plant roots through the film, it is not advisable to spread under geotextile... This non-woven fabric is very tear-resistant. It is used when laying roads so that the soil is not crushed and trees do not sprout. So she can easily protect the fountain.

Boulders are laid out on the laid out film. If the foundation pit is stepped, boulders should lie at each step. When the bowl is almost complete, the pump is put on. The bowl is filled with water and testing is carried out - and the bowl is tested for tightness and pump performance.

Actually, everything, if the electricity is supplied, you can start the fountain.

Photo design ideas