I came across a way of building a garden fountain out of pots that I hadn't seen before. The idea of using pots as fountains is not new but I think this version makes a wonderful addition to any garden and its very easy to do. The first thing to do is choose the pots for your fountain. The three pots will be used for a basin, a base and the larger pot that will be used as the fountain. When choosing the shape of pot for the main fountain, keep in mind how it will function and not just how it looks. Slightly tapered pots that are smooth will be quieter since the water clings to the sides as it goes down. Other pots having rings or ridges will cause the falling water to produce more sound.
Start with a large stone or terracotta bowl for the foundation of your fountain. This is the pot that catches the overflowing water from the large main pot. Turn the pot upside down and drill a hole in the bottom center (if necessary). Turn it back over and run the cord from your pump out through the hole. Now cover the hole with duct tape and seal it with a body filler used for repairing cars. Once its dry, fill in around the cord with silicon. Next, use a water sealant to coat the inside of the basin. Its now ready to place in your desired location. The basin should be somewhat level, but this is not crucial.
The base is a pot that is turned upside down and houses the pump. Choose a pot that has a base diameter the same as the base diameter of the main fountain pot. Soak the pot overnight in water. This helps make it easier to cut notches around the top rim of the pot. These notches allow water to come in that gets pumped up through the fountain tube.
For the tubing, cut a piece of pipe about a foot longer than the height of the main fountain pot and attach to the pump. Now you must feed the pot used for the base down over the tube through the hole in the bottom. Apply silicon around the gap between the tube and the bottom of the pot. The whole set up at this point will be the basin with a pump inside an upside down pot sitting in the middle of it and the pipe sticking out the top of the base pot.
Now take your fountain pot and test fit it by feeding it down over the tube and placing it on top of the base pot. If everything looks good (it should be plumb and level with the tube sticking out the top higher than the height of the pot) you can take off the fountain pot and run two thick beads of silicon around the top of the base pot. Run one bead towards the outside to help hold the pots together and one on the inside to keep water from running in between the two pots.
Once everything has dried, fill with water and test. Now you will have to adjust the height of the tubing to get the desired effect you are looking for. Finish by filling in the basin with rocks. - 20763
Start with a large stone or terracotta bowl for the foundation of your fountain. This is the pot that catches the overflowing water from the large main pot. Turn the pot upside down and drill a hole in the bottom center (if necessary). Turn it back over and run the cord from your pump out through the hole. Now cover the hole with duct tape and seal it with a body filler used for repairing cars. Once its dry, fill in around the cord with silicon. Next, use a water sealant to coat the inside of the basin. Its now ready to place in your desired location. The basin should be somewhat level, but this is not crucial.
The base is a pot that is turned upside down and houses the pump. Choose a pot that has a base diameter the same as the base diameter of the main fountain pot. Soak the pot overnight in water. This helps make it easier to cut notches around the top rim of the pot. These notches allow water to come in that gets pumped up through the fountain tube.
For the tubing, cut a piece of pipe about a foot longer than the height of the main fountain pot and attach to the pump. Now you must feed the pot used for the base down over the tube through the hole in the bottom. Apply silicon around the gap between the tube and the bottom of the pot. The whole set up at this point will be the basin with a pump inside an upside down pot sitting in the middle of it and the pipe sticking out the top of the base pot.
Now take your fountain pot and test fit it by feeding it down over the tube and placing it on top of the base pot. If everything looks good (it should be plumb and level with the tube sticking out the top higher than the height of the pot) you can take off the fountain pot and run two thick beads of silicon around the top of the base pot. Run one bead towards the outside to help hold the pots together and one on the inside to keep water from running in between the two pots.
Once everything has dried, fill with water and test. Now you will have to adjust the height of the tubing to get the desired effect you are looking for. Finish by filling in the basin with rocks. - 20763
About the Author:
Donald Rickerby has been working in gardens since his early childhood and has always been interested in educating others on garden pot and landscaping techniques. If you would like to know more about container gardening, visit AllGardenPots.com
0 comments
Post a Comment