How to Build Your Own Wall Fountains
Building wall fountains on your own is not as daunting a task as you may think. However, it is not a cheap undertaking because the materials are expensive. The main components you will need are a wall of some kind to which you attach the fountain, a pump, pipe or tubing and a basin to serve as a pool to hold the water. The pipe and pump have to be hidden in some way, either within a figurine or encased in the masonry units by means of a narrow opening in the mortar or grout. You will need to have electricity connected to wall fountains in order for the pump to operate. If you have this electrical switch located indoors (which is the preferred location) you can turn on and off the fountains easily without having to go outdoors. This switch also controls the flow of water. The garden wall fountain will usually have a gate or a three-way valve that permits you to make adjustments to this flow of water. If you would like to have water coming into the fountain in order to keep the levels up after some of the water evaporates, you will need to hook a float valve to the water supply connected to the fountain. The most important part of building your own wall fountains is the construction of the holding pool. Concrete or concrete block are the two commonly used materials for this purpose. Then you can easily cover this with plaster or decorative tile or stone above the water level. The inside should be lined with a flexible liner to prevent the water from leaking out. Even if you decide that building a wall water fountain is too challenging and time consuming for you to take on by yourself, you can get help from professionals in all aspects of project. Plumbers will easily be able to connect the pump and the hoses for you after you have the pool in place and electricians can make sure the electrical connections are safe. The cost of hiring such professionals is not cheap, but if you have friends in this trade you may be able to get the work done for next to nothing. If you decide to buy one of the ready made wall fountains that you see at home improvement or garden centers or that you have looked online, you will still have to do some work in order to get the fountain working. The directions will tell you that all you have to do is hang the fountain on a wall and add the plumbing, pipe and basin. Routing the pipe is a difficult task and is a lot easier if you can incorporate the plumbing into the wall itself. If there is nothing behind the wall, such as a neighbor`s yard or if you have built the wall just for the fountain, you can drill a hole through the wall to accommodate the pipes. If not, then you have to find a way of concealing these pipes so that they cannot be seen and this makes the fountain look as if it is part of the setting. The water will seem to come from a hidden spring and spout out through the fountainhead or whatever way you wish it to come out and then falls to the pool. Sarah Martin is a native of San Diego, CA and a freelance marketing writer specializing in gardening, landscaping, and the installation and upkeep of wall fountains. For the perfect wall water fountain for your backyard or garden, please visit http://www.garden-fountains.com/.