why buy a water feature?

I have seen a few posts about which water feature to buy so I would like to pose this question.

"Why buy a water feature when you can make one?"

With a little thought and some basic understanding of water features they are not really that hard to make.

The feature

You will need something for the water to flow over / fall from. This is what decides everything else.

What you actually use is up to you, it could a flowerpot standing on another flowerpot with water cascading over the sides, or a single vertical water jet or a drilled rock the choice is endless, but it must be waterproof (i.e not iron)

Once you have decided what to use you then need a sump, you can buy pre made sumps, but it is often cheaper to build your own using an old off cut of pond liner (Built a similar way you would a pond)

You could also opt to use something low and wide (old resin patio tables are good for this) If you do a small flow of water will look too feeble so I suggest you have a waterfall pump as these have a high flow rate.

How big should the sump be?

First of all it needs to be big enough to catch any water splash so if for example you opt for a single vertical jet that is 2 feet tall the sump should be 4 feet in diameter since the water can fall as far as it is tall (Something often forgotten about in water features / fountains) The only exception to this is if you have say a 2 foot tall rock and the water just trickles down its sides. It should also be deep enough to house the pump.
If you do have something low and wide then the liner can be a couple of inches wider, since the water splash will fall on the object that is low and wide


The pump

There are a whole variety of pumps to choose from, but depending on what your feature is depends on the type of pump required. Not all pumps are the same.

If your feature is tall or the water needs to go high then a filter pump is of no use since filter pumps are designed to pump high volumes of water but to very little height and if you use a fountain nozzle there will not be enough pressure to operate it. Filter pumps also pump debris (since they pump debris into the filters), which will cover you feature over time.
You need a fountain pump or a waterfall pump (Depending ion the height / width of your feature)
All pumps will have a pump flow rate graph on the box, check that the pump you choose can pump to the height of your feature, I would also suggest that if it is close to the ââ?¬Å?limitââ?¬Â you get the next size up, as you can always turn a big pump down, you can not turn a small pump up.

Solar pumps
Do not try and make a feature using a solar pump, solar pumps do not have a good flow rate and if there is little sunshine there will be even less flow (or none at all)

Notes:
If you do opt for a single jet foaming / frothy jets also look nice, but these do require a lot of water to operate correctly so check that the pump you intend to buy can operate your chosen nozzle. Some manufacturers supply fountain pumps with a choice of nozzles these are a good idea, but do make sure the jet can reach the height you require before you buy one too small.

Always plug your pond pump in via an rcd adaptor

 

I looked around for ages for one to buy and they were either too expensive or did nothing for me so I made my own too - and very pleased I am with it! As Woo says though, each to there own - but it was good fun and a very satisfying project

 

You need a bit of confidence in your ability, Watergarden - not everyone has that, particularly not where mixing electricity and water is concerned. Let's face it, lots of people don't even have the confidence to eat a bramble growing in the hedgerows.....

 

I think the nicest thing about a water feature is the noise of cascading water. Just about the most relaxing sound there is.
Unless of course it's coming from your domestic cold water header tank that's just sprung a leak :rolleyes:

 

Not a lot you can say to that, Dave :rolleyes: :D