What are the preparations for Putting in a Fountain?

Question

I am putting in an ornamental fountain in to my garden. What preparations do I need to consider first before doing this?

Answer 1

There are many things to consider when installing a fountain and what you need to consider depends greatly on what kind of fountain your are installing.

In you are installing a stand along, self feeding fountain, the kind that recycles its water, you want to make sure that it is level, that you have a pump that is powerful enough, evaporation rate and you want to make sure that you are aware of the fountain's "splash zone" - being the area outside the fountain that the water will splash. High evaporation and a large splash zone can quickly empty a recirculating fountain and cause damage to the pump.

If you are installing a fountain in a pond, you want to make sure it is level, that the pump is powerful enough, that you either have a filtration system on the pump that can handle debris or that you have a filtration system on the pond as a whole that can filter out the debris that could clog the pump and that the pump is not too powerful for the flora and fauna in the pond. A overly powerful pump can suck plants and fish into it with not pretty results.

If you are installing a fountain that is on its own water line, I would recommend bringing in a contractor, at least for a consultation so that they can comment on the situation as it applies to you. Own water line fountains can get tricky.