How to Install a Water Fountain | Home Guides | SF Gate

Digging a hole is the first step in installing a backyard fountain.

Garden pots and preformed flexible pond liners make it easy to add a water fountain to any patio or garden area. Fountains can either spray water in patterns through a nozzle or bubble and cascade the water, dropping it into the reservoir below. Regardless of the type of fountain you choose, you will need a submersible pump and a nearby source of electricity with a ground-fault interrupt (GFI) outlet.

Locate the fountain within safe reach of a GFI electrical outlet. Using a shovel, dig a trench between the outlet and the fountain, deep enough to accommodate PVC pipe to hold the electrical cord.

Dig a hole to fit a 5-gallon bucket snugly inside the hole with the bucket lip rising one inch above ground level. Cut a one-half-inch-wide slit in the lip of the bucket with a knife or hand saw, allowing enough room for the pump cord to pass through. Place the clean bucket in the hole.

Place a mark in the center of a 12- to 14-inch saucer. Drill a hole at the mark, using a three-quarter-inch drill bit, for flexible water tubing. Drill six holes in the bottom of the saucer to allow the water to escape back into the bucket. Drill six holes in the bottom of a 12- to 14-inch pot.

Rinse out the pot and the saucer to remove any dust and debris. Rinse river rock to remove dust that might clog the submersible pump. Place the pump on a clean brick inside the bucket. Pull the pump cord through the slit in the bucket.

Attach the flexible tubing to the pump. Thread the tubing from the pump through the center hole in the bottom of the saucer. Fill the bucket with water and place the saucer on top of it.

Thread the tubing through the center hole of the pot. Set the pot on the saucer and fill it with river rock to hold the tubing upright. Cut the tubing so that the fountain spout is even with the rim of the pot. Attach the fountain nozzle to the end of the tubing.

Based in Atlanta, Valerie Liles has been writing about landscape and garden design since 1980. As a registered respiratory therapist, she also has experience in family health, nutrition and pediatric and adult asthma managment. Liles holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from Colorado State University and a Master of Science in technical communication from the University of Colorado.

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How to Install a Water Fountain | Home Guides | SF Gate