I would like to know if anyone knows of instructions on how to make an
outdoor water fountain. I have been trying to find a cheap one in my
area, but the simplest and cheapest are $300!! If anyone has some
info, i'd very much appreciate it!

Thanks,

Manola

Fountains can be very simple or very elaborate. I made a very simple one
this year. I got a shallow liner that was intended to be used in a half
barrel. The cost was $6. It is about 10 inches deep. I dug a whole
slightly larger and deeper than the liner. I lined the hole with wet
newspaper and put some sand on the bottom. When the liner was level, I
filled it with water and put in an inexpensive pump from Home Depot.

Last year I made a small fountain for the deck. I went to Garden Ridge and
bought a graduated series of three large plastic pots that looked like terra
cotta. I also got saucers for the pots. I turned the pots upside down in
the saucers and stacked them. Of course, the largest pot went on the bottom
and the smallest on the top. I put the pump under the bottom one and put
holes in the upper saucers for the water tube. When I turned on the pump,
the water went to the top saucer and cascaded down the middle saucer and
finally to the bottom. I think the whole thing cost $75. You will have to
fiddle around with the thing to make the water do what you want. This might
mean putting stones in the saucers and/or drilling holes in the saucer.

Use your imagination. The possibilities are unlimited.

One of my favorite outdoor fountains involves digging a hole deep enough
to implant a plastic bucket - one of those large ones used for kids' toys
is perfect - or lined with pond liner. Fill with decorative rock, a small
pond pump and a bubbler. Place the bubbler attached to the pump in the
center of the rocks and you have an extremely low maintenance,
kid-friendly fountain for about $40. You can get more elaborate with the
water delivery system - a drilled basalt column, a decorative urn with a
hole drilled in the base, or even a formal fountain piece, like a spitting
frog or fish. Another choice is a galvanized wash tub fitted with a hose
bib and some tubing. Just add a recirculating pump. Pretty much anything
which will hold water, some tubing and a pump is all that is required to
construct a simple water fountain.

Pam - gardengal

A variation of this is not to fill up the tub with rocks, as this
reduces water circulation in the pump and reduces the overall volume of
water and pump performance.

Here is how I build these water features for clients:
1. Buy a rigid plastic liner used to line a half whiskey barrel and dig
a hole so that the lip of the liner is about a half inch above ground
level.
2. Get a small fountain pump (and I stress small, since many people buy
too big in this regard -- best to test them at the store if you can) and
place it in the tub. There are various types of heads for the fountain
from which to choose.
3. Fill the tub with water to just below the brim.
4. Place some chicken wire (or similar rigid all-weather wire) over the
top of the tub. Be sure that the wire mesh extends at least six inches
from the tub along the ground in all directions.
5. Pour a layer of river stones on the mesh wire to suit your desired
look.
6. Plug in the pump and voila: instant fountain.
Note: Be sure to plug the pump into a ground fault outlet -- do not use
an extension cord. This is against code in most areas and aside from
that it is a disaster waiting to happen (i.e. extension cord buried
outside with electricity and water).


Hope all of this helps. It will be a lot cheaper than $300 for sure and
you will have built it yourself!
Mike.

These look enchanting when you put water hyacinth plants in them. They have spikes of purple flowers in the summer and float on top of the water. The water needs some nutrients for them to grow.