Fountain Maintenance: How to Keep it Running Smoothly
It’s that time of the year again — when I begin preaching the benefits of having a fountain or water garden.
- Photo via growsgreen.com
During a heat wave like this one, a water fountain can actually cool the area surrounding it. But oftentimes people are turned off by the idea of a fountain because they think there will be too much upkeep.
The truth is, it actually isn’t that hard to keep a fountain running smoothly. Here are a few key tips:
- Get a pump, and have it running for 6 to 8 hours a day. This will prevent algae from forming, and will also keep mosquitos from laying eggs.
- Make sure to keep your water fountain clean for the same reasons — to avoid algae from forming and mosquitos from laying eggs.
- Also make sure you use some sort of mosquito bait — or even fill your water garden with mosquito-eating fish — so you don’t get mosquitos laying eggs.
- Photo via waterfountaindesign.net
- Place your water garden away from trees and where leaves fall, otherwise the leaves will clog your pump. Place your fountain out in a sunny area to avoid the issue altogether!
- Also make sure you don’t let the water drop below the pump level (usually near the bottom). This will cause the pump to burn out.
- There are all sorts of mechanisms that do auto-refills to make sure your fountain stays full. I recommend using a jandy valve for this.
- Consider doing an underground basin for the water. You can put a grate on top of it, and then cover it with decorative pebbles. This will keep raccoons from cleaning themselves in your fountain, and will prevent safety issues.
And that’s about it! If you ever have any questions about maintaining your fountain, email me directly at jessy@habitatdesign.com.
This article was written by Jessy Berg, professional landscape designer & co-founder of Habitat Design. Habitat Design provides full-service online landscape design planning for small and mid-sized gardens, & an online store of unique garden & home furnishings — all at an affordable price. Jessy believes that beautiful gardens should be accessible & affordable for everyone. Check out Habitat Design >
