Pond fountain Buy vs. Build?

Bubba1235 · May 30, 2012

Decided to put a fountain in my pond both as attraction (eye candy) and to put a little air in the water. I?ve done a fair amount of looking on the internet and I am shocked by some (most?) of the pricing. From what I can tell they basically come down to a sump pump, a couple nozzles, and something to float the entire thing, lighting is optional.

I can buy a ? HP sump pump for around $150 and make a couple nozzles with plumbing scraps I have laying around. All I need is a way to float it and that can?t be that hard to come up with. I?m figuring maybe $300 total for a fountain that can shoot 8? to 10? high with side jets/nozzles for effect.

So I?m wondering if anyone has gone the DIY route and if there is a big gotcha out there I?m not thinking about?

duke33 · May 30, 2012

Re: Pond fountain Buy vs. Build?

I "play" with that sort of thing all the time. IMO your better off building the thing yourself and let the stores sell that stuff to those without your resources. Just my 2cent.

lncoop · May 30, 2012

Re: Pond fountain Buy vs. Build?

DIY is the way to go for sure. I had a lot of fun making one and tinkering around with it at my old house. I decided to go with a waterfall and simply built two little rock walls (dry stack) that looked like one with a piece of pond liner sandwiched between them and a big flat rock on top. I ran flexible tubing from the pump up through the wall and stopped it a couple inches below the rock so the stream would hit it and run back down into the pond. I kept the pump submerged by placing a bulb basket weighted with a stone over it. It worked really well.

angus63 · May 30, 2012

Re: Pond fountain Buy vs. Build?

Just like a dock float... some closed cell bouyancy foam and marine ply. You can paint it the wife's favorite color so she can enjoy it while she's grillin'!!

jkust · May 30, 2012

Re: Pond fountain Buy vs. Build?

Funny, I've been thinking about a floating fountain to aerate our decent sized watershed pond in our back yard. I'd need to spend at least a grand to get even close to what I'd need for just a basic unit without lights. My wife's friend owns a landscape company and so we have access to wholesale pricing and even that is over the top on these fountains. What we need is closer to $2,000 and give our three month summer, I can't see putting the money into it.

Bob_VT · May 30, 2012

Re: Pond fountain Buy vs. Build?

Pond with a fountain........ a few slot machines and you could have a tiny Belagio Casino in MO where iboater's can go...... just tell the doorman that we know Bubba

duke33 · May 30, 2012

Re: Pond fountain Buy vs. Build?

Bubba1235 said:
Any suggestions on how to construct the float for all of it? I'm thinking a chunk of styrofoam wrapped in fiberglass.

I have old styro coolers laying around that were used for medical supplies.3x3x3big. Maybe cut something like that in half. Or an innertube with a board cut to fit.......I'll keep thinking.

halfmoa · May 30, 2012

Re: Pond fountain Buy vs. Build?

I'd go with a large intertube and plywood platform until you know exactly what you need to make acommidations for and something along these lines as a permanent float.

Tempelton · May 30, 2012

Re: Pond fountain Buy vs. Build?

Depends on how elaborate you want to get and if you want the floatation showing on the surface. I would personally use pvc pipes wrapped in pool noodles and then tie it off so that it is just under the water so the nozzles are at the surface.

duke33 · May 30, 2012

Re: Pond fountain Buy vs. Build?

The less height to pump the better. Temps won't hurt anything. I was gonna add a link to a kids boat but thought better of it. Kids would want to be in it.

oops! · May 30, 2012

Re: Pond fountain Buy vs. Build?

id say you are all wet bubba !......lol

why are you even thinking of paying a grand ot two for what you can make your self in a day for 1/8th the cost?

i built a 50 foot waterfall in my back yard using a submersible pump (220v) and a 4 inch pipe !.

do you want a floating fountain?...or a stationary with movable heads?
movable heads will cause the effect to look like the fountains in vegas.....while a floating will end up on the beach soaking your martini in a little breeze !.

get a good submersible pump with a freekin TON of head pressure at 50 feet up hill....

then down size the nozzles to 1/2 inch......you can have 8 nozzles,
or if you went 1/4 inch......you could get 16 nozzels.

place the nozzels on individual gymballs corresponding to the direction you want them to spray.....and turn the sucker on !....lol....stand back !

million dollar effect for a few bucks !

halfmoa · May 31, 2012

Re: Pond fountain Buy vs. Build?

duke33 said:
The less height to pump the better. Temps won't hurt anything. I was gonna add a link to a kids boat but thought better of it. Kids would want to be in it.

Outside of hydraulic friction the length of the intake hose makes no difference if the pump is at the surface of the water.

Fishing Dude too · May 31, 2012

Re: Pond fountain Buy vs. Build?

Or you could make it all hard plumbed

Jlawsen · May 31, 2012

Re: Pond fountain Buy vs. Build?

For floatation, what about a couple of 5 gal gas cans with a piece of PT ply on top. Fill them with water to get it to float where you want it.

duke33 · Jun 1, 2012

Re: Pond fountain Buy vs. Build?

halfmoa said:
Outside of hydraulic friction the length of the intake hose makes no difference if the pump is at the surface of the water.

Yeah, Your right, I should've said the pump height will lessen. That's dealing with the little garden Koi ponds. Bubba's going BIG.

Scott Danforth · Jun 1, 2012

Re: Pond fountain Buy vs. Build?

a few sheets of pink foam board glued to a PVC frame work. use the PVC for your spray head plumbing as well. for a weight, you can use anything from a few cinder blocks to an old mushroom anchor.

another idea for floatation is a heavy jug (bleach, anti-freeze, etc.) and glue the cap on with 5200. for marking the no wake zone buoy anchors on Clarks Lake, my buddy on the lake association uses simple bleach jugs with 5200 glueing the caps on. the weight of the chain keeps them floating about 2' under the surface all winter. every spring, just go to the GPS coordinates and look for the white anchor floating just below the surface. been using the same jugs for years.

here is a low cost source for cheep pond stuff http://www.northerntool.com/shop/to...ntains&mkwid=scXFfKm4o&pcrid=15754291031&mt=b

rbh · Jun 1, 2012

Re: Pond fountain Buy vs. Build?

Try something like this little one down town.

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/11644852

jkust · Jun 1, 2012

Re: Pond fountain Buy vs. Build?

rbh said:
Try something like this little one down town.

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/11644852

That's the one I need. Our local Target has one out front in their pond like that and everytime we pass it and we're waiting at the stop light I tell my wife to wade in and grab it.

BlkY2k · Jun 1, 2012

Re: Pond fountain Buy vs. Build?

Dad gummit Bubba, the admiral got wind of this thread and now I`m researching fountains too. Try looking over here, https://fountainmountain.com/index.php We have a couple good size ponds and have been thinking of something for the gkids to play in. That northern tool link has some products for removing algae growth may have to check them out although these are spring fed with a outlet at the back of the property.

Pond fountain Buy vs. Build?

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