Fountain for your Garden

Flowing water adds something special to a garden. With a little bit of know how, you can make your own fountain from a couple of old pots and a pump.

What you will Need for your DIY Fountain

• Base pot (sump)
• Top, feature pot
• Roof paint
• River sand
• Pump
• Tubing
• 4 x bricks
• Silicone sealer
• Wire

For Waterproofing the Base Pot
Sika H2O Tite Membrane

Tools
Safety gear, paintbrush and pot, builder’s bucket and trowel, drill and masonry drill bit

1.If you are using old pots, clean them thoroughly and set them out in the spot you have in mind to be sure the design will work there.

2.Paint the inside of the base pot with a coat of H2O Tite. While the paint is wet, place the membrane, smoothing it into the wet paint as you go. Overlap the membrane joins by 50 mm to ensure the inside of the pot is completely covered. Immediately paint a layer of H2O Tite over the membrane. Allow it to dry for three hours. Cover the entire area with a final coat.

3.Mix ¼ river sand into ¾ roofing paint and paint the outside of your base and top pot. The river sand will create an interesting texture on your pots. When this is dry, apply a second coat. Allow it to dry. Add a third coat if necessary.

4.Drill a hole in the middle of the base of the top pot, sized to accommodate the silicone tubing. Seal any other old drainage holes that may exist with silicone.

5.Put four bricks in the bottom of the base pot, leaving space to conceal the pump between them. Then connect a length of tubing to the pump and thread it through the hole in the base of the top pot, before balancing the pot in position on top of the bricks. Create a wire structure to hold the tubing for the fountain upright within the top pot. It should extend to just below the lip of the water level in the pot.

6.Fill the base pot with water to the desired level and plug in the pump. Once the water feature is running nicely, run a conduit for the electrical cable from the feature to the house and bury it if necessary