Creating Your Own Water Feature at Home
Creating your own water feature at home is as simple as going to the store, pickup a pump and making the water feature yourself. The hardest part in making a water feature is choosing the water pump.
Water pumps are rated by LPH or litres per hour. The trick with choosing the right water pump is to measure accurately the lift you will require. The lift is defined as the number of feet the pump must move water vertically. Lift is measured from the pump to the exit spot of the water. If the pump is submerged one foot and must pump water through a line up a three foot tall statue then the lift is four feet. Most pumps have a grid on their packaging that indicates how many gallons per hour a pump will flow at X number of feet. It is important to choose a pump that is not too small or the water will not rise up the lift and fall. It is equally important not to choose a pump that is too large because the water will shoot beyond the reservoir. The ideal pump should turn over the water volume of the reservoir 3-4 times per hour.
Reservoirs can be constructed out of any material that will hold water. Flexible pond liners work really well. A sturdy plastic or metal screen should be placed over the reservoir and decorative rocks placed on top of the screen. The centre piece of the water feature will also rest on the screen so make sure the screen is stable or a base may be needed for the centre piece. The goal is to keep the water free of debris and the rocks should keep leaves, etc out of the water. The rocks also make it easier to refill the reservoir.
The next step is to connect the water pump with flexible tubing and attach the tubing to the centre piece. If using an open urn type centre piece then fill the urn about 1/4 full with small gravel and use rigid tubing for your uplift.
The rest is up to the designer. Let the creativity be your guide.
