Water feature
Running water covers the noise from the street and changes how a small yard feels. A closed-circuit fountain needs no mains water connection. Just a small pump and an outdoor socket. It's a day's work, two with the decorating.
What you'll need
- Watertight vessel or prefabricated basin
- Submersible recirculation pump
- Outdoor extension cable and an RCD-protected socket
- Decorative gravel and river stones
- Pond liner, if you're burying the vessel
- Aquatic or marginal plants, if you want them
Step by step
- 1
Pick the spot
Partial shade, away from deciduous trees. Fallen leaves clog the pump, and in autumn you'll be cleaning it weekly. Check there's an outdoor socket nearby too.
- 2
Prepare the basin
The vessel sits on a perfectly level, compacted surface. If you're burying it, dig 5 cm deeper and put a layer of sand under the liner.
- 3
Install the pump
The pump goes on the floor of the basin, raised on a brick so it doesn't draw in sediment. Start with the flow on minimum and increase it until you get the jet you like.
- 4
Wire it safely
Outdoor-rated cable and sockets only, with RCD protection. If the run crosses a walked area, bury the cable in conduit.
- 5
Fill it and hide the edges
Fill to the recommended level, start the pump and check the jet. Then arrange the stones and gravel so the rim of the vessel and the hose don't show.
Useful tips
- Top the water up weekly. Evaporation leaves the pump exposed, and a pump running dry burns out.
- In winter, empty the basin and keep the pump somewhere frost-free.
