Fountains >> frequently asked
questions
click on blue underlined words below to link to more information.
After spending hours at shows and talking to people who have fountains
or people interested in purchasing fountains for the first time
I have compiled a series of the most asked questions.
Question: Do Pumps become magnetized and appear
to be broken.
Answer: On very rare occasions a pump will not
start up after it has been sitting
for some time. A fountain pump being an magnetic driven electrical
device on very rare
occasions will magnetize itself - it will appear dead. It stops
at a point in its revolution where it can’t start up without
a little help
Solution: place a hand on each side of bowl and
give the one side of the
bowl a bump with the ball of one hand. If that does not work while
the fountain motor is plugged in lift up fountain unit and tap side
of motor with handle of a bread butter knife.
Place back in water. You may have to pull plug and restart because
the pump has to be started in water to maintain it’s prime.
Question: What kind of water do I use in the fountain.
Answer: The absolute best is rain water then distilled
water then filtered water or Use normal tap water. If it is municipal
water it has chemicals in it, these chemicals will help keep your
fountain clean (less chance of things growing). Hard well water
will also eventually leave white deposits on the stones. To clean
this white residue go to the store and buy an electric toothbrush
for $5.00 and go over the stone with vinegar or limeaway or some
other chemical that can break down water deposits. Wear a pair of
glasses. Use Fountec
to keep your fountain clean no matter what water you use.
Keep
Your
Fountain Clean
with
Fountec
click on photo for special offer
Question: How does a fountain work
Answer: All of my fountains have a self contained water
source. A submersible, re circulating pump...draws the water from
the pump submerged in the fountain bowl filled with water through
a plastic hose out over the rocks or stones and flows back into
the receptacle, thus providing a continuous flow of re circulating
water. The pump's electrical cord is plugged into a grounded
3 prong outlet. The pumps range from 50 GPH* to 120 GPH*.
*GPH - gallons per hour
Question: How does a fountain work without a pump
like in the Roman Days.
Rome received all of its water about 38 million gallons a day through
a system of aqueducts. All water flowed to the city by gravity,
but because it was arriving from surrounding hills, it could be
stored in large cisterns very similar in concept to today's water
towers (the main difference is that cisterns are filled from the
top).
Water flowed from the cisterns either through pipes to individual
houses or to public distribution points. Fountains served both decorative
and functional purposes, since people could bring their buckets
to the fountain to collect water. The cisterns provided the height
needed to generate water pressure for the fountains to spray. A
foot of height generates 0.43 pounds per square inch (psi) of water
pressure, so a cistern does not have to be that tall to develop
enough pressure to give a fountain a reasonable display.
Thanks to How Stuff
Works
Question: Do your fountains hum or make vibrating
noises?
Answer: No they should not. I researched this common
problem thoroughly. Most of the commercial fountains use tiny Chinese
made pumps.
There are some good Chinese pumps but the pumps that are in most
commercial fountains are used because they are the lowest price.
Most pumps have a water flow regulator. If you open it up the noise
may diminish somewhat. But this may cause another problem - splashing
outside of the bowl. Which is the next question problem.
I use to use exclusively pumps that are noiseless. You can find
it on my
Fountain Accessory page.
Question: My fountain splashes. What can I do?
Answer: You can turn the flow rate of the fountain
pump down. See your manual. You may be able to place small stones
or river rocks to deflect the water. Some fountains are just splashers
no matter what you do.
Question: My pump died after a short time.
Answer: Again most pumps in fountains are very
cheaply made. What breaks down is usually the impeller. This can
be replaced but it sometimes costs over half as much as purchasing
a new pump. If you do decide to buy a new pump, remove the old pump
and take it with you to your aquarium store. Match the physical
size of the pump and the diameter of the tubing to purchase the
correct sized new pump. . Before you do this check the warranty
- you may be able to get one replaced from the manufacturer (with
a receipt of the purchase of the fountain) Buy a pump that is made
in Italy or the US or a good quality Chinese pump. You get what
you pay for.
Question: I would like to build a fountain. Where can I
buy bowls and pumps.
Answer: Anyone can build a fountain. It is a lot
of fun and with some trial and error you can do it. You can find
pumps and
bowls on this site.
If you want further instructions just type into a search engine
How to build a desktop fountain or How to build a bamboo pipe fountain
and you should get all sorts of instructions. Good luck.
Question: How do I take care of my fountain?
Answer: When I sell a fountain along with it comes
a little brochure explaining this.
You can view it on line at our Fountain
Maintenance page.
Fountec
keeps your fountain clean
Question: Can I put a fogger in any fountain?
Answer: You can put a a fogger in most large fountains.
The criteria is that there should be a flat bottom for the fogger
unit (approx. one and a quarter inches in diameter and one and one
half inches in height) to sit. A large bowl is better than a small
one. You will have to fill it less because it does consume water.
There should be at least 2 inches of water. The most important thing
is that you have to place the unit in an open area for the fogger
to shoot a steam of water 1 to 2 inches in the air. It needs this
to effectively operate.
A cover of a small piece of slate or a sea shell can be placed over
it but still allowing it to mist into the air. This stops any splashing.
A fogger is something you have to work with. When you get it up
and running it becomes very fascinating and hypnotic. Add a light
and it becomes even more enthralling.
Question: How long does the fogger last?
Answer: The fogger unit operates ultrasonically.
The only thing that wears out is a small ceramic disc which can
easily be replaced. Cost is about $6.75 Free Shipping. Click
here for purchase info. The life is rated at 1,000 to 2,000
hours depending on which brand. If the mist begins to diminish before
that a good cleaning can remedy it. The manual explains all this
in detail.
\ top \
|
