Fountains are often a symbol of power and peace. They can also represent prosperity and growth, particularly when it comes to spirituality, which many people find inspirational. A garden fountain creates a peaceful environment in any garden and is an active source of inspiration for artists, writers, and poets.
Leaking, dripping, and generally messy fountains are all far too common. Next time your garden fountain backs up, clogs, or starts to leak, don’t panic. With a few tips and tricks in your pocket, you won’t need to suffer another ugly fountain leak again.
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Find The Leak
While it’s relatively easy to put together a garden fountain, sooner or later, you are bound to experience a leak. Most garden fountains are made up of several preformed, concrete tiers, and a visual inspection of the fountain should tell you that pretty quickly.
The first step in locating the leak in your garden fountain is determining what material your fountain is made up of. Garden fountains are usually composed of several preformed concrete tiers. These tiers are supported by a series of PVC pipes and molded into either a square or round platform.
Check all the connections under the fountain. Ensure they are tight, and then look around at the fountain base for wet spots or puddles. If you find any, tighten those connections as well. Checks all connections on or under the ground near your fountain because these are common places for leaks.
Inspect hoses and check for kinks, cracks, or holes in hoses that lead to leaks in your garden fountain.
Locate and test joints between pipes where a leak could occur in your garden fountain.
Look for cracks in the fountain container.
Listen for the source of the sound of running water and listen for dripping sounds.
Wipe the underside of your feature and observe. If you don’t see anything there, use a flashlight or ultraviolet light to scan the sides of the fountain for signs of leaks.
Another thing you can do is use a hose connected to a pressure gauge and run it through any openings in the fountain while looking for increased pressure that indicates a leak somewhere inside.
Fix the Leak
Fixing your fountain will be a lot easier if you take it apart first. If your fountain is made of multiple pieces, you should start by taking everything apart. The leak is likely results from how the parts are assembled or held together.
You need to check the pump. If the pump is working, then you need to check the filter. If it has lots of particles in it, you will need to clean it, otherwise, it will clog up and stop water from flowing through it.
Your fountain may have started leaking because of wear and tear on the materials from years of use. If so, you can seal cracks with a concrete sealer or with waterproof caulk and re-plaster minor chips with plaster.
Fixing these faults is usually easy enough that anyone can do it. But if you’re not sure, it’s best to leave this job for someone with experience in plumbing repairs.
But why do you need to hire a professional?
Simply because fixing leaks in fountains can be a very tricky and dangerous job to tackle without proper training and experience. You see, these parts are made of thin copper tubing or thin brass tubes that can get corroded over time, so when you’re trying to replace them, you should be careful not to break the tube or worse – not to injure yourself on it by accident.
Also, if you don’t know what you’re looking at, it might become impossible to locate the exact source of the water leak.
Call Us Today
Your yard decorations and garden fountains are more than just simplistic decor. They help create a calming environment in your yard, which is why we at Orange County Pond and Fountain Services take pride in helping you when it comes to any maintenance issues. We specialize in repairing leaking garden fountains but are also happy to replace broken parts or fix a cracked bowl.
