Fountain Set-up Procedure

D0119 St. Pete
D0125 Pesaro
D0126 Ravenna
D0127 Livorno
D0128 Salerno
D0129 Savona
D0130 Genova

A. Materials Needed

1. Supplied with fountain: clear plastic hose, black rubber plug (only for fountains where pump cord goes through the middle of the bowl); pump and Kryton "Krystol Hydrostop" (if you purchased these with the fountain)
2. To be purchased: plumber's putty (building supply, hardware store), household Vaseline (drugstore, pharmacy), pump and Kryton sealer (if not purchased with fountain), and shims (e.g., pennies, washers, anything that can be used to progressively raise a fountain part by small increments)

B. Procedure

1. Test the pump to make sure it is operational. A kitchen sink filled with six inches of water is sufficient. Only plug the pump into the electrical socket after the pump is submerged. Running a pump dry will destroy it. Also, examine any control on the pump so that once the pump is installed, you will know how to increase/decrease the water flow. Removing a faulty pump is time-consuming.
2. Touch up any scratches on the fountain pieces with touch up stain. Let dry.
3. After ensuring that every piece of the fountain is absolutely dry (not in contact with rain/wet ground for several days,) water seal every piece with Kryton sealer. Be sure to cover ALL sides of every part, working methodically to ensure complete coverage.
4. Prepare the area on which the fountain will stand. Ensure that any soil beneath the fountain is packed down and reasonably level.
5. Place the base of the fountain in the desired location and level it by either adjusting the soil beneath or by placing shims beneath the bottom of the base. If the fountain is on a solid surface, make sure the cord slot in the bottom of the base is pointed in the direction you desire.
6. Place the bowl onto the base.
7. Install the pump. Tip the bowl and base together so that a second person can feed the pump cord down through the bowl and base to the ground. Then, reaching under the tipped base grasp the cord and pull it out from under the base, ensuring that the cord lies in the channel in the bottom of the base (otherwise, the fountain cannot be properly leveled.) When pulling the cord through, leave about eight inches between the pump and the inside of the bowl.
8. Make sure the walls of the white plastic pipe in the centre of the fountain (through which the pump cord passes) are clean. The black rubber plug needs to seat well into this pipe to prevent leakage.
9. With some household Vaseline lightly coat all surfaces of the black rubber plug. Open the slit in the side of the plug and place the pump cord into the centre of the plug. Place the plug into the hole in the fountain bowl, thus making a watertight seal around the pump cord. Make sure the top of the plug is level with the top of the white plastic pipe and that the slit in the plug is completely closed. Add Vaseline to the top of the plug.
10. Level the bowl using either a 36-inch level or a straight board with a smaller level. Shims (pennies, washers, etc.) must be used under the bowl to get the top level.
11. Place the pump housing (split-ring, full-ring or three-hole) into the bowl and around the pump. If using the split-ring, turn the opening so that the pump is accessible but the opening in the side is the least visible.
12. Place the finial on top of the pump housing.
13. Connect the ½ inch plastic hose to the pump. The hose should slide easily onto the nipple on the top of the pump.
14. Depending upon the construction of the finial (pineapple, figurine, etc.), either connect the other end of the plastic tubing to the copper tube on the bottom of the finial, or run the plastic tubing up inside the opening in the bottom of the finial.
15. Make sure the plastic hose is still attached at the bottom to the pump. Cut off any excess plastic hose.
16. In the case where the plastic tubing goes all the way through a finial and appears at the top, make sure the plastic hose is still attached at the bottom to the pump. Then cut off any excess plastic hose.
17. You may need to use a small amount of plumber's putty to seal around the plastic tubing at the point it exits the finial (to keep the water from running back down the inside of the fountain.)
18. Fill the fountain with room-temperature water. Cold water poured into a warm fountain can cause the bowls to crack.
19. Plug the pump into your source of electricity. Always use properly grounded circuits and extension cords.
20. Adjust leveling of pump house and finial to gain desired water distribution from finial, and adjust pump for desired water flow.
    
21. Reminder: Fountain bowls and pumps CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO FREEZE WITH WATER IN THEM. If used in an unheated environment (outdoors or unheated house), disassemble and store in winter. See manufacturer's bulletin on "Care and Maintenance" for more information.
    
    

C. Adjustments Commonly Needed

1. Water does not flow out the top at all.
   a. Make sure the plastic hose is not kinked at some point and that water can flow freely from pump to finial.
   b. Adjust the flow control on the pump to its highest setting.
   c. Check to see if pump is correct size. Pumps are rated by the height they will raise a column of water. Under 24" need P-60 to P-80; 24" to 48" need P-140 to P-210. Contact your pump supplier for accurate sizes. Remember, it is not the height of the fountain, but the height from the pump to the point where the water exits that must be measured.
   d. The ID (inside diameter) of the plastic hose also affects the height the water will rise. Any pump will push water higher in a 3/8" hose than in a ½" hose, but more volume flows from a ½" hose.
2. Water flow is too heavy or fountain splashes too much.
   a. Decrease the flow control on the pump.
   b. Restrict the flow through the plastic hose. Many make-shift items will work, e.g., a nail bent into a "U" shape with the hose pressed inside it, a small hose clamp tightened around the hose, etc.
3. Bowl leaks at plug.
   a. Make sure black rubber plug is pushed firmly into white plastic pipe in the bowl, so that the top of the plug is level with the top of the pipe.
   b. If necessary, remove the water from the fountain bowl (a wet/dry vacuum makes short work of this task), remove the black rubber plug and check with your finger to ensure the walls of the white plastic pipe are clean and free of cement. Clean the pipe (your fingernail is often enough), re-Vaseline the plug with cord and insert the plug into the pipe. When plug is seated properly (top of plug even with top of white pipe and slit in plug completely closed,) apply extra Vaseline to the top of the plug and the surrounding ¼" of white plastic and concrete. Ensure the pump cord is snuggly fitted and that the slit in the plug is tightly closed once seated in the pipe.
4. The plastic hose that came with the fountain does not fit onto the pump purchased elsewhere.
   a. Plastic hose is manufactured in sizes that allow one size to fit snuggly inside the next larger size.
   b. Measure the nipple on the top of your pump. That measurement is the ID (inside diameter) of the plastic hose you need.
   c. Usually ½" hose is supplied with the fountain. If the pump needed 5/8", all you need is a short length (4") of 5/8" hose from your building supply store. Insert that onto your pump, then place the ½" hose down inside the top of the 5/8" hose to complete the assembly.
   d. This process can also work in reverse with 3/8" hose.