Fountain Set-up Procedure

D0157 Children in the Wind
D0191 Crystal 3-tier
D0194 Shell Girl

 

A. Materials Needed

1. Supplied with fountain: (D0157 and D0194) 4 concrete pieces, (D0191) 5 concrete pieces; clear plastic hose, pump (P-80 to P-140) and Kryton "Krystol Hydrostop" sealer(if you purchased these with the fountain)
2. To be purchased: pump and Kryton sealer (if not purchased with fountain)

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. A concrete pad or gravel base is better than soil. Ensure that the area is packed down and reasonably level.
5. Place the base of the fountain in the desired location and level it by shimming the bottom.
6. Place the large bowl onto the base.
7. Install the pump. Lay the pump in the water reservoir with the electrical cord exiting the top edge of the bowl through the slot provided.
8. Level the large 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.
9. Place the second middle bowl onto the large bowl.
10. (D0191 only) Place the third small bowl on top of the second bowl. Be careful not to let the small bowl fall forward; it is unstable until assembled completely.
11. Take the ½ inch plastic hose and feed it through the bowl(s) down to the pump. The hose should slide easily onto the nipple on the top of the pump.
12. Connect the other end of the ½ inch plastic hose to the finial (top piece).
13. The "scuppers" are the indented areas in the edges of bowls over which the water flows. Put an extra coat of water sealer on the top and bottom edges of each scupper. This will help to ensure water falls from each scupper into the lower bowl, rather than running over the scupper and back under the bowl (never falling at all.)
14. Fill the fountain with room-temperature water. Cold water poured into a warm fountain can cause the bowls to crack.
15. Properly grounded circuits and extension cords.
16. Adjust leveling of fountain bowls to gain uniform water distribution from scuppers, and adjust pump for desired water flow.
17. 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 evenly from the scuppers around a bowl.
   a. Check each individual scupper to make sure no excess concrete is impeding water flow. Excess can be removed easily with a file or screwdriver.
   b. Adjust shims to level the bowl and even out the water flow.
2. 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. Make sure that the copper tube in the finial is open.
   c. Check to see if the "water-return opening" in the large bowl is open, allowing water to flow from main area to the pump reservoir.
   d. Adjust the flow control on the pump to a higher setting.
   e. 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; over 48" needs P-280 to P-380 or higher. 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.
   f. 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.
3. 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.
4. Top bowl(s) fills but never spills over into the lower bowl.
   a. Check to see if the water is actually running over the edges of a top bowl, but then running under the lip of the bowl. If so, several things can help.
   (1) Increase the flow of the pump.
   (2) Let the bowl dry and then apply Kryton Water Sealer to the scuppers (indentations in the top of each bowl over which the water flows.) The sealer encourages water not to "stick" to the concrete and not to then run under the bowl instead of falling properly into the bowl below.
   (3) When dry, apply a small line of clear silicone (common bathroom type from your building supply) about 3/16" thick under each scupper right at the point where the water should fall. This small bead of silicone will force the water to fall over it and will be invisible when the fountain is running.
5. 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.
6. Fountain is unstable.
   a. Adjust placement of top bowl(s) to point of maximum stability.
   b. Check level of base (soft soil will begin to collapse unevenly under the weight of a fountain full of water.)
   c. Fill the fountain with water. The weight of the water aids stability significantly.