Fountain Set-up Procedure

D0170 Bella
D0170A Bella with Angel (not pictured)
D0189 Floral Terrace

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" sealer (if you purchased these with the fountain)
   a. D170: 5 concrete pieces
   b. D170A: 5 concrete pieces
   c. D189: 5 concrete pieces
   
   
2. To be purchased: plumber's putty (building supply), household Vaseline (drugstore, pharmacy), 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 from your Classic Rock retailer. 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 "Krystol Hydrostop." Using a paintbrush be sure to cover ALL sides of every part, working methodically to ensure complete coverage. Note: for INDOOR use of these fountains, it is recommended you NOT waterseal the finial (the centre piece); less splashing occurs when the water "sticks" to the concrete and runs down in sheets.
4. Prepare the area on which the fountain will stand. Ensure that the area is packed down and reasonably level.
5. Place the pedestal of the fountain in the desired location. 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 (usually toward the back and your electrical supply.) If this slot is partially blocked by excess concrete, light taps with a screwdriver and hammer usually clear it easily.
6. Place the large bowl onto the pedestal.
7. Level the bowl. Try rotating the bowl before shimming the bottom of the pedestal, as concrete casting is always inexact.
8. Install the pump (P-140). 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 three inches between the pump and the inside of the bowl.
9. Make sure the walls of the white plastic pipe in the centre of the bowl (through which the pump cord passes) are clean. The black rubber plug needs to seat well into this pipe to prevent leakage.
10. 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.
11. Place the 3-hole pump housing into the large bowl and over the pump.
12. Place the small bowl onto the pump house pedestal.
13. Take the ½ inch plastic hose and feed it through the small bowl down to the pump. The hose should slide easily onto the nipple on the top of the pump.
14. Using "plumber's putty" seal the small area where the plastic hose does not completely fill the space through which it passes in the small bowl. When the bowl fills with water, it needs to overflow at the edges, not trickle down the centre.
15. Now level the small bowl; Use pennies, metal washers, etc., to shim as needed. Sometimes, merely rotating a bowl slightly will level it.
16. Make sure the plastic hose is still attached at the bottom to the pump.
    a. For D170 and D189: cut off the top of the plastic hose, leaving about 4 inches sticking up through the small bowl.
    b. For D170A: If the "Angel with Urn" finial has a 1/2-inch clear plastic tube cast into and extruding from the bottom, two pieces of 1/2-inch tubing must be joined together (one from the pump and one from the angel.) This joining is done by cutting a 3-inch piece of 3/8-inch diameter and inserting it inside the two ends of the 1/2-inch hose (see Note 4 under Adjustments below.)
    
17. Make a roll of putty about 3/8-inch thick and about 6 inches long. Connect the ends to make a circle. Lightly press this ring of putty onto the bottom of the fountain finial (top piece.) Slide the finial down over the 4 inches of plastic hose causing the ring of putty to seal the finial into the small bowl.
18. 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 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.)
19. Fill the fountain with room temperature water. Cold water poured into a warm fountain can cause the bowls to crack. The reverse is also true.
20. Plug the pump into your source of electricity. Always use properly grounded circuits and extension cords.
21. Adjust pump for desired water flow.
22. Adjust leveling of fountain bowls and/or finial to gain uniform water distribution from scuppers or desired water distribution from finial. Note: with D170A there is less splash if the finial is slightly tilted so that water flows away from the angel's head.
23. 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. 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.
   c. 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 bowl, 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.
5. The flow is uneven around the finial.
   a. Adjust the placement of the finial in the bowl.
   b. Increase the flow of the pump.
   c. On D170A the flow is not intended to be uniform.