Studio 5 Home Coach Frantz Ostmann shows us how to build a flower pot fountain.
What You’ll Need:
• Three terra-cotta pots that can stack top to bottom, as seen in the photo and diagram, for the inside body of your fountain
• Two supporting pots
• Foam sealant (even better, use a green foam sealant)
• One-inch diameter plastic tubing, a little shorter than the height of your pots (you can trim it after you’ve built the fountain)
• Water pump
• A power cord that will connect to the pump
• Flow-control valve
• Terra-cotta feet for the bottom pot
To find out how to make it, read more.
• Collect three display pots and two support pots. They can be as big or small as you like, as long as the tops and bottoms correspond.
• Double check that the bottoms and the holes line up at the store to avoid having to make multiple trips…
• Plug the drainage hole of the largest pot by turning it over and covering the hole with tape first from the bottom. Then flip it back over and fill with foam sealant.
• Let that dry before placing your pump in the bottom. It can get messy if you don’t.
• Place the pot on a level surface. Cut a length of 1-inch-diameter flexible plastic tubing that, when inserted into the pump, extends through both support pots and 6 inches above the base of the smallest display pot. Insert the tubing into the pump.
• Now, fit the pump into the base pot, running the power cord over the rim, toward a grounded exterior outlet. Turn the larger support pot upside down over the pump, propping it on the terra-cotta feet to allow water to flow underneath. Loop the tubing through the drainage hole, and spray foam sealant around tubing to seal.
• If you are going to use a little silicone here as well remember to use aquarium grade sealant. Regular stuff from Home Depot will not hold up over time.
• Position the second display pot, then loop the tubing through hole. Seal with foam.
• Repeat these steps with the remaining support and display pots.
• Now make sure that everything is level. You may have to adjust things a little bit as not all decks are level, and not all driveways are level etc.
• Let the whole thing dry overnight before you try to fill it with water.
• Add a flow-control valve a few inches from the end of the tube if you need to, most pumps will have a bit of a pressure control, but if you need more than that then use the flow valve. Add water until the pots are overflowing; plug the pump into the outlet, and adjust the pressure as needed.
Then, just host a garden party so your friends and neighbors can ooh and ahh over your new fountain!
Frantz can answer all your questions about home projects. You can find him online at www.homecoachforum.com. Feel free to ask him a question and he can get back to you with the answer.
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