How to Care for Your Outdoor Water Fountains

I need to talk my husband into getting one of these fountain for the back yard. I just love them, but he is always concerned about the maintainance involved. Do you know anything bout how much work it is to keep fountains fresh?

I made cleaning my fountains way more complicated than it should be. I didn’t think to put a little bit of soap through the fountain to clean it up. I guess it wouldn’t hurt anything if I did that. There isn’t anything that touches the water and using bleach would keep things from ever growing in the water.

Great tips! Protecting a fountain from the cold is probably the most important part of maintaining a fountain. When it looks like things are warming up you should still exercise caution. Surprise freezes can happen even when the weather has been great for weeks.

Indeed. One hard freeze with water inside and you’re almost guaranteed to have a ruined pump or blown out lines. That’ll cost ya.

A fountain really can do a lot for a yard. It’s one of those heavy-hitter type lawn features. As mentioned, the weather can be crucial in choosing one of these. Make sure you consider how cold it gets in winter compared to how warm your summers are. Great article!

My wife and I have been looking in to decorating more of our garden with fountains or statues. One of the things I am most worried about is maintenance and repair, as these things sit outside all day. Great point on just simply bringing your fountain in during the winter; that is probably something we will do as winter can be pretty harsh here. Thanks for the tips.

Thanks for the comment!

I hadn’t considered that I could move my fountain indoors over the winter. I’m not sure if that is practical, but if I can’t move it then I can try some of your other tips. I think wrapping the fountain in a tarp could go a long way in keeping it in top condition. Thanks for the advice, and I will be sure to take the pump inside as well.

Yep. If it’s not too heavy or permanently installed, then hauling it indoors is one of the easiest way to ensure longevity. No winter weather = no damage every time.

I have a beautiful fountain in my backyard and I never knew how to clean it. I thought that the burlap bag idea was really helpful for keeping the fountain safe in the winter. I will definitely try that technique this winter—thank you for the advice.

You’re welcome. Thanks for the feedback.

I have recently bought a few water fountains for my garden and I was kind of stumped about how to take care of them. I really appreciate an article like this that goes over the particulars of the maintenance process as well as providing unique information that most people don’t know about fountains. I never knew that they should be brought inside for the winter, thank you!

I think that you can care for indoor water fountains as you would outdoor water fountains. It is important to keep them clean and clear of debris. However there will be little to no debris on one that is indoors. Regardless, do be sure to clean them to keep them in good working order.

True. Basic maintenance will be similar, but with indoor units, you don’t have cold temps, sun damage and other weather conditions to worry about.

I plan to put in a pond this summer and I’m really glad I found this post. It won’t be portable so number three was really helpful. I was surprised that simple things like wrapping the fountain with blankets is how to protect it. I’m glad it’s nothing expensive. Thanks for this great post!

I’ve been wanting to get a water feature for my front yard, but I also needed to make sure that I can keep the fountain working properly. I had no idea that concrete fountains should be moved inside during the winter or be kept dry to prevent cracking. I’ll take this into consideration while I’m looking for a water fountain. Thanks for the needed information about caring for an outdoor water feature!

Yep. Proper maintenance is very important. Especially when you consider how much some models cost. If you invest a significant amount of money, you’ll want to take steps to ensure it lasts for many years.

I have wanted a fountain in our back yard for a long time now. I had no idea that adding a small touch of bleach helps keep algae from growing. I always thought that you had to buy a special chemical that would clean the water. Thanks for the information.

Yep. You can buy something special if you want to, but regular bleach seems to work just fine for most applications.

I hadn’t thought about adding small amounts of beach to my water fountain, I can see why making sure it doesn’t get any algae can help it look better. I will make sure to look into it more, I don’t want to damage the finished on it. Thank you for the information, it was very helpful nad I will keep it in mind.

I didn’t know that we could buy algae cleaner for our water fountains. If I had known this when I first got my tabletop fountain then I think that I wouldn’t have had so many problems with cleaning it. It might be a good idea to ask for tips for cleaning it when you first buy it.

You’re not alone in overlooking this technique, but the simple addition can help you to reduce the frequency of maintenance and cleaning, so your fountain will be more enjoyable, and less of a chore.

I’ve been thinking about buying a water fountain, and I wanted to learn how to properly take care of it before I did. You wrote that you’ll want to take care of any debris in it, as it could cause clogs and prevent the water from flowing properly. The fountain doesn’t look nearly as cool if it isn’t flowing, so I’ll definitely have to remember this once I find a good fountain.

I never considered to remove the pump in the winter and to store it indoors. If I were to guess, this can be an especially great idea if you live in an area with a colder climate, especially with snow. I assume you don’t have to do this process if your area is constantly warm. That being said, it could be a smart idea to give it a break during certain months/seasons.

Indeed. Storing pumps away from harsh winter weather will almost definitely add longevity to any outdoor fountain.

We recently got a fountain for our garden, but we don’t really know how to take care of it very well! You had some wonderful tips on how to take care of it, thank you! I’m glad you mentioned that we could add a small touch of bleach or special algae to prevent build up of algae. That’s a great idea!

I found it interesting that you talked about how you should scrub it every so often with detergent to keep it clean. My neighbor is looking to buy some water fountain decor for her yard this spring. I’ll be sure to talk to her about washing it with detergent pretty often to keep it clean.

I had no idea that a fountain that is made of concrete can expand and contract during the cold weather. I am glad that you mentioned moving the water fountain during the winter to avoid this. This will be noted since we will be getting a water fountain soon. Since the place becomes extremely cold at times, it might be best to choose a fountain that can be moved and is not required to stay in a single place for long periods of time.

I appreciate what you said about wrapping a fountain in blankets in order to protect it during winter months. I think that buying an outdoor fountain is a great way to make your house stand out and increase its value. If I were to purchase such a nice feature for my garden, I would make sure to locate a company in my area that specializes in fountain design.

That’s good to know that you should either add bleach or algae removing solution often to keep the water clear. My mom wants to get a fountain for inside her home, so I’m looking into how to care for it. Even though it won’t be outside, I’ll have to tell her to do this so she can make sure her water stays clean inside her home once she gets a fountain.

My mom has always been interested in growing her garden. She wants to add a nice water fountain next, so I will pass this information along to her. I was surprised to read that she should add a small touch of bleach to prevent algae buildup! This seems like it would work like a charm.

Thanks for pointing out that during warmer months, you’ll want to clean debris like leaves and twigs from your fountain at least once each week. I am thinking about adding a little interest to my garden by adding a decorative outdoor water fountain. Knowing how to keep it clean in the summer months would probably help make sure that it stays looking and working nice and continues to be a cute fixture in my garden.

It’s interesting to know that you should consider moving your concrete fountain indoors during the winter. My husband is thinking about adding a fountain in our garden. I will let him know about your recommendations to extend the lifespan of our fountain.

I love the tip about how you should wrap your fountain in the winter if you aren’t able to carry it inside. This explains why I see so many things wrapped up as I drive down the street in the winter time. It would be terrible if you were to go turn on the fountain in the spring and find out that it had cracked in the cold of the winter.

I find it helpful to know that I should store the water fountain pump indoors during the winter season to protect it from the harsh climate. My dad plans to buy an outdoor water fountain for our backyard soon. I’ll share this article with him later so he’d know how to take care of it properly. Thanks.