My significant other and I recently purchased a home, and in doing so one of my main goals was to provide a personalized touch to the rather large back yard that we got with the deal. As it stands, the yard is pretty sparse, populated by one lonely tree in the middle and shaded by a garage. I thought it might be nice to give the yard a little something extra to fill in all this empty space while also making the property as a whole feel more inviting.
In my research, I came across something called a solar fountain. This ingenious device takes the form of a regular outdoor fountain, complete with soothing water sounds and an attractive form factor, but does not use any electricity. Instead, as the name implies, it uses solar power absorbed during the day. This means that solar fountains are entirely self powered, a pretty fantastic feature considering the recent and justified focus on environmentally friendly products. That’s not to mention the favors you will be doing your utility bills!
I also discovered that most of the solar powered fountains currently on the market feature a number of amenities that go beyond the expected. One fountain that I found at the Serenity Health site featured a gorgeous terracotta material with mosaic patterns engraved into the sides, lending the product an earthy quality to counteract its high tech nature. This is very similar to the level of customization that you can get in some of the currently available up-scale indoor floor fountains, so my interest was piqued. Some of them are even multi-tiered, featuring a number of different pots which are vertically mounted on top of one another, spilling the water down like a small waterfall. This is definitely one of the products I am keeping my eye on next time I want to add a personal touch to my yard.
In addition to the fountains for human enjoyment, you can also get a solar birdbath fountain if you want to attract the local wildlife for a drink. These come in as many shapes, colors, and styles as the regular fountains, so there’s no shortage of choice. If I had to recommend one thing to look for when looking for a bird bath, I would say get one that you can hang from a tree branch. The beauty of a solar fountain is that you can put it just about anywhere and you won’t have any unsightly cords hanging out and ruining the aesthetic. Therefore, you might as well go all out and find something that you can free float from a branch or even the side of a house.
3 Tips For Using Your New Solar Fountain
Whether you are using a birdbath or standard fountain, there are a few helpful things that I’ve discovered over my short time using one of these products. I thought I’d share them here in the hope that my readers will get the most out of their new purchases:
- Most importantly, be sure that there is enough direct sunlight going to the spot where you want to put the device. Too many people have purchased a new solar pond fountain only to realize that there isn’t enough sunlight to power the device throughout the day. If you want to keep the fountain in darkened area, just be sure to move it to direct sunlight for enough time to absorb the solar power before moving the fountain back to where you want it. As long as you can move the fountain, there’s no problem with doing this.
- Don’t get caught up in the act of purchasing a new, fancy piece of technology, only to forget that you want the product to match the aesthetics of its surrounding environment. Give a little consideration to color and form, and how those features contrast with any buildings or trees. I personally think that the better the fountain blends in with the surroundings, the more useful and relaxing it will be.
- Consider the extra features that come with solar fountains, such as the ability to place relaxing music over the water sounds. This could be a benefit or a complete pain in the neck depending on your personality. You might think you want something that plays ambient or new age music with the water, but it’s also possible that you will tire of this after about week of use! Sometimes, it’s better to go with fewer features and just keeping it simple!
- Also, consider getting a kit rather than a fully built product. This will allow you to mix and match to get the best possible setup for your situation. For instance, you can get a solar fountain pump along with a fountain enclosure in kit form, and then you can choose some other amenities to attach as well. It really comes down to how deep you want to get into customizing the fountain; some people will feel more comfortable just getting a ready-made fountain that can be used right out of the box rather than shopping for water fountain pumps.
An Example of a Solar Fountain Pump
Anyway, this is just my two cents on solar fountains. Some people will inevitably think they are tacky, and I probably would have counted myself among their number a couple years ago. Since becoming a home owner, however, I’m starting to change my tune on water dispenser products like this. Just as long as you carefully consider the aesthetics of your fountain so that it blends in to its surroundings in a natural way, you won’t have to worry about it looking tacky.
