How to Build a Barrel Fountain
- 1). Cut a 3-foot 2-by-12 inch piece of treated wood into a half-moon design that measures half the size of the top of the barrel. This will be the shelf that the yard ornament will sit on. Set aside.
- 2). Drill a hole through the bottom of the yard ornament and one through either the mouth or other desired place in the body of the ornament. You can use an animal, sculpture or gnome ornament. Set aside.
- 3). Place rocks and pebbles in the bottom of the barrel, approximately 2 inches thick.
- 4). Place the submersible pump near the back wall of the barrel. Thread the electrical cord up and over the back lip of the barrel. Attach the plastic tubing to the pump and thread it up next to the cord.
- 5). Decide where on the shelf you want the ornament to sit. Drill a hole through the wood for the plastic tubing. Attach the shelf to the barrel with the silicone, around the top edge of the back of the barrel. Leave the electrical cord hanging over the back of the barrel. The shelf will sit on top of the cord. Thread the tubing through the hole in the shelf and into the bottom of the ornament. Place a silicone seal around the tubing on the shelf and on the bottom of the ornament. Add quite a bit of Silicone so when you sit the ornament on the shelf it also seals the ornament to the wood. Allow the silicone to dry completely.
- 6). Place the barrel fountain in the desired spot on the deck or in the garden, near an electrical outlet. Fill with water.
- 7). Turn the pump on. The water will fill into the yard ornament and out through the hole in the mouth or body. Adjusting the water flow, as necessary, by turning the adjustment screw on the pump until you achieve the desired effect.
- 8). Check your silicone seals. Add more silicone to any leaky areas.
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