Installing a water feature

Installing a water feature such as this Fountain head can be a little challenging if you haven't done it before. The main aspects are:

1. How to get water to it discretely

2. What to have it pour into

3. How to hang it on the wall or surface

Firstly, getting the water to the sculpture requires you to install a plastic pipe attached to a suitable pump and to decide how high it needs to be. Bear in mind that in a high wind, the water may get blown sideways so don't go too high above the final surface and think about splashing which could lose water. The end of the pipe needs to be long enough so that it just protrudes from the mouth of the sculpture so leave it longer than you need for now. I suggest that this piping is installed first by channelling out a grove in the material behind the sculpture and placing the piping in and then rendering the surface to hide it If you can drill through from the back and run the pipe behind the surface, so much the better.

Secondly, decide what the outflow is going to land in. If it is directly into a pond or a basin then check that the pump will produce sufficient output to ensure that it lands where you expect it. Check that any splashing falls back into the pool or the water level will slowly drop as you lose water from splashes. Get all this set up and tested BEFORE fitting the fountain head.

Finally, to hang the Fountain Head on the wall, you need to ensure that the pipe will shoot water out of the mouth properly, so hang the pipe through the mouth and then mark the point where the hanging screw needs to be placed and drill a hole large enough to take a rawl plug and a screw. The head of the screw needs to be big enough to fit comfortably into the hole drilled in the back of the sculpture and long enough to fit firmly into the wall and yet leave enough for the sculpture to hang on. Try and drill the hole for the screw so that it inclines slightly upwards. That will prevent the sculpture from being "rocked" off the screw in windy locations. You may have to adjust the screw in or out to get it right. You want the sculpture to sit as flush to the wall as possible, on as much of the screw shaft as it can take. Then trim the piping back to suit the mouth of the Fountain Head.

Sounds more complex than it really is but if you think about these aspects you will have a wonderful water feature that will be a talking point and a great addition to your garden.