Add a Fountain to Your Wine Barrel Pond

If you have recently converted a wine barrel into a pond, then you may find that the water has become a little stagnant over time. One solution to this problem is installing a fountain so that the water moves around a little more. You can either purchase an expensive electrical fountain, or you can continue your wine barrel recycling theme by creating a wine barrel fountain.

For those who have already completed a wine barrel pond project, this should be no more difficult to complete than that, so have a go, and follow a few simple guidelines to help you get the job done quickly and easily.

Step 1 - Converting the Barrel

You will need to convert your barrel, perhaps by cutting it in half. Once you have installed the fountain, it might be more difficult to move, so you should try and fit the barrel into available areas. Keep the fountain away from direct sunlight, as this may encourage algae growth in your pond.

Step 2 - Line the Barrel

The next thing to do is to add a liner to the barrel. This should be plastic and can be found at most home improvement or garden centers. While a wine barrel is designed to be leakproof, it is a good idea to put a liner into your cut barrel, as the division can lead to gaps between the rings of the cask. Put several stones, or brick parts, into the bottom of the cask. You will need to add enough stones to have a raised platform about two inches high. Place the pump on this platform.

Step 3 - Hose Up

Attach the pump hose, and the water hose, to your pump. These should be provided with clamps or grips which will hold them in place. The pump hose will be the more rigid of the two tubes, and this is the one which you will need to connect to the fountain spout in order to operate the fountain.

Push the hose upright until it comes into contact with the barrel. Check that the hose is sticking out the top of the barrel, and then attach the fountainhead, or spout, to this. The fountainhead may need to be installed on a platform, depending upon the length required.

Step 4 - Fill the Barrel

Once the fountainhead is connected, you should fill up the wine barrel with water, or you can just submerge the barrel into your pond, taking care not to damage any of your fish or pond life. Attach the pump to an electrical connection, and turn it on. You may need to make a few adjustments to the fountainhead, for example, to ensure that the fountain is flowing into the pond. Turn the pump on and allow it to operate for a few hours. Check that all is well in the pond and that the fountain is not leaking.