Making Your Own Bamboo Fountains
Making your own bamboo fountain is quite easy to do. With just a few supplies found at any do it yourself home improvement store, you can build a wonderful water fountain that you and your family will be able to enjoy in any room of your home for many years to come.
The Pieces
To build your own bamboo fountains, you will need the following items. They can be found at your local hardware store, or fairly inexpensively online:
A Fountain Pump: If you want your bamboo fountains to have softer, steadier flow of water, choose a pump that has a lower gallon per hour rating. This should be clearly marked on the box, but ask an associate if you are unsure.
Tubing: You will need to get several feet of one-half inch pump tubing for your bamboo water pumps. This is relatively cheap, so I recommend buying several more feet than you think you will actually need just in case.
A Large Flower Pot: You dont have to actually use a flowerpot; you can use any container that will safely hold water. I have found that a large terra cotta pot works best, though.
Bamboo: Bamboo comes in several different widths, just like pipes. Check your pump for the specific sizes you will need to cover the waterspouts. Typically, you should have three-quarter inch, and two-inch bamboo, in lengths of roughly three feet to start. You will also need a handsaw to cut the bamboo into lengths
Putting It Together
There are several steps to putting together your bamboo fountain. The first step is to seal any holes in your chosen container with cork and a waterproof adhesive. Allow this to dry completely. Next, you will want to cut the bamboo into 15-inch lengths. Drill a hole in the bamboo to accommodate the nozzle of your pump. Once you have done this, lash several pieces of bamboo together to encircle the pump and hide it from view.
The next step in creating your own bamboo fountains is to place a wire mesh screen over the still seen bottom of the pump. Cut a circle just large enough to cover the bottom of your pot, and then place decorative rocks over the top to hide the pump from view. The last step is to place your cut piece of bamboo over the nozzle, create a waterfall effect by tilting it ever so slightly into another piece of bamboo, and so on.
Add water as your last step, and you and your family can now enjoy your bamboo fountains for years to come. |
