Fountain Information

How to build a stream

Building a stream, and you want to have it with  a top and bottom pool? (So the stream runs from one to the other and is pumped back)

You just build two pools a water course and a pump don't you?

It is not that easy, the water will only run from one pool to the other if the 2nd pool is lower than the first. Also you may not want a large pump sitting in your bottom pool, so you build a wet pump chamber, how ever the wet pump chamber must be finished higher than the bottom pool.  Why is that you ask? if it is not then when ever the pump is not running all the water from the bottom pool will continue to flow until either the  pool is empty or the water level is below the connection level. (Item E)

Key

A) Pumped water return (via underground pipe)

B) Top Pool

C) Water course from top pool to bottom pool

D) Bottom pool

E) Wet chamber water feed

F) Wet chamber

G) Pump

H) Water level

J) Float switch

The float switch (item J) is used so that if the water level drops too much (below the level of the pump) the pump will switch off.

The connecting pipe from pool to wet pump chamber must also have some type of screening, this is to prevent any large debris (or livestock) blocking the pipe.

The water course from the top pool must not exit from the bottom of the pool, it should be at the same level, If it is lower water will run from the top pool to the bottom pool without being pumped and probably overfilling the bottom pool. The water course will only work when the pump is running as this causes the top pool to "over flow" via the stream.

If you do not want a bottom pool, you can build just the wet pump chamber, but it must be big enough to:

Hold the volume of the stream

Hold the volume of the return pipe

Be deep enough to always be submersed.

The interconnecting pipes (Items A and E) should be as large as possible, with as less bends as possible. If not you could end up trying to push Niagara falls through a straw.

Please also note: The above diagram was drawn this way for ease of understanding.

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