Solar Powered Fountains Tips

Celebrate Earth Day with a Solar Fountain

Earth Day is an annual environmental celebration that draws attention to the continuing need for eco-awareness to protect out planet's natural gifts. Although celebrated to some degree around the world, Earth Day is not an official national or world holiday. In many cities, Earth Day is celebrated on April 22 and in others Earth Day falls on the March equinox. Some cities around the world also turn Earth Day celebrations into Earth Week with educational events and ongoing projects. You don't have to wait for one of the official dates to celebrate Earth Day by installing a solar fountain.

Natural fountain materials like slate, granite, copper, pottery and wood echo environmental awareness. Entice birds to the backyard with a solar powered birdbath. Create a serene ecological sanctuary with a garden pond stocked with aquatic plants, fish, a soothing solar pond fountain and solar lighting for outdoor pleasure day and night.

As the popularity of solar powered water fountains and accessories continues to grow, so do the choices. Solar powered fountains come in a myriad of styles, sizes and price ranges to complement any decorating theme, personal taste and budget. Choose from tabletop solar fountains, free-standing solar fountains, floating solar fountains and decorative solar statuary fountains. If a Earth Day celebration solar powered fountain piques your interest, visit an online fountain specialist for easy product and price comparisons.

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Types of Solar Fountain Pumps

Powered by the sun, a fountain pump keeps the fountain water or spray flowing. Choosing the best solar fountain pump for a water feature is a key to efficient fountain operation. There are three basic types of solar fountain pumps.

1. Direct power solar fountain pumps operate directly off a built-in or remote fountain solar panel. For instance, a birdbath solar fountain typically has the solar panel built into the top or basin of the birdbath that powers the pump in the base. A Floating Lily Solar Pond Fountain absorbs solar energy through built-in solar panel on the lily that powers the six-volt pump below the pad. No installation required. Note: A direct power water pump only works when the sun is shining on it. No energy is stored. No sun, no power.
2. Submersible solar fountain pumps are fully submersed below the waters of a garden pond, pool or lake. They produce an above-water spray that is both decorative and aerate the water feature. Submersed solar pumps draw solar energy from a remote solar panel.
3. Battery backup solar pumps feature a battery that recharges through the solar panel during sunny days to provide light or water flow to the solar fountain at night. Although more expensive than direct solar power, they provide delightful illumination and the sound of soothing fountain spray or cascading waters in a garden setting at night.

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Drawbacks of Solar Fountains

For most consumers, the energy-saving and simplicity of solar water fountains, solar pumps and solar garden accessories far outweigh the few drawbacks. The most obvious requirement for a solar fountain to work properly is an adequate supply of sunlight. Therefore, location of solar fountain with a built-in solar panel or a separate solar panel is important. Solar powered fountains do not work well in heavily shaded locations or in climates that rarely enjoy sunny days.

Basic solar fountains consist of a built-in panel and pump that operate only in direct sunlight. They do not store solar power. No sun, no water movement. If the sun goes behind a cloud or the fountain falls into a shade, water flow ceases shortly. For water flow during cloudy periods and evening hours, a solar fountain pump with battery backup is needed.

And, while solar fountains can be used most of the year in most of the world, when temperatures fall below freezing and during periods of snow and ice, it is best to disconnect the solar panel from the pump and move them inside to prevent potential damage to the solar panels.

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Advantages of Solar Fountains

Once upon a time the world didn't think much about energy. Few people worried about how much electricity was consumed or its effect on the environment. Today, all over the world, increased eco-awareness and eco-activism are leading to small changes and some very significant changes in the way we use our planet.

“Going Green” with a solar powered fountain and solar garden lights is a natural choice for environmentally conscious consumers. In addition to conserving energy, there are many other benefits to solar fountains and solar garden accessories:

• Solar power is free -- it's a gift of Mother Nature. The electric meter is not running to power solar fountains.
• Solar power is user-friendly. A solar fountain reduces installation time, labor and cost. Solar water fountains do not require hiring a professional electrician to install for complicated wiring and outdoor outlets that must meet local codes.
• Solar fountains offer beauty and safety. There are no distracting electric cords to disguise and no dangling electric cords to endanger playing children or pets.
• Solar fountains are very low maintenance.
• Solar panels have no moving parts. With minimal care they last for many years.

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Six Reasons To Use Solar-Powered Fountains And Accessories

You don't have to deal with the complex process of wiring and conduit when providing electricity for your fountains and garden accessories. With the popularity of solar-powered fountains and accessories, most everything you need comes available in a sun powered package. Whether you're looking for garden sculptures that light up, pathway lights for your backyard, a pump for your waterfall or a self-contained fountain, you can find one that runs on solar electricity. So why should you bother with these solar products? We have six good reasons why.

1. You'll be minimizing the impact of running your garden products by using a renewable energy source.
2. Using a solar-powered fountain or accessory is a great start to creating some savings on energy costs.
3. You can avoid the need for running an electrical source and having to provide wiring to your fountain or fountain accessory.
4. Solar-powered products for the garden tend to be low maintenance. You simply allow the sun to do its work and the product runs on its own.
5. You have a lot of choices. Major retailers, like Lowes and Home Depot, carry solar power garden products. You can find these items online and in specialty stores. Get a decorative butterfly that glows at night or a bird bath with circulating water.
6. Solar cells don't disrupt the appearance of a gardening product. These days, the solar cells are cleverly disguised and don't detract from the appearance of the product.

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The Solar-Powered Lily Pad Fountain

If you're looking for a solar-powered fountain accessory that not only is functional, but creates a continuous spray pattern, there's a product for you. The solar-powered lily pad fountain is a floating device containing a thin solar panel, low voltage pump and a filter. You simply set it atop your fountain and this device will operate in direct sunlight to project a 17-inch stream of water in your fountain. You can select from one of three fountain heads for the type of spray stream you want. It helps you keep your fountain environment in good shape, as well. It oxygenates your water to eliminate odors and water discoloring and keeps water in motion to eliminate mosquitoes.

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Tap the Sun's Energy with an Indoor Solar Fountain

Solar powered fountains are typically associated with outside use. With the exception of home solar roof panels for heating water and running some household appliances, the idea of tapping the power of sunlight with an indoor solar water fountain is relatively new.

Here's how it works. Choose a solar water fountain with a detachable solar panel and AC power adaptor. The detachable solar panel is placed outside in full sunlight within 10-15 feet of the inside fountain. It collects the sun's energy and transits the energy to the fountain pump during sunlight hours. Some solar fountains feature a backup battery that stores solar energy for use on cloudy days or evenings. Otherwise, the AC adaptor powers the pump when there is no sun.

Multi-tiered, hand-crafted from terracotta, ceramic or copper, Serenity Health's Cascade Solar Fountains are an example of solar powered fountains with indoor potential. A six-volt solar pump in the fountain's bottom basin circulates water to the top pitcher where it cascades like a waterfall down a series of bowls back to the basin. A separate solar fountain panel with a 10 foot solar cable sits directly outside a nearby window or wall collecting the sunlight that powers the water flow on sunny days. (Note: This panel does not store power; it works directly off bright sunlight.) At night, an AC Adaptor (for indoor use only) operates the fountain thorough a household AC outlet.

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How Solar Fountains Work

Solar fountains work compliments of Mother Nature. The sun typically provides about 1,000 watts of solar energy per square meter of the earth's surface and that's a lot of wattage. (For non-metric folks, a square meter and a square yard are almost identical. A square yard is just slightly less than a square meter.)

Here's a very basic explanation of how solar energy is produced. Solar panels are made up of very thin photovoltaic (PV) cells created primarily from a material (typically silicon) that functions as a semiconductor. When the silicon combines with additional elements, a photovoltaic reaction occurs that converts sunlight to energy. This energy produces water flow or spray for a solar fountain.

When a solar panel has a battery back-up, solar energy can be stored for later use. For instance, most solar powered fountain lights feature a built-in battery and sensor that stores energy by day to produce light at night. Remote solar panels can also be used to collect the sun's power and operate an indoor solar fountain up to 10-15 feet away.

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The Solar-Powered Pump

A great way to harness the sun's energy to create movement in a water feature is via the use of a solar-powered pump. A solar-powered pump gives you the benefit of saving on electrical costs, wiring costs and having unsightly electrical lines to your fountain. You can use a solar-powered pump to create a steady stream of water or to simply create constant water movement. A solar-powered pump is appropriate for home use or commercial use in decorative fountains, waterfalls and garden ponds with fish. However, you can also use a solar-powered pump for low lift irrigation and livestock water, as well. One thing to keep in mind with the solar-powered pump is that it does use sunlight to operate, so typically, your fountain would run primarily during daylight hours.

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Accessorize Your Fountain With Solar Power

These days, solar-powered products are big with homeowners concerned about the environment. One easy-to-install, low maintenance piece is the solar power light. You can use a solar power light to brighten up the pathways around your fountain or light up the fountain itself. An inexpensive solar power light for a pathway might just be $30 to $40 for a four-piece set. A high-end set might run you ten times that much. Want a solar-operated pump? You can find them everywhere, from home and garden stores to online locations and catalogs. If you want to add water spray to your fountain, you can even do that with a circular floating spray which shoots water up to 17 inches. There's even a birdbath that circulates water and runs on solar power, as well.

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The Solar-Powered Birdbath

If you're looking for a birdbath that can spray a continuous stream of water and operate without any plugs or electricity, there are several products available that can do that. The solar-powered birdbath will let you create a delicate centerpiece for your garden without having to deal with running electricity to your unit. You can choose from versions with the classic lines of a Greek column or a sleek version more suited to a Japanese garden. A solar-powered bird bath typically has solar cells embedded in the fountain bowl which will absorb the suns rays to power the spray of water. You can also find versions which simply re-circulate the water, keeping it in constant motion.

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Solar Power For The Garden – How It Works

If you're interested in adding a solar-powered product to your garden, it's a good time to check out what's on the market. Solar garden products from fountains to lights are taking to the market and readily available to the gardening consumer. Consumers like the fact that they can just purchase a product, let the sun provide the energy and then walk away. So how does it all work?

A solar-powered product contains a solar panel or solar cells which work to collect the sun's rays, turning it into a usable form of electricity. This electricity is stored in a rechargeable battery on the unit. When night falls, this energy gets released. Depending on the product, your solar power unit might run for a few hours or more during the evening. When a solar-powered product collects more sunlight on sunnier days, the energy lasts longer after darkness than on a cloudy day.

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The Solar-Powered Cascading Fountain

A steady stream of flowing water glides down a row of terracotta pots. The water then recycles back to the top. There's nothing unique about this scenario except that the pump is a solar-powered unit, hidden away in the cascading fountain. Although the cascading fountain runs in sunlight, you can use an AC adapter during days when then sun isn't out or if you decide to run the fountain indoors. The weather resistant metal frame makes this cascading fountain suitable for the outdoors. The individual terracotta pots are removable for easy storage and you can set this solar-powered fountain up without having to do any special installation.

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