Water walls | tropical-hobbies

6- Water Wall :

Step 7: Wrapping The Base

Using a pneumatic nail gun, install cedar tongue and groove closet liner around the exterior of the base.

Wall water fountain:

courtesy to : www.ebay.com/gds/DIY-Indoor-Wall-Water-Fountain

An indoor and outdoor wall water fountain adds decoration to a room. Additionally, the sounds of the trickling water are soothing and relaxing. These water features do not have to be expensive, and they are not entirely complicated to make. Homeowners can make an indoor wall water fountain with a few inexpensive supplies and a little bit of patience. By building their own water fountains, homeowners have complete control over the design and all of the details involved. They can choose the size, color, materials, and more. To make an indoor wall water fountain, homeowners need to consider the space to create an attractive design, gather the appropriate materials, and install the frame and pump.

Develop a Design for an Indoor Wall Water Fountain

When building an indoor wall water fountain, homeowners should take the time to plan the design for the feature. They want the fountain to be the focal point of the room without being too flashy or elaborate. The water fountain should be both attractive and relaxing. Homeowners should consider the space when making the design. If there is a fireplace on the wall, they can create a design that goes on both sides of the hearth. For a small space, a small fountain in the center of the wall adds decoration without taking up too much room. However, large ceiling to floor water fountains create a dramatic effect.

Materials for Making an Indoor Wall Water Fountain

After considering the design for the indoor wall water fountain, shoppers need to gather the supplies to build it. Fortunately, the supply list is simple, and homeowners do not need a lot of specialized equipment to build the fountain. The supplies needed for the water fountain include:

Material & Purpose :

- Sheet of acrylic :

Creates the frame of the fountain and protect the walls and other nearby fixtures from water damage

- Planter :

Serves as a water reservoir

- Water pump :

Pumps the water from the reservoir to the top of the fountain so that it rains down

- Plastic tubing :

Carries the water from the reservoir to the top of the fountain

- Ceramic tiles :

Decorates the fountain to give it an attractive look

Can also use slate

-Treated wood :

Creates a wall brace so the fountain has the support it needs to hang on the wall

In terms of appearance, the ceramic tiles or slate are the most important selections to make. These attach to the acrylic to create a fun and interesting design. Crafters attach these to the acrylic frame using the waterproof adhesive. They build a wall brace out of treated wood to ensure that it has the support and stability it needs to hang on the wall.

Hang the Water Fountain Frame :

nce users put together the acrylic frame and support brace, they should hang it on the wall. Due to its size and weight, users should be sure to attach it to the studs in the wall. Using the drill, they can drive anchors into the studs for added stability. They should use a level to ensure that the fountain is even so that water flows evenly over the entire fountain. With the frame in place, they should attach the planter underneath. The bottom of the frame should sit inside the planter to prevent splashing.

Connect the Water Pump :

The pump carries the water from the planter to the top of the fountain so that it can rain down. Users should place the pump in the bottom of the planter and secure it using an adhesive or suction cup. The plug should feed behind the planter and to the outlet. Next, users attach the tubing to the pump and run it along the back of the fountain to the top. They should secure it in place with waterproof adhesive. For water fountains that go on both sides of a fireplace, users need more than one pump.

Fill the Water Fountain :

With the water fountain installed and the water pump connected, users are ready to fill the fountain with water. In many instances, tap water is sufficient, but users should opt for distilled water if they live in an area with hard water. This helps prevent rust, corrosion, and build up from the mineral deposits in the water. The should fill the planter with enough water to cover the pump. Over time, the water from the fountain evaporates. Users should check the water levels and add more water as needed.

How to Buy an Indoor Wall Water Fountain on eBay :

Shoppers can find an indoor wall water fountain or the supplies to build one of their own by shopping on eBay. With sellers from all over the country, they often find low prices for all of the materials they need. Shoppers perform a keyword search to locate the items they need quickly. From the search results, they narrow the listings even further by selecting options from the refinement menu. Before making a purchase, they should review the item listing to make sure that it matches what they need.

An indoor wall water fountain adds a focal point to a room while creating relaxing sounds. With a few simple supplies and basic building skills, homeowners can build their own water fountains. This gives them complete control over the design, size, and placement of the water feature.

Project for beginners:

DIY Outdoor Water Wall :

courtesy to : www.interiorfrugalista.com/2014/08/diy-patio-water-wall.

Here in Northern Alberta, the winters are long and the summers short. In the Spring, once the last threat of frost is over, we pretty much live in our backyard. Every Summer we always have one or two projects lined up to improve our outdoor living space.

One of the projects that kept getting pushed back was adding a large water feature in our backyard. Everything we looked at was always way over our budget. Finally, we decided if we're ever going to have a water feature, we would have to build it ourselves.

Mr. Frugalista and I went back and forth argued for weeks before coming up with an idea we were both happy with. Pen and paper in hand, we drew out plans for our DIY Patio Water Wall with a maximum budget of $300.

The original plan was to use a sheet of metal (preferably copper) for the water to trickle down. In the meantime, Mr. Frugalista found two wide reed tempered glass panels at a local salvage yard for only $15.00 each and the game plan for our water wall quickly changed.

Pictured below are most of the materials we used to build our water wall, minus the two plastic rectangular flower planters on the right. I've included a Materials and Tools List at the bottom of this post.

Before moving our water wall onto the deck, it originally sat on our stone patio adjacent to the gazebo. While it looked lovely flanked by matching cedar planters, the soft trickle of the water could only be faintly heard from our deck.

DIY Outdoor Water Wall for under $300

Dimensions :

Note: The size of the water wall is determined by the size of the temperedglass panels you use.Water Wall: 60" high x 52" wideBase Only: 12" deep x 18" wide x 52" long

Video Tutorial

Video Tutorial :

Please click to check the original website ..

Written Tutorial

Step 1: Base Construction

Build the frame for the base with 2" x 2" lumber as pictured below.

Step 2: Water Trough Construction

Build a plywood box to fit inside the frame. This will house the pond pump, secure the glass to the base, and hold the water.

Option B would be to line the inside of the frame with plywood rather than building a separate box.

Step 3: Base Assembly

Insert the box into the frame of the base. You can see it is raised from the bottom and supported by 2" x 2" lumber. Why? So the trough is shallower than the base to hold less water.

Step 4: Glass Support Installation

Attach wood slats to the bottom of the trough to secure the tempered glass panels in the base.
NOTE: You can see the pond pump fits nicely between the glass and the side wall (this is not the step where you install the pump).

Step 5: Lining The Water Trough

Line the water trough with pond liner and attached on the top only with staples. At this point add water and test to ensure there are no leaks.

Step 6: Adding The Uprights

Attach 1" x 6" x 60" pressure treated deck boards on the outer center of each side of the base for the uprights of the water wall. Add two pieces of scrap deck board on each side of the upright to make the ends flush when installing cedar tongue & groove to finish the outside.

Now we needed to attach the frame to the back of the plywood. Again, laying the copper face down on a clean surface, we used the 1/2″ tube straps to secure the frame in place.

Step 8: Trim The Base

Trim the base with ripped cedar fence boards and 1" x 1" wood slats.

Step 9: Conceal The Pump

On the back of the base, on the side where the pump will be installed, cut a short piece of trim that will be screwed from the top. This will allow for the cord to be concealed underneath.

Step 10: Tempered Glass Installation

NOTE: Installing the tempered glass is a two-person job.

Mark the center of the uprights at the top.
Secure one 2" x 2" on the back side of your mark.
Place the glass in the groove of the base and rest the top of the glass on the 2" x 2" you just installed.
Secure the front 2" x 2" to hold the glass in place.

Step 11: Water Tube Installation

Place the pond pump on the bottom of the water trough
Attach the flexible plastic tubing with couplings and clamps inside the center of the upright.
Attach an elbow at the top.
Using a 3/16" drill bit make holes in the top piece spaced about 1" apart. The size of the holes determines the strength of the water flow.
Important: Drill the holes on the side of the tubing that rests taut against the glass to ensure the water trickles down the glass.
Start with small holes and submerge the pump in a pail of water to test the flow. Increase the size of the holes in increments until you have the flow you desire.
Fill the end of the tube with silicone to seal it off.
Use screws and large washers to hold the tubing in place into the top 2" x 2".

Step 12: Concealing Water Tubes

Once satisfied with the water flow, conceal the tubing by boxing in around the uprights with cedar fence boards.

Step 13: Finishing Touches

Last but not least apply two coats of stain. We used Behr semi-transparent in Sagebrush Green to match our cedar flower planters.
Add paving stones to the bottom of the trough, being careful not to rip the pond liner. Or you could use lightweight pool noodles.
Fill the rest of the cavity with river rock. The previous step simply helps decrease the amount of river rock you'll need.
Fill the trough with water.
Plug in the water wall and the pump will prime for a few seconds before the water starts trickling down the glass.

We choose a very soft trickle (smaller holes) and it makes such a relaxing sound as the water hits the rocks below (pictured below).

At night the patio water wall is backlit with a trio of spotlights (pictured below). Holes were drilled into the trim to hold the base of each light and the wires are concealed under the trim. The solar panel is in our flower garden where it gets loads of sunshine throughout the day.

This is the Water Wall illuminated at dusk...

...and after dark.

As promised, I've included both a Tool and Materials List below.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links so you can see what products I used or recommend to complete this project. What that means is that if you click on one of the product links, I may receive a small portion of any sales at no additional cost to you to support the costs of running this site. See my disclosure policy page.

Tool List

Table saw
Compound Mitre Saw
Power Drill
Pneumatic Nail Gun
Compressor
Staple Gun
Tape Measure
Level

Materials List

Pond Pump

Check the rating on the pump to ensure that it will carry the water to the desired height. Example; if your wall is 5' high, the pump needs to be rated for a minimum 60" of water lift.
The pump needs to fit between the wall of the water trough and the glass.
It is ideal to purchase a pump where the motor and value portion come apart. This will make it easier to remove the motor to bring inside during the winter in colder below freezing climates like ours.
Ours was purchased at Home Depot and is made by Angelo Decor, Model No. TPD-300H.

Pond Liner - small sheet approximately 5' x 5'

Tempered Glass

The size of the water wall is determined by the glass you use. Important: Must be Tempered Glass for safety.

Flexible Plastic Tubing or Copper Tubing

Approximately 10 feet (could use copper tubing if you're handy with soldering)
Related connectors: 4 elbows and approximately 12 clamps

Lumber

2" x 2" x 8' (approximately 12 pieces)
1/4" or 3/8" plywood to build water trough (approximately 4' x 4' sheet)
1" x 6" x 8' pressure treated lumber (2 pieces)
1" x 6" x 8' cedar fence boards (approximately 14 pieces)
1 pkg of tongue and groove cedar closet liner
2 pieces of scrap lumber (to hold the glass inside the water trough)

Other Materials

3-4 bags of river rock
wood screws (3-inch for base frame, 1 1/2-inch for all else)
construction glue
staples
Solar Spotlights

If you would like to receive a convenient Materials Shopping List which includes a QR Code to access photos of the Water Wall while shopping, sign up below...

Project For advanced hobbyist and professionals:

Outdoor Copper Water Wall

courtesy to : www.jparisdesigns.com/outdoor-copper-water-wall/

by Jessica on Apr 15, 2013 in Blog, How-To Projects

11. 30″ plastic window box liner

12. 30 GPH fountain pond pump

13. bag of 1/2″ copper tube straps

14. 10′ coil of 3/8″ copper refrigeration tube

Other materials not shown:

-5/8″ piece of plywood cut to appropriate size

-pipe bender

-1/2″ stainless steel screws

-plumbers dope

-1′ of 3/8″ ID (inner diameter) rubber flex tube

-awl

-hammer

-large sheet of cardboard or soft cloth (to protect the copper foil)

I got this idea in my head as soon as the weather broke (for a weekend) and the warmth of Spring seemed to be on the horizon. As soon as that happens, I’m always itching to get our backyard in order for the warmer months to come. Bust out the patio table from its winter hibernation, stick the tiki torches in the ground, hang up the string lights, bring out the yard decorations, you know….clean up the winter haze that has been hanging around for months.

I designed and built a water fountain about two years ago for our backyard using stacked flower pots. It served us well that summer, until it suffered an ugly fate. Dan is no longer allowed to chop firewood that close to the house in case another chunk of wood goes flying through the air. You live and learn, I guess.

Last year’s summer focus was our new swimming pool – it was enough to derail me from worrying about a fountain. But this year I’ve been really wanting to make a new one. I started plotting and planning – designing something in my head that would (hopefully) make sense when put in motion. Luckily I had the help of my Dad – an ex-plumber and purveyor of all things copper – to help bring this idea to life.

Inspiration Piece

found the above image during a Google search that turned up ZERO results on a How-To. I liked the way it looked, but found no instructions on how to make it. So I decided to write one myself in hopes of inspiring someone else to create a really cool outdoor feature.

Here is the assembled “frame” of the fountain to give you a visual before going into the measurements and materials. The finished size of my fountain was to be 2′ wide x 4′ tall not including the legs that would be inserted into the ground.

Below you will find a list of almost all of the materials/supplies we used to create our fountain. Most of the materials needed can be purchased at Home Depot or hardware stores, which the exception of the copper foil which I purchased on Ebay. Other items were ones we had on hand.

1. Propane Blow Torch

2. 1/2″ copper pipe cut at 30″ for the legs

3. 1/2″ copper pipe cut at 16″ for the cross bars

4. 1/2″ copper pipe cut at 40″ for the side bars

5. (2) 1/2″ copper 90 degree elbows and (2) 1/2″ copper T-Joints

6. plumber’s cloth

7. fitting cleaning brush

8. pipe cutter

9. solder flux

10. solder

purchased my copper foil from an Ebay distributor whom I highly recommend. The owner, Jim, was very helpful and lists his phone number to contact him with any questions. He gave me recommendations on the size of copper I would need, what kind of tools I might use, and a few troubleshooting tips he had experienced or heard about. I would definitely purchase from him again!

-2′ x 4′ piece of 5 mil copper foil – purchased from Nimrod Hall Copper Company via Ebay

The first thing we did was measure and cut our 1/2″ copper pipe (sold in 10′ lengths at Home Depot – we bought two 10′ pieces). You could definitely use a hack saw instead, but the pipe cutters were much easier and faster.

cutting the pipe

Our next step was getting the pipes and fittings ready to be soldered. Using the plumber’s cloth (which is a lot like sandpaper) and fitting cleaning brush we cleaned the edges of all the pipes as well as the insides of the elbows and t-joints.

using plumber’s cloth on edges of copper pipe

using fitting brush on inside of elbows and t-joints

You will notice where you “cleaned” the pipe because it changes the finish.

copper pipe after being cleaned for solder

Next, we brushed the solder flux onto the areas we just cleaned.

brushing solder flux onto the pipe-end

brushing solder flux into the elbow

These few steps were unbeknownst to me. I was under the impression you could just solder the pieces together and call it a day. My dad made me aware that the cleaning with the plumber’s cloth and the solder flux allow the solder material to actually adhere to the copper rather than just slide around it. Therefore, don’t skip this step!

Once that was finished, we began to assemble the copper pieces together, laid out on a large tabletop.

drilled holes in the top of the coil that wraps around the front

assembling the pieces

Using the blow torch and solder material, we heated up the copper and soldered it together.

The frame is up on little wooden blocks to keep our cardboard work surface from burning and so the solder could drip around the whole pipe.

soldering the pieces together

soldering the pieces together

After all of the joints had been soldered, they looked like this:

joints after being soldered

The overall frame looked like this:

finished copper frame

Now we moved on to the plywood base and copper foil that would be attached to it. I used a piece of 5/8″ thick plywood that we cut down to 21″ x 44″. The copper foil that I purchased measured 24″ x 48″ and we needed a few inches to be able to wrap it around the plywood and secure it on the back.

Here is the plywood with the copper foil laying on top:

copper foil and plywood base

After this, we flipped the whole thing over and wrapped the copper around to the back of the plywood. Be careful what you place the foil on. It is very thin and permeable – we used a clean piece of cardboard, but a soft cloth or blanket would work, too!

Using a hammer and awl, we poked through the copper to prepare for the stainless steel screws.

punching the copper and plywood with the awl

securing the copper to the plywood

attaching the frame to the plywood

Finished Fountain

Now here is where you could go a step further. We did not use any adhesive between the foil and the plywood. The foil is only held on by the stainless steel screws on the back. Adhesive could have been used to insure the foil remained flat and smooth, but it wasn’t a critical step and I decided to forego it. However, if you are more particular than me, you can go ahead and use an approved adhesive to attach the two together.

Once all four sides were wrapped and secured, we flipped it back over and were left with this:

Okay, here is where things get tricky. I’m not even really sure how to explain this because we just sort of made it up as we went.

We had planned on using the 3/8″ copper coil as the tube that would connect to the pump and draw the water up to the top. The process for creating that involved several bends and twists using a pipe bender. There really is no “explanation” or How-To to explain it, so hopefully these pictures are enough of a starting point for you.

bending the copper coil

Now, somehow the pictures got flipped, but the above piece was then attached to the frame as seen below. The part that wraps around the front is where the holes are drilled and the water will spray out.

The 3/8″ coil was soldered to the 1/2″ frame and run down the length of the piece so that it could be connected to the pump. More to come on that in a minute.

Hopefully you get the gist of how we bent the copper coil and soldered it to the frame. The holes were drilled in it at an angle so that the water sprayed against the copper sheet and ran down, rather than just spraying directly down.

Now the plastic window liner comes in to play. This is what will hold the pump and catch the water to be recirculated.

plastic windowbox liner and appropriate pump

With a few modifications of the plastic, we slipped the liner onto the bottom of the plywood and secured it with screws.

plastic liner in place

closeup of plastic liner in place

We had to snip the plastic away on the back so it would lay flush around the copper frame. We then just used a few more of the stainless screws and attached it to the plywood.

snipped plastic on the back

The store-bought pump got a bit of a modification so that it would work with the copper. Depending on the actual pump that you purchase, this could vary. But we used a 1′ foot piece of rubber flex hose (from Auto Zone) that would fit over the plastic attachment that came with the pump. The hose ran from the pump to the copper tube in the back.

Pump and Flex Hose adaption.

we’ve got water!!

In the above picture, the pump is sitting inside the plastic tray. Once all of the pipes and tubes were hooked up, we tested it out by filling the tray with water and seeing what happened.

The copper legs on the bottom are what will be inserted into the ground, leaving the plastic liner to sit directly on the ground.

I built a wooden box from a cedar fence post (Home Depot) to slide over and hide the plastic tray.

And here it is:

A few things to point out:

1. Copper is sensitive to water, as in it changes color easily. I knew this going in and wasn’t bothered by the fact. I realize, however, that some people might not like the streaks and spots that appear. To me, the more the better! But, with a small bit of Googling, there are plenty of home remedies that can be sprayed on the surface to clean the copper.

2. My cedar box gets filthy when the rain splashes the dirt from the garden up on to it. I’m not bothered by this either because when the plants in our garden finally start growing, they will most likely hide the box and plastic liner anyways. This way, it will appear as if the copper wall is floating among the greenery (my plan all along!).

3. I found that trying to capture this piece in a photograph was really difficult. From the picture, it appears as if little to no water is even falling – I assure you it is. And it gives off a soft splashing noise that is my favorite part of an outdoor fountain.

4. One thing I noticed very early is the filter on the pump. It doesn’t actually filter much of anything (except maybe rocks). Therefore, anything that falls into the plastic tray (tree gunk, bugs, leaves, etc) can get sucked up the tube and clog the holes where the water sprays out. I’m currently working on a remedy for that and will update if I find one – thinking of using a piece of screen mesh??

The back isn’t exactly attractive looking since I left it the plain plywood. It faces the corner of the backyard, though, so I’m not too worried. Plus, if it was up against a building, it wouldn’t be a problem at all.

I’m fully confident that it will look even better once the garden starts to grow in and we clean off the patio.

And that’s it! We were able to do the majority of the work in one afternoon, with some fine-tuning afterwards.

If you have any questions or if I didn’t explain something well enough, please feel free to email me! Jessica@jparisdesigns.com

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