Broken backyard fountain
Hello,
Our backyard has a cement fountain that has stopped working. We think it needs a new pump. Any recommendation for who can fix this without charging an arm and a leg? I searched the archives but didn't see anything, and Yelp points me toward high end landscape designers or "water feature" experts, who seem overqualified for this type of job.
Thanks in advance!
Apr 23, 2022
Parent Replies
Neil at Pond Revival has repaired our misbehaving fountain a number of times. I can't recommend him more highly; reasonable rates, outstanding service, pleasant guy. http:pondrevival.com or 510 333-9533
We are currently having some drainage and foundation work done by Max Morales. He is doing an excellent job at a reasonable price. He was referred to us from a friend who is also very happy with the work he did. You can reach him at (925) 470-9625
You don't need to hire anyone to fix it - it's either a matter of unclogging the pump or replacing the pump, and they are not that expensive. You need to take the pump out of the fountain and clean it - the filter may be clogged with algae or bits of plant matter or etc. It is a small plastic box with a cord coming out of it. In a lot of fountains it will be concealed under a kind of upside down urn. So siphon out the water and take the fountain apart to get at the pump. If you clean it and it still doesn't work, you can buy a new one. Look on google or youtube. A lot of plant nurseries like Berkeley Hort carry them too (and Berkeley Hort has a good supply of water plants and accessories too.). I found with my own fountain that it was continuously clogged despite frequent cleanings and various strategies to keep the algae at bay, so I finally gave up and now it's a planter, not a fountain!
I don't know if you have tried to fix this yourself, but when we moved into our house, there was a pond in the yard with a water feature, which used to break once in a while, so I got quite good at DIY. Try to find the electrical outlet and see if it has tripped. Mine did that every time it rained, and I just had to reset the outlet. Next, look for the pump (sounds from your post that you already know where it is) and see if it can be reset or turned on or off. (If you don't know where it is, it is sometimes half buried in the dirt next to the fountain, looks like a large black bucket.) Also locate the intake that's inside the fountain and see if it has been blocked by debris or algae. If it's completely blocked the pump will stop working. There might also be a filter inside the pump, which gets blocked once in a while. If all else fails, you can just find the model number of the pump, get a new one, and just hire a gardener to dig up the old one and reattach the new one.