A little routine goes a long way

Few things lift a small garden like the sound of moving water. Whether you have a modest tiered fountain on a patio, a wall-mounted spout trickling over pebbles, or a bowl fountain tucked among pots, the pleasure it gives is out of all proportion to its size — as long as it keeps running. Fountains are simple machines at heart: a pump pushes water up a pipe, and gravity brings it back down again. Almost every problem you will meet, from a weak trickle and a grumbling motor to green water and a cracked bowl, traces back to one of three things: a clogged pump, a falling water level, or frost.

Get those three under control and your fountain will reward you for years. What follows is a season-by-season routine that takes perhaps twenty minutes a month, with a little more effort in spring and autumn.

Spring: waking the fountain after winter

As the worst of the frost passes and new growth begins, your fountain needs a proper wake-up rather than a quick flick of the switch.

• Clean the pump before you run it. Lift it out, unclip the housing and check the impeller — the small magnetised rotor that spins the water. Grit and limescale are the usual culprits when a pump hums but shifts no water. Rinse the sponge pre-filter in a bucket of water from the garden rather than under the tap, and never scrub the impeller with anything metal.
• Descale the pipework and nozzles. Soak them for an hour in a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and water, then work over the openings with an old toothbrush. A clogged nozzle is the most common reason for a fountain that sprays lopsidedly.
• Scrub the basin. Use a soft brush and a mild detergent, then rinse thoroughly. Avoid bleach near plants, wildlife or a pond.
• Check the electrics. Look for cracked cable, a perished plug or a damaged outdoor socket, and confirm the circuit is protected by an RCD. If anything looks doubtful, have a qualified electrician check it — water and electricity deserve respect.
• Refill, then run it for an hour and watch every tier and joint for leaks while the water settles.

Summer: water levels, algae and hard-working pumps

Warm weather is when a fountain loses water fastest. In full sun, a small fountain can drop 2–5cm a day through evaporation, and more on a breezy day or when the pump is running at full tilt. A pump that starts drawing air will overheat and fail within hours, so topping up is not a chore to postpone.

• Top up every day or two in hot spells, keeping the level within roughly 2cm of full. Rainwater is ideal; if you use tap water, let it stand overnight to lose some of the chlorine.
• Fit a float valve if you are away often, or ask a neighbour to top up while you are on holiday.
• Rinse the filter fortnightly. In July, blanketweed and algae can mat a sponge solid in a fortnight.
• Manage green water gently. A little shade from a marginal plant or a lily helps enormously. Barley straw extract is a kinder option than chemical treatments, particularly where birds and hedgehogs drink.
• Keep the water moving during daylight. Still, warm water is a nursery for mosquito larvae; a running pump discourages them.
• Scrub the walls with a soft brush when you notice a slippery film — it keeps the fountain looking its best and reduces the food supply for algae.

Autumn: leaves, debris and the first cold nights

Falling leaves are the quiet enemy of every fountain pump. A single sycamore leaf can block a small intake.

• Net the surface with a small floating net, or stretch pond netting over the basin if trees overhang it.
• Empty the leaf trap weekly through October and November, and rinse the pre-filter at the same time.
• Cut back surrounding plants so decaying foliage does not drop into the water.
• Keep the pump running through mild weather to maintain circulation, but start thinking about your winter plan before the first hard frost arrives.

Winter: frost protection and the question of shutting down

Water expands as it freezes, with enough force to crack stone, terracotta and even cast resin. Frost damage is almost always avoidable, but rarely repairable.

• Decide whether to run or drain. A submerged pump rated for outdoor use can run through winter provided the water never freezes solid, which means keeping it moving day and night. If your fountain is shallow or exposed, draining down is safer.
• Drain everything completely — basin, reservoir, pipework and pump housing. Water left standing in a pipe will split it.
• Lift the pump out and store it somewhere frost-free, either submerged in a bucket of clean water or dried and boxed. Either way, keep grit out of the impeller.
• Protect the structure. Cover an empty basin with a breathable cover so it does not fill with rain and then freeze, and wrap delicate spouts in bubble wrap or horticultural fleece.
• Bring terracotta and glazed ceramic fountains indoors if you possibly can — a shed or garage is enough.
• Never hammer ice out of a basin. Pour a jug of warm, not boiling, water around the edge and let it lift naturally.

Your seasonal maintenance at a glance

Once you have done the rounds a few times, the work becomes second nature — and you will start to hear problems before you see them, because a healthy fountain has a steady, even note.

• Weekly: check the water level, listen for a change in sound, skim out leaves.
• Monthly: rinse the filter and clear the intake.
• Spring: descale the nozzle and pipework, clean the impeller, test the electrics.
• Summer: top up daily in hot spells, rinse the filter fortnightly, keep algae in check.
• Autumn: net the surface, empty the leaf trap weekly.
• Winter: drain or protect, and store the pump somewhere frost-free.

Five minutes of attention a week is genuinely all it takes. Do that, and your fountain will keep doing what it does best: adding cool sound, movement and a little sparkle to even the smallest patch of outdoor space.