Water fountains can be more than just a decorative feature in your home or garden

All outdoor water fountains and indoor water fountains create an interesting display and sound that adds a unique touch to any home and garden area.

The type of sound that these decorative fountains make depends on whether they are a trickling fountain, waterfall or a statue that sends out an even stream of water.

Health benefits of a decorative fountain

As a stress relieving product or for meditation, you want a fountain that bubbles or trickles the water down and has a very light sound. They allow your mind to focus and relax without having to worry about your stressful day. These indoor and outdoor water features can add a sense of tranquility to your home.

Outdoor water fountains for the backyard garden or patio

Landscapers, architects and home decorators use outdoor fountains on patio's and in front and backyards as a decorative feature. The reason for this is not just the ascetic value, but also for the health reasons that the calming effect of trickling water has on people'

Solar powered water fountains combined with solar lighting have been the most popular for people concerned with saving money and the environment.

Your choice in materials whether its glass, brass, slate, ceramic, copper, resin or wood is purely for its eye catching appeal. Statuary for garden ponds, pools and water gardens are normally made of cement or resin.

For interior fountains the favorite seems to be glass. Offices and inside homes that have a wall mounted or floor standing fountains seem to favor stone.

Benefits of indoor water fountains in very dry climates

Adding a bit of moisture into the air will not only help your dry skin but also wood from drying out and cracking. Fog and misting fountains can be used for this, but any style would work.

If you always wake up with a dry throat or nose, place indoor fountain in your bedroom.  They can increase the humidity level in the room and help you breathe easier.

These can be small or large and made from any material glass, copper or even bamboo. Most desktop and tabletop fountains are small enough to fit on any table surface.

The most popular indoor water features to use as a decorative accent are wall mounted fountains and floor standing models, these can be made of slate or copper.

Water fountain: care and maintenance

For indoor fountains use distilled water when ever possible. Regular tap water has calcium and minerals in it that can build up on your pump and on the fountain surfaces. Over time, it can make the surfaces look kind of dirty, and it can hinder the performance of your pump, eventually ending with a non-operational pump.

If distilled water is not available or difficult to obtain or you could just boil your own. The next best is reverse osmosis water from a good quality water filter. If you use tap water, then you should use a good water clarifier to minimize the buildup of calcium and mineral deposits.

You just add a small amount of the clarifier to the water in your fountain once a month. You can usually buy a water clarifier in a pet store that sells fish and aquariums.

With outdoor water fountains if you use regular water from your garden hose, add a good quality water clarifier or algae protector.

Anyone that has had a garden pond, fish pond or large  decorative fountain knows the problems you can have with small animals. Go to this page on do it myself pest control for more information.

The size of the outdoor fountain or water feature  whether it is a bubbling or trickling fountain will determine the size of fountain pump. Normally a 1/2 hp motor is more than enough for average fountains.

What is the difference between an outdoor water fountain and a garden fountain. Outdoor fountains are not limited to just one area of the lawn or garden. They are designed so that they can be used in a garden or on the patio. Garden water fountains are normally used only in a garden setting or in a pond. They can be plug-in or solar powered, these types are usually larger in size.