Solar Garden Fountains on Home Landscapes
Adding any sort of water feature like solar garden fountains instantly increases the curb appeal of any home landscape. A water fountain is an easy addition to a garden unlike a waterfall or pond which can also add to landscaping costs. A simple solar garden fountain can be purchased at any home improvement or garden store and best of all, requires no additional wiring hookup which complicates the landscaping job. Powered by solar energy, a solar garden fountain can be placed virtually anywhere in your garden without worry about dragging a long electrical cable for power. The only real need is an area with plenty of sunlight which should be plentiful in a typical garden terrain.
Garden fountains may vary greatly, but there are a few distinct types to choose from. The best type of solar fountain really depends on the design match with the rest of your home and garden. You can choose from the traditional bowl fountain, wall fountain, and even cascade fountains with multiple water reservoirs.
Because a solar garden fountain requires sunlight, it makes uses of an attached solar panel to convert the sun’s energy into usable electrical energy to power the fountain pump. The panel size itself can vary depending on the type of water pump shipped with the fountain. A bigger water pump that must pump more water a longer distance will need more energy and therefore require a larger solar panel. Smaller fountains, like a small desk fountain, only need a small solar panel to generate enough energy to power the pump.
Your local home improvement store will often have a garden section where a wide variety of solar garden fountains are available for purchase. The same is true for any gardening store. You may find specialty retailers that specifically stock many types of water fountains. There are also many such retailers online though the drawback here is you will not be able to see the fountain in action or hear the sound it generates from the water. There is also the matter of shipping and handling due to the size and weight of garden fountains.
A solar garden fountain is only different from a traditional water fountain in that it ships with a solar panel kit that you need to assemble and wire to the water pump. In fact, some solar fountains can easily be converted for normal electricity use powered by nearby a wall socket for months when the sunlight is scarcer.
Some solar kits will also ship with rechargeable battery packs and this can extend the use of the garden fountain even into the night when no light is available. If your solar kit does not ship with a battery pack and you still wish to use your fountain when it is dark, then consider buying one and wiring it to the water pump. Again, the type and size of battery pack will vary with the size of the water pump.
Even at the extra cost, a solar power fountain requires zero electricity from your electricity company and therefore incurs no extra cost for use. The money savings here over time make solar fountains well worth the investment and best of all, they can be used as regular plug-in fountains as needed. There are enough variations in design to suit and landscaping environment and a solar garden fountain can bring instant appeal to your home.