How to Make a Custom Solar Fountain Basin

I can't explain why water falling from tiered cement is so enthralling, but it absolutely is. We got ahold of a pretty cool looking water feature, but the standard thing to do is to use an underground water basin. Solar powered fountain pumps tend to be less powerful than their counterparts, which would mean insufficient lift for getting the water from the ground to the top. To accommodate this, we'll be building a custom cement basin for the pump to sit in. This resolves the issue of insufficient lift while avoiding any sort of added eyesore, and expands the fountain into something even more epic in the process. Let's get into how to put one together!

Here's what you'll need to put this basin together, as well as to integrate it and your solar fountain pump into the fountain:

• Unused planters (one large, one small)
• PVC pipes
• Drill
• Big piece of cardboard
• Three buckets
• Water
• Gravel
• Pre-mixed cement
• Solar Fountain pump
• Tubing
• Silicone sealant

Things you might need:

• Clay and Sand (optional)
• Wide plank of wood (optional)
• Tape (optional)

The strategy I used is to repurpose old, unused planters as the mold for the cement. This also has the added benefit of creating a bit of extra detail work, depending on the planter. One planter is used for the exterior and should be approximately the size you want for your basin, ideally. A second, smaller planter will be used on the inside to keep the basin hollow for the fountain pump to reside in. 

In a perfect world, you'll be able to just select two ideal planters and be all set. Since that's often not the world we live in, we can tackle some options for alternatives. 

The inner planter isn't as critical for perfect sizing, since it just has to provide enough space for the pump. The outer planter, though, may not be the right size such that the basin can match the sizing of the fountain piece atop it. Planters tend to widen from bottom to top, so using an oversized planter is the ideal compromise. The cement would just start at a certain point up the planter, such that the bottom is unused. 

One cheap and potentially on-hand resource you can use is clay to raise the base of the planter and then some sand to level it. However, even if you water down and compact the sand a bit, you'll still find some sand in the end result of the basin. It's not problematic or even visible with the next fountain piece on top of it, but we may as a well aim for perfection in the pursuit of getting as close as we can. So, the next best option if you don't have an ideally sized planter is to evenly cut the base of the planter and sit it on a wide plank of wood. It may need taped in place, but this process will make the planter easier to remove off the cement so it's potentially even a benefit in that way. In the case that cement leaks out a bit or comes out unevenly, it can be pretty easily cleaned up before it fully cures.

It's pretty important to have everything well prepared in advance, since we want to be able to work quickly when the cement pouring begins. We'll get everything completely staged now to ensure that we have everything we need by the time there's wet cement in the mix (pun intended).

With the planters figured out, we need holes for the water to flow into the eventual basin. Using 2 pvc pipes doubles as a way to hold the inner planter in place well in addition to providing 4 well spaced holes for water to get in. For the sake of keeping the logistics doable, one pvc pipe will go above the other, as depicted above. You just drill holes into the planters toward what will be the bottom of the basin, keeping in mind that the inner planter will be floating above the bottom to leave room for cement.  Keep in mind that the holes should be a fairly tight fit for the pvc. Once you can cram the pvc into place, your holes are big enough and you're ready for the next stage of preparation.  Set these pvc pipes aside for now. 

We also need one pvc pipe that sits at the center of the base of the large planter and goes up through the middle of the inner planter. This is the only pvc pipe whose sizing matters, because it will be what the fountain pump tubing goes through. Just ensure that it's big enough for that. Otherwise, attach it at the bottom center of the planter and drill a hole big enough for it to fit through at the bottom center of the inner planter. 

Now to tackle the work area! First we need a level area to work. However level the ground you're working on translates to how level the eventual bottom of the basin will be. Next, something like a big piece of cardboard to work on top of can make the cleanup process much more painless. 

And now for a tale of 3 buckets.  One will be used for cement, and the next needs filled with water.  For the last, we need rocks. We need a bit of gravel, which we'll use for holding the inner planter's shape and to weigh it down a bit. This has the added benefit of being something that can go into the cement without being a problem. This matters because we'll need to pour at least some of the rocks into the inner planter after we've begun pouring our cement.  I'll be noting this again shortly, but I very much recommend having more cement than you think you need. However, if you don't have quite enough, rocks can be added in to help get the cement up to where it needs to be. Hopefully you don't need rocks to get you across the finish line, though, and it can just act as a safe structural support and weight. 

You can put some of this gravel into the bottom of the inner planter. Just don't fill it past the pvc holes.

It's time for what may be the intimidating part of the project if you haven't worked with cement before, but I'm happy to report that it should be pretty easy and painless. Just be sure you have enough cement for the project (it's way better to have an extra bag on hand than not enough to work with). Be sure to wear protection for your eyes and lungs as well.

The inner planter should be set off to the side for now. We'll be beginning by pouring a bit of cement in the bottom of the outer planter first to create what will become the top of the basin before putting the inner planter in place. 

To get rolling on cement, pour some of the pre-mixed cement into the bucket and add water. The package should provide a ratio, but in general the idea is to add less water than it likely needs and then add water until it's the right consistency. You just keep stirring until it's a nice "cookie dough" (probably still don't snack on it) consistency and then you can pour it in. 

Pour enough cement for it to cover the bottom up until the point at which you want the inner planter to sit. Push the middle pvc through the inner planter and get it settled in place.  Then push the 2 side pvc pipes through. Now you can add the rest of the gravel into the inner planter. This should all be a pretty fast process, since everything is prepped ahead of time. 

Now just keep mixing and pouring cement into the space between the two planters until it fills up as high as you're hoping for and then…. You wait!  It needs at minimum 24 hours to cure. Rotate the side pvc pipes periodically. This makes them easier to remove.

Remove the planters from the cement after 24+ hours. Depending on how sturdy your planters are, this isn't necessarily just a matter of simply popping them off, but as you cut and peel away parts of the planter you'll eventually free your basin. Personally, since the basin is going to be in direct contact with water, I let it sit out in the sun another day before putting it to work just to be safe. But now, this thing is ready to go! Time to put it into action. 

To use it with an existing fountain structure, odds are the piece the basin will be sitting in has a hole through it for the fountain tubing. Before sealing it up, feed the power cable of the fountain pump through it and out the bottom. This cable can then be connected to your solar panel connector while concealing as much cabling as possible. Now using silicone to close up the hole under where the basin will sit to ensure the water pools at this level. Then add the basin over the fountain pump and thread the tubing upward through it. Add the remaining fountain pieces, threading the tubing through each of them as well, and then silicone off the top as well. Cut the tubing at the top when done to hide the tubing, and that's it! Your solar fountain is online.