You don’t have to spend a bundle on a fancy fountain for your deck or patio. Buy a few flowerpots and make one yourself in an afternoon for less than $75 instead!
The first step is assembling the tools you’ll need for this fun little task. These are an electric drill with 3/8″ masonry and conical rotary rasp bits, an 8-inch bastard file, a small submersible pump (Home Depot and eBay are good sources), about a foot of flexible tubing that will fit your submersible pump’s outlet, some extra thick clear acrylic sealer in a spray can, masking tape and a tube of marine-grade sealant adhesive.
Next, it is time to gather or purchase the following supplies, either from a gardening store or second hand at a yard sale. If you have spare pots in your shed, it will cost you a lot less than $75 to make this terra cotta deck fountain.
Here is what you need: Three terra cotta plant saucers 18-inches, 8-inches and 6-inches in diameter, and three 4 inch terra cotta plant saucers, plus two terra cotta plant pots, one 6 inch diameter pot (about 5 inches high) and one 5 inch diameter (about 4 inches high). The 6 inch pot will cover your submersible pump.
Mask the upper outside edge of the 18-inch saucer that will serve as the base for your fountain. Next, spray three coats of the extra-thick aerosol sealer on the inside of this saucer, allowing time for each coat to dry.
Use a ruler and a permanent ink marking pen to mark an “X” on the center of the bottom of the 8-inch saucer (20.5 cm) saucer. Soak the 8-inch, 6-inch and two of the 4-inch saucers in water for at least an hour.
Remove the 8-inch saucer and place it on a scrap piece of wood. Using the 3/8″ masonry drill bit, drill a hole. Use the conical rasp bit to enlarge the hole if necessary so that the plastic tubing fits through it.
Using the round bastard file, make a notch to serve as a water spout in the edge of the 8-inch saucer so that the outer edge of the notch is higher than the edge at the inner side of the saucer rim. Do the same thing to the 6-inch saucer and the 4-inch saucer not left in the water. Then file four equally-spaced notches in the upper edge of the 6-inch pot, one of which will accommodate the electrical cord.
Connect the flexible plastic tubing to the discharge outlet of your submersible pump. If getting the tubing over the outlet is too difficult, soften it under hot running water and try again. Insert the opposite end of tubing through the inverted 6-inch pot, then through the 8-inch saucer.
Place the submersible pump and the stacked pots in the 18-inch base saucer; adjust the electrical cord so it fits into the notch of the pot. The pull the flexible tubing taut and trim it to about half an inch above the saucer. Seal any gaps between tubing and saucer with bead of sealant and allow the sealant to dry and cure.
Invert the saucer with the four notches, and place it in the center of the larger saucer to hide the tubing. Stack the middle column and place in base saucer, then put an inverted, un-notched saucer in the base saucer before placing the notched 4-inch saucer on top.
Fill the base saucer with water to about half an inch below the saucer rim and plug in the pump, adjusting the position of notched saucers and the flow rate of pump as needed.
Add some pretty shells or polished rocks, put a candle, small statue or small plant on top of the tallest column to weight the unit in place, and voila-you’re done!