Keeping Your Landscape Fountain Tidy
Keeping Your Landscape Fountain Tidy
Water fountains will last a long time with routine cleaning and maintenance. It is easy for foreign items to find their way into open-air fountains, so keeping it clean is essential. Another factor is that water that is subjected to sunlight is prone to growing algae. Stir hydrogen peroxide, sea salt, or vinegar into the water to avoid this particular dilemma. There are those who choose to use bleach, but that is hazardous to any animals that might drink or bathe in the water - so should therefore be avoided. An extensive cleaning every 3-4 months is ideal for garden fountains. Before you can start cleaning it you need to drain out all of the water. Then use mild soap and a soft sponge to clean the interior of the reservoir. A good tip is to use a toothbrush if there are tiny hard-to-reach spots. Do not leave any soap residue inside of or on the fountain.
Calcium and fresh water organisms could get inside the pump, so you should really disassemble it to get it truly clean. To make it less challenging, soak it in vinegar overnight before cleaning. If you want to minimize build-up in your fountain, use rain water or mineral water versus tap water, as these don’t contain any ingredients that will stick to the inside of the pump.
Finally, be sure to have a quick look at your fountain daily and add water if you see that the level is too low. Permitting the water level to get too low can cause damage to the pump - and you certainly don't want that!
The History of Wall Fountains
The History of Wall Fountains Pope Nicholas V, himself a learned man, governed the Roman Catholic Church from 1397 to 1455 during which time he commissioned many translations of ancient classic Greek texts into Latin.
It was important for him to beautify the city of Rome to make it worthy of being called the capital of the Christian world. Starting in 1453, the ruined ancient Roman aqueduct known as the Aqua Vergine which had brought fresh drinking water into the city from eight miles away, underwent restoration at the bidding of the Pope. A mostra, a monumental commemorative fountain built by ancient Romans to mark the point of arrival of an aqueduct, was a custom which was restored by Nicholas V. The architect Leon Battista Alberti was directed by the Pope to put up a wall fountain where we now find the Trevi Fountain. The aqueduct he had refurbished included modifications and extensions which eventually allowed it to supply water to the Trevi Fountain as well as the famed baroque fountains in the Piazza del Popolo and the Piazza Navona.
The Outdoor Fountains
The Outdoor Fountains Water fountains were initially practical in purpose, used to bring water from rivers or springs to towns and hamlets, supplying the inhabitants with clean water to drink, bathe, and cook with. A source of water higher in elevation than the fountain was necessary to pressurize the flow and send water spraying from the fountain's spout, a system without equal until the later half of the nineteenth century. Fountains throughout history have been created as monuments, impressing local citizens and visitors alike. If you saw the earliest fountains, you would not recognize them as fountains. The very first recognized water fountain was a stone basin created that served as a container for drinking water and ceremonial functions. Stone basins are believed to have been 1st used around 2000 BC. The first civilizations that used fountains relied on gravity to drive water through spigots. The location of the fountains was influenced by the water source, which is why you’ll commonly find them along aqueducts, waterways, or rivers. Fountains with ornate decoration began to show up in Rome in approx. 6 B.C., usually gods and creatures, made with natural stone or bronze. The City of Rome had an intricate system of aqueducts that furnished the water for the numerous fountains that were situated throughout the city.