What causes leaks to garden fountains, and how to fix them up

If the fountain seems to be the culprit i.e. the drop in water level ceases when the fountain is turned off, then keep it turned off in windy weather, turned down or get a more suitable fountain.

A gushing foam fountain with light in the garden Mother Earth by Ian Taylor at the Chelsea Flower Show 2001. This sort of fountain jet is less affect by wind and makes and excellent oxygenator by sucking in air into water as it rises in the tube. It does need a much more powerful pump than your traditional sprinkly type of fountain jet.

CLUES:- Obvious clues to fountain leaks are damp patches on the pool edging and fountain spray blowing in the face when standing upwind of the fountain. Fine 'sprinkly' types of fountains and bell or mushroom fountains are the most easily effected, but a very high jet or fall from an ornament are just as liable to be affected.

Also, just because the fountain seems to be protected from the wind on all four sides in a courtyard style of setting, remember that peculiar eddies can be created around buildings and over walls where the wind speed is accelerated far beyond the gentle puffs of the open environment. These may be short-lived but can occur at regular intervals.

If the pool is small and contains a large fountain ornament, apart from sprays and splashes then evaporation is something to bear in mind

CURES:- A fountain may need to be left on in order to oxygenate an over populated pool. If it is windy, the flow of air over the pool surface will be an added aid to oxygenating the pool. Therefore reducing the height of the spray will not have such a detrimental effect.

Another emergency remedy is to remove the existing fountain jet and have the water emerging straight from the regulator on the submersible pump just below water level. This will create a certain amount of gushing effect that will mix in a bit of air with the water as the stream of water breaks the water surface producing quite effective oxygenation.

Next, think in terms of obtaining a jet for your pump that is less affected by wind. Get wider holes in the jet or consider a gushing 'Foam jet'. With the latter, the moving water, as it passes through the jet, sucks in air through holes in the body of the jet. This makes the water white and looking supposedly like a natural geyser. This sort of jet is generally needs a more powerful pump to make it effective. So check that the pump and jet are compatible.