Sitting in my open space of home one day I decided that the calm, bubbling white noise from a water feature is just what I needed when relaxing after a long day of work. But water features are just so… overdone. A fake rock or a fake pot or a fake animal mouth that spills water gracefully into a cheesy bucket where you can usually see a tube that carries the water back up to the top.
Honestly… this type of stuff is just not for me.
So, I decided to create a pondless water feature instead… one that actually looks real. And built-in. And like it took you way longer than a few hours. Yep… that’s right. You can build this in a few hours… with very little DIY skills or know-how.
What’s so interesting about this particular design is that the basin is “invisible” so it looks like water from the fountain is just seeping into the ground. How the heck does that work? How you can build this easy and super cool pondless water feature in literally just one afternoon!
A pondless water feature is a really easy DIY project that will add a lot of peacefulness to your backyard landscaping or curb appeal to your front yard. It can also be a pretty cool visual effect, as the water will disappear into your base.
Pondless water features have like ten different names… but most commonly people call them disappearing, pondless, or invisible fountains (water features, waterfalls, bubblers, etc etc).
A Pondless Waterfall is simply a re-circulating waterfall or stream without the presence of a pond. Pondless waterfalls work by pumping water contained in a large, in-ground reservoir up and through the Waterfall Spillway, allowing the water to flow back down into the reservoir. This simple recirculation system requires very little maintenance, is easy to install, and ideal for families with young children or pets that love to play in water.
Enjoy the beauty and soothing sounds of a pondless waterfall from any location in your yard. Tuck a small waterfall near the front entrance of your home to greet visitors, or delight in a longer waterfall in the backyard where you can incorporate interesting twists and turns.
Why choose a pondless water feature?
Well there’s a few reasons why you may want this type of fountain:
It’s a great option if you have a limited amount of space.
You like to be different and you like cool things .
It’s more eco-friendly than a traditional fountain (requires less water due to less evaporation).
You have children or pets that you don’t want to worry about falling into the pond, destroying the pond, jumping into the pond, etc.
You don’t want the extra maintenance of having water plants or fish in your fountain.
Because I said it was easy to make.
How to build a pondless fountain
1- Dig a hole to fit Pot Dig a hole to fit your Pot. I actually built my fountain inside a raised garden bed, which worked out great…. A lot less digging. But, you can put this anywhere. Just make sure that you bury the basin but keep the top of the basin level with the ground so that you can set the grill on top at exactly ground level.
2- Place Pot in the holePut your pot into the hole and backfill the outside to make sure it’s nice and secure.
3- Assemble the pumpAssemble your pump and place it at the bottom of the basin. An electric pump will have a wire that you’ll need to plug into an outlet. A solar pump will have a solar panel attached to a wire that you’ll need to set in a really sunny location (solar does not mean wireless)
You’ll also need to connect the pump to the top of your fountain using pipe or rubber tubing. Be sure to read the specs on your pump so that you know what size tubing you’ll need. Also, measure the distance from the bottom of your basin to the top of the fountain so you know the length of tubing you’ll need.
4- Cover pump with cloth and anchor to bottom of basincover the pump with a mesh food tent to screen debris Set the mesh screen food cover tent over your pump, and then place some rocks/stones along the edges to hold the mesh down so it doesn’t float away when you fill the basin with water. If you don’t have a food cloche you can also wrap the pump in cheesecloth to keep out the debris.
Like I said, this is an optional step but it seems to make a lot of sense and will keep any debris from getting into your pump and causing it to clog up.
5- Place metal grate on top of basin level with the groundGrate for pondless water feature Set your grate on top of the basin and dirt. Make sure it overlaps the edge of the basin so that any rocks or other items you place around the fountain won’t fall in.
6- Cover the grate with hardware cloth Once your grill is in place, cover the grate with the hardware cloth.
This is basically chicken wire, and adds an extra layer of support for any rocks. Since the hardware cloth has really small gaps between the wires, you won’t have to worry about smaller rocks falling through the grate.
7- Cut a trap door into the hardware cloth for servicing the pumpcut a trap in the hardware cloth to remove the pump An additional optional step you can take at this time is to cut a “trap” into the hardware cloth.
By measuring my pump and cutting 3 sides of a rectangle into the hardware cloth to create an opening I can put my hand into. I then folded the cloth back down.
If I ever need to access my pump I know that I can reach it through this hole without having to take the entire fountain apart. Why would I access the pump? To fix a clog, to service or clean the pump or to bring the pump inside for winter are a few reasons I use it.
Make sure you remember where the hole is. Yeah, that’s pretty obvious right? But… after this is all set up, it’s pretty easy to forget where it is so I’m going to say it anyway.
8- Make the pump easy to access in the futureMake it easy to access the trap in the future. That means you need to place your stones carefully around the trap so it’s covered . Trust me… this will save you a lot of trouble when have to replace the pump if it wears out from you running this every day of your life because it’s so awesome. ?
Use the garden staples to secure the hardware cloth to the ground so it won’t slide around.
9- Bury edges of screen with soilCover the edges of the hardware cloth and grill with dirt. Really all we’re doing here is camouflaging the edges of the hardware cloth and grate so that you can’t see them.
10- Add rocks to the screen area above the basinCover hardware cloth with rocks Place decorative rocks or other objects onto the hardware mesh/grill area that is above the basin.
11- Fill your basin with waterThis is a pretty self explanatory step. Here we will fill the basin with water. Fill the water all the way to the top. The water won’t stay in here forever… some may evaporate over time (although it will stay a lot longer than an above-ground water feature). Be sure to check the water level every so often and refill your basin as needed. If you let the water level get below the pump, you can permanently damage the pump.
12 – Turn on & enjoyTurn on your pump & enjoy! Make sure you check the water level of your basin from time to time so that you don’t burn out the pump.
Since the water is underground, you are less likely to have evaporation so you shouldn’t have to fill the basin up too often.
A Pondless Waterfall is, without a doubt, the most beautiful and sought-after landscape water feature. If space is limited in your yard, consider adding an Waterfall to enjoy the soothing sounds of running water.
A waterfall can be soft and serene in the form of a babbling brook, or it can be more dramatic with a longer drop. Available in a variety of sizes and configurations, the Pondless Waterfall is a great option for both small and large outdoor spaces.
Waterfalls are extremely low maintenance, energy efficient, and attract a variety of wildlife. Children love exploring nature in and around the waterfall. Whether you add a waterfall to your front or backyard, be sure to locate it near a window so the melodious sounds can be enjoyed from inside your home, too!