Stone Forest How-To │ Fountain Maintenance

Photo by: Serquis & Associates Landscape Architecture

Weekly or Regularly

• Check to make sure the basin has enough water. Fountain pumps will "speak" to you when the water is running low. Another sign of low water levels is small air bubbles forming at the top of the fountain. It means that your pump is sucking in air and not water. As a general rule, most of our fountains lose 2 gallons of water a week to evaporation in our Santa Fe, New Mexico climate.
• Check that there isn't debris accumulating on rocks around your fountain. As debris breaks down, it easily falls down into the reservoir where it can clog your pump and shorten its lifespan.
•  Add water treatment chemicals as necessary. We offer two wildlife safe products for preventative water treatment, one for algae and another for mineral deposits in the water (hard water). Follow manufacturer’s instructions on amount and frequency of use on each of these products.

Annually

• If your fountain needs cleaning, unplug or turn off the pump. Take a stiff brush and some soapy water and clean all of the surfaces. Polished surfaces can be scraped (carefully) with a razor blade to remove any stuck-on calcium or minerals. On rougher areas you can use a wire brush to remove calcium that's hardened to the stone.
• If sediment has built up in your fountain basin, you can use a wet/ dry shop vacuum to clear out sediment and remaining water. Rinse the basin once more and refill. Plug your pump back in and you’re ready to enjoy! We'd recommend doing this at least once yearly.   
• If you plan to run your pump through the winter just be sure the entire basin doesn't freeze. You can read our full guide on winterizing your fountain here.

You can download these instructions in PDF format here.