Landscaping

Looking After Your Water Fountain Pump

An indoor water pump does require different maintenance than what you need for an outdoor water pump. For instance, your outdoor fountain pumps are more prone to become clogged with leaves etc that has been blown into your fountain by the wind.

If looked after appropriately, your fountain pump should last at least a year, if not 3 to 5 years. Keeping the pump running as much as possible can help to extend its life. Your water will also stay cleaner when you pump is working. Water that is not moving, stagnating, will develop more debris and buildup a lot faster than if it is kept moving.

Your filter inside your pump will start to develop a build up of debris as it filters the water passing through it. To clean the pump completely, take it out of the water fountain and clean away any debris or build-up with a cloth. Open the cover and wipe down the inside of the pump, too. Any places that are hard-to-reach can be cleaned out with an old tooth brush. Just a few minutes of pump upkeep will keep your fountain running smoothly and wonderfully for a very long time to come.

Using Outdoor Fountain Cleaners

For outdoor fountains Fountain Cleaners or Birdbath Cleaners work excellent since they are won’t harm the local wildlife and it is not always possible to get distilled water for the bigger outdoor fountains. Making use of a fountain care product will help to avoid white scale and algae build up that occurs due to the minerals in the water & hard water.

Copper Outdoor Water Fountains

You will find that most of the water fountains made from copper will be either manufactured from natural copper or they’ll have a clear or powder coat applied over the copper. All surfaces of the copper that is finished with a clear or powder coat a clear heat baked finish will then be applied. The powder coat secures the beautiful patina, and enables the copper to preserve its “New” & shiny appearance throughout the years.

Copper Cleaning Products should never be used on copper that has a powder coat finish. If you use a copper cleaning product on copper that has a powder coat finish it will remove the powder coat finish and then your fountain will start to show ageing faster. You can easily clean the copper with many home furniture cleaners and a soft sponge or cloth.

White spots (white scale) on your copper can be cleaned off with some Calcium Lime Remover (CLR). With outdoor water fountains a powder coating on copper does not totally stop the copper ageing process, but it does slow it down. Over time, the powder finish will come off the copper & this will allow the copper to oxidize naturally. The time it takes for the oxidization to start depends on the climate where you live.

You will need to be careful not to let any water rest on the copper for an extended period of time. To minimize the chance of this all outdoor fountains have a splash guard built in.

Stainless-Steel Outdoor Fountains

Taking care of stainless steel on an outdoor fountain is really easy to do as they virtually require no maintenance. Stainless Steel does not age the same way that copper does and has an exceptional resistance to rust. Due to the fact that stainless-steel is a smooth surface it is harder for any bacteria to be able to settle on it.

Do not use a harsh abrasive cleaner or any abrasive sponges or other abrasive cleansing products on your stainless-steel. Never use a disinfectant such as bleach or anything containing bleach on your stainless-steel either as it could gnaw at the stainless-steel. If you begin to see white scale build up on your fountain then using products such as No More White Scale can help.

I really hope you got some useful information for the best way to look after your outdoor water fountain.

Landscape design as well as landscape layout goes beyond simply producing stunning styles. As a specialist designer, it’s not just my task to develop styles but also to imagine every opportunity of the mature landscape in the later years.

And while many components will stay exactly what they are for several years ahead, the one point that many do it yourselfers and also some specialists ignore is the room that small little sprouts will occupy when they end up being fully grown plants and also trees.

Trees offer a variety of apparent objectives in the landscape. Creating colour, wind blocks, fencing and edging, noise reduction, as well as focal points are simply a few of them. Once I have established where I’ll require trees for these objectives in a design, I have a number of other factors to consider before I could plant them in their long-term home.

Planting them without thinking about the actual space that the fully grown plants and trees will occupy can be not only unsightly and inconvenient but it can also become expensive if they need removing or cutting back.

Some ideas to think about before planting your trees.

Shading For Children’s Play Areas

You might be thinking of having a nice shaded cover over your children’s play areas, sand boxes, etc. to protect them from the mid-day sun. However, you have to think about the amount of mess that the birds as well as other animals will drop right into your child’s play area if the trees cover extends over it.

One solution to this would be to put trees which will create a large shade away from the play area but in line with the rising of the sun. If you know your trees and how far the fully grown canopy will extend, you can still get the shade onto the area without exposing it to unhygienic conditions.

Planting Trees Around Ponds And Pools

Keeping a pond or a pool tidy is hard enough without a having to deal with the mess of fallen leaves and branches. And also while most pool areas are warm places, it is often preferable to have an area near the swimming pool where you can sit in the shade.

Unlike your children’s play area however, you might not want to shade the entire pool area from the afternoon sun. Consequently you should not grow large shade trees in direct line with the travel of the sun. It would be better to design it so as to create a shaded area to one side of the pool or the other. This is also another area where you will want to eliminate top rooting trees around concrete. Around ponds and pools Evergreen trees are usually your best bet

Concrete Foundations, Footings And Tree Roots

While infrequent deep watering rather than constant shallow watering will help to deter top rooting trees, some trees will still be determined to look for other sources of water, such as moist areas under structures.

The roots of big trees are a so powerful that they can quite easily lift up flagstones, damage paths and the foundations on buildings, as well as lift walls out of place, making them structurally unsafe. This is the one of the biggest and also the most costly error I see regularly. Before planting a tree near your property you need to know how it will grow in the future, above and below the soil.

Underground and Over Head Utilities And Power Lines

You need to be aware of what is overhead prior to planting a tall growing trees so that it will not eventually grow into overhead power lines.

You also need to be aware of underground utilities, such as sewers, and septic tanks
Know what’s overhead. Apart from the fact that the roots can break pipes and lines, you don’t want to have to move or destroy a mature tree to fix a leak. Prior to planning where to plant your tree locate any sewers and lines and plant away from them. Some trees will spread their roots out much further underground than their branches will do up top.

What Is The Viewpoint

You have to look at the mature size of trees in proportion to the size of your home and the other aspects of your landscape design. If you have a little house it would be overshadowed by large trees, whereas small trees would look like bushes if they were planted around a huge house.

Are You Looking To Conceal Or Framing Your Home.

Prior to planting you need to take a look at the view from the road and various other areas, and then think about the objective of your trees. If you are wanting to seclude your house, then you don’t need put a lot of thought into it. However, if you are looking to frame your house, then again you need to consider what is the fully grown size as well as the positioning of your trees.

Effectiveness And Also Value For Money

If you are going to make an investment in landscaping your garden, then you need to look for ways that it will benefit you for years to come. When positioned correctly, large trees can shade your house as well as help to reduce your heating costs as well as vice versa. You can purposefully create shaded areas in your garden, segment your garden, minimise noise and a lot more, if you spend the time to give it some thought.

For more information on Landscaping with trees contact George Gammon Tree Services UK Tree Surgeons Leeds

The Best Way To Maintain Your Outdoor Fountain