How to Make a Water Fountain From a Wash Tub & a Sprinkler

Imagine a boring pile of stones in your yard that suddenly springs to life. Jets of water leap out and fall back to earth with no apparent source for the streams. This delightful design is known as a disappearing fountain, and it can take many forms as backyard design elements. While they may look complicated, disappearing fountains are among the simplest of homeowner improvements, and can be created using improvised recycled yard equipment.


Dig a hole the size of the galvanized tub. It should be deep enough to allow the lip of the tub to just reach the top of the hole. Place the wash tub in the hole.


Attach a male hose connector to the end of the vinyl tubing that comes with a fountain pump. Push the fitting into the hose, then slip the clamp over the end and tighten it with a screwdriver.


Push the other end of the tubing through the middle of a grate, and attach it to the fountain pump. Place the pump in the bottom of the washtub, and allow the power cord to trail upward and out the edge of the hole.


Cover the hole with the grate. Attach a sprinkler to the hose coupling and place it in the middle of the grate. Adjust the sprinkler to static mode to avoid the water spraying in many different directions.


Pour water into the tub until it's three-quarters full. Cover the grate and sprinkler with smooth stones, piling the stones up around the sprinkler until the water jets barely peek through. Extend the stone pile past the edge of the grates to camouflage it and give the pile a more natural look.


Plug the power cord into a GFCI certified outlet, for safety. The water will circulate through the pump and out of the sprinkler head, fall to the stones and recycle through the pump again.