A Waterfall for You
How big of a waterfall do you want??
Your first thought may be the bigger the better. That is the natural response for most Americans. But before you go through and make that thought a reality, you may want to consider a few things.
Pump flow----Each inch of waterfall width will require about 100gph. So a 10 ft wide waterfall will require a pump that pushes 12,000 gph!! I can see the meter spinning already! How much did you say that pump will cost??!!
Noise---The bigger a waterfall is, the more noise it will produce. If the waterfall is in your backyard and you plan on spending time there with family or friends, you do not want the waterfall to be so loud that you cannot hear others speak. But on the other hand, maybe you do need some noise in the backyard to drown out, say, the noise from the freeway behind your backyard fence.
Scale----The most natural looking waterfalls for a flat backyard are usually no more than 2-3 ft wide and no more than 2-3 ft high. If you go much higher than that you have created what I like to call a volcano. Now if you have an existing hillside to work with you can get by with a higher waterfall.
What I would suggest that you do before you build a waterfall for your yard is to do a lot of planning. Look at as many waterfalls as you can find. Look at big ones, look at small ones, look at disappearing ones, etc. If at all possible find one that is installed in a location that is similar to the one you will be building in. Sign up for some pond tours in your area to see many great ideas. You can find out about tours by attending water garden society or koi club meetings. Find some in your area and make some new friends!
Your first thought may be the bigger the better. That is the natural response for most Americans. But before you go through and make that thought a reality, you may want to consider a few things.
Pump flow----Each inch of waterfall width will require about 100gph. So a 10 ft wide waterfall will require a pump that pushes 12,000 gph!! I can see the meter spinning already! How much did you say that pump will cost??!!
Noise---The bigger a waterfall is, the more noise it will produce. If the waterfall is in your backyard and you plan on spending time there with family or friends, you do not want the waterfall to be so loud that you cannot hear others speak. But on the other hand, maybe you do need some noise in the backyard to drown out, say, the noise from the freeway behind your backyard fence.
Scale----The most natural looking waterfalls for a flat backyard are usually no more than 2-3 ft wide and no more than 2-3 ft high. If you go much higher than that you have created what I like to call a volcano. Now if you have an existing hillside to work with you can get by with a higher waterfall.
What I would suggest that you do before you build a waterfall for your yard is to do a lot of planning. Look at as many waterfalls as you can find. Look at big ones, look at small ones, look at disappearing ones, etc. If at all possible find one that is installed in a location that is similar to the one you will be building in. Sign up for some pond tours in your area to see many great ideas. You can find out about tours by attending water garden society or koi club meetings. Find some in your area and make some new friends!
posted by Jarrod Sanders @ 3:10 PM
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