The Bubbling Rock (aka Granite Sphere Water Fountain)

We have always wanted some sort of water feature in our back yard. We like the sound of water flowing. A pond is a lot of work and responsibility. So we decided on a water fountain. We really wanted an old millstone water fountain.

Terri started to look at fountains at the local nurseries. This is our usual modus operandi. She does the leg work and finds something she likes and something she thinks I might like. Then I look to see if its practical and within a reasonable price. She found a nice looking granite sphere at Troy's Landscape Supply, a local nursery. They quoted a price of $500 plus $100 delivery. We checked out alternatives at Faddegons Nursery, a local nursery with a great reputation. Years ago, Terri's Dad knew the owner and they always delivered top quality products and services. They had a good selection of fountains but nothing like the granite fountain we were looking for.

We went back to Troy's to look at the fountain. We really liked the granite sphere. As we stood looking at it, a Troy employee came over to answer questions. As we discussed the fountain with him, Judy, a Fraternity Brother's wife, stopped by to chat, so we told the Troy guy that we would defer our decision. After a 15 minute chat, Judy left and another Troy guy stopped by to ask about the fountain. He offered a $200 price AS IS plus $100 delivery. We accepted!

A few days later they delivered the fountain. I built a carriage to hold the sphere. Troy's had a forklift on the truck and placed it on the carriage, about 8 feet from the final location. The AS IS fountain had a 3x3 ft container, an 18" granite sphere and no pump (AS IS!). I created a spreadsheet to compute the weight and was surprised that it weighs almost 300 lbs!

Take a look at the project as it progresses.

The 300 lb granite sphere. The granite has a 1 5/8 in hole.

The 1 ton engine hoist.

The wooden cradle. I built this to hold the granite off the ground.

The 40 gallon water container. This is the Small AquaBasin from Aquascape. The specs say it holds 300 lb. I found a local dealer at their web site.

lifting the granite. Fortunately, the chain fit through the hole in the granite.

Lining up the granite over the hole in the water container.

The granite in place on the water container.

The pump is hooked up and working. I bought the Tetra 330 GPH Statuary Pump at Lowes. I connected 1/2" ID braided vinyl pipe to the pump and fed it through the hole in the granite. To seal the bottom of the hole, I drilled a 3/4" hole in a rubber stopper and fed the pipe through it. Since the 1/2" was smaller than the 1 5/8" hole, I cut a small piece of 1" ID braided vinyl and placed it over the end of the smaller piece. This helped hold the inner pipe vertical.

A view of the finished fountain. The stones are #2 round. Although I only needed 7 cu ft, I had to buy 1 cu yd in order to have it delivered. The dampness is formed by the splashing water.

A view of the finished fountain from above.