Retention pond fountains seem to be popping up everywhere in Greenville SC and Charlotte NC.  Fountains can create a “wow” factor to an entrance to an HOA, spraying water 20 feet in the air and beautiful lights at night.  The sound of water splashing in the background on the 9th hole of your favorite golf course seems to create a persona of wealth and prosperity.

Water has always been at the center of towns, cities, and civilization.  Bodies of water flowing symbolize the life of a city.

Has anyone ever stopped to think why the neighborhood or golf course nearby has a fountain?

Do fountains prevent algae and aquatic weeds?

How much does it cost to run every day?

Who is paying for the power bill?

For the past decade, we at Platinum Ponds & Lake Management have been asking this question every time someone has contacted us to install or repair a floating fountain on a retention pond or lake.  We have seen all different types of fountains in catalogs. We have even been contacted by manufacturers to sell their version of the “best” fountain available.

What we have found out is quite surprising.  Not all fountains are created equal.  Just because a fountain is only $899 does not mean that is comparable to Vertex or Otterbine fountain which starts at $5k.  In fact, if it is in a catalog more than likely it is a piece of junk.  Don’t believe us?  Then check out the warranty or how long the company has been in business.  

Click here to see fountain pricing.

Companies today in big box stores are constantly changing the vendors or names of product lines to avoid returns under warranties.

• We believe that every pond should use bottom aeration instead of fountains.  

To be the best steward of water possible, we do NOT sell fountains.  Why?

In a nutshell, they are 95 percent “bling” factor and do little for the ecosystem of your pond or lake. If you are interested in some facts before you rush into buying a fountain for your HOA or retention pond here they are:

• A commercial floating fountain is expensive to purchase.

The average commercial fountain starts at around $5000 and can be as expensive as $20k+ per fountain.  A manufacturer like Otterbine will give a five-year warranty with such a fountain, but the work must be performed by the manufacturer, not the dealer. If the work is performed outside of the manufacturer, you may lose your precious warranty.  They will suggest a local dealer who will have contractors to install such a fountain for you.

• A commercial floating fountain is expensive to maintain.

We talked to an HOA with million dollar homes, which had two Otterbine fountains in their 1-acre retention pond.  They told us that over the course of the past eight years they had shipped their fountains back to Florida numerous times to be fixed. In fact, while standing at the ponds edge, both fountains were both broke again.

The same story just repeated last week at a nearby college who had to wait two months before they had the fountain fixed and back in the pond running again. Who wants to get a boat, retrieve a fountain, load it in a truck, and deliver it to the distributor? The distributor ships it to the manufacturer and then have your fountain wait in line to be worked on, only to reverse the whole process again.

One thing we do not want our monthly members to be dealing with each year is us charging them for a fountain that keeps breaking.  We can not bring ourselves to selling something to members who trust us that we know will break regularly.

• A commercial floating fountain consumes too much power

The average $8000 fountain consumes $500 a month in power.  This is why they have timers. Even after just running the fountain for 6 hours a day you can expect to pay $250 per month to the power company.  So do you choose to run it during the day or at night because you upgraded the fountain with lights?

• A commercial floating fountain does NOT solve algae or aquatic weed problems.

Countless people contact us to purchase a fountain to solve their algae or aquatic weed problems. The truth is, they don’t solve the problem.  In fact, fountains can make it worse.  This is exactly what happened to the HOA with million dollar homes and two large fountains.

Floating fountains only circulate the water from the top 3 ft of water and do little for the thermocline, unless upgraded with a draft tube. Even then they can only circulate the water in a small circumference of the fountain itself.  Without proper monthly pond management, the fountain will do little for the overall ecosystem of the pond.

• A commercial floating fountain is aesthetically beautiful but does little to help with expensive sedimentation removal.

Don’t get us wrong.  We love to look at fountains. We know that elephant in your HOA or commercial property is looming sedimentation removal costs.  As stewards of your water, we are obligated to prioritize what is the most important function of your retention pond or lake.

If the typical retention pond needs sedimentation removal every 15-20 years and if the average cost to dredge a small 1-acre pond in 2015 is $50,000.  How important is a $8,000 fountain that consumes $3000 worth of power every year and does little to reduce sedimentation removal costs?  We are sorry, but we can not be good stewards of your water and sell you a fountain.

What is the secret that solves most of these problems?  

Every retention pond SHOULD use bottom aeration because of the energy and biologically efficient aeration system available.

• Bottom aeration costs only $1500 for a 1-acre pond.
• It costs less than $80 per year to maintain and can be repaired on site.
• It consumes only $14 per month in energy for a 1-acre pond.
• It helps solves excess nutrient issues to starve algae and aquatic weeds.
• It has been proven to remove up to 12 inches of muck a year from retention ponds.

Still not convinced and a commercial fountain is a waste of money?

VIDEO: Kasco Pond & Lake Fountains HD

Purchase a Large Fountain for a Lake

…here is a great link to the best & least expensive Residential fountain available on the market that we see the most in ponds at HOAs.

Purchase a Kasco Fountain for 1-2 acre pond

So if we don’t install fountains what do we do?

We believe every pond needs a steward.  Someone to protect its valuable ecosystem, plan for the future and preserve it for generations to come.

For this reason, we have built our business around a monthly membership model to give you everything you need to have a beautiful and hassle free pond.

Now serving Greenville SC, Spartanburg SC, Asheville NC, & Charlotte NC areas.

Get started. Become a member today!