If there’s already a weatherproof power point within reach of where the fountain will sit, go mains. If the nearest power is a long way off and you’re happy for the water to stop when the sun goes, go solar. The decision comes down to two facts: where the power is, and when you want to hear the water.
There’s a third option too: a plug-in low voltage pump, which sits between the other two.
The three ways to power a fountain
- Solar: a small panel (sometimes with a battery) drives the pump. No cable back to the house, no running cost, but the output follows the weather.
- Plug-in low voltage: a transformer plugs into an existing outdoor power point and sends low voltage down a cable to the pump. Steady flow, and the cable out to the feature isn’t carrying mains.
- Mains: a mains voltage pump plugged straight into an outdoor outlet. The most flow and the widest choice of pumps, and it runs whenever you switch it on.
How solar kits work inside, and why some carry a battery, is covered in our guide to what solar pumps can and can’t do. This one is about choosing between the three.
How they compare side by side
| Solar | Plug-in low voltage | Mains | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Needs an outdoor power point | No | Yes, an existing one | Yes |
| Runs at night and on grey days | Only with a battery, and only as long as it lasts | Yes | Yes |
| Flow and lift | Modest | Small to moderate | The widest range |
| Running cost | None | Small | Small, more for bigger pumps |
| Parts that wear | Pump, panel, battery if fitted | Pump, transformer | Pump |
| Where it shines | Features far from power | Courtyards and patios near the house | Bigger features and anything with fish |
Which one fits your yard?
A courtyard or patio feature next to the house
If there’s an outdoor power point on the wall already, mains or plug-in low voltage is the easy answer. You get water moving in the evening when you’re outside with a drink.
A birdbath or bubbler down the back of the block
This is solar’s home ground. Running power fifteen or twenty metres down a yard means trenching and a new outlet, and all that effort buys you a birdbath that runs after dark when the birds are asleep anyway. Put the panel where it gets clear midday sun and let it run when the sun’s up.
You rent, or you’re not staying long
Solar or plug-in low voltage, because neither needs new fixed wiring. Both come with you when you move. Any new outdoor outlet is a change to the property, so it needs the owner’s say-so as well as an electrician.
A shaded garden under big trees
Skip solar. A panel that sits in dappled shade for most of the day will leave the pump stuttering, and there’s rarely a clear spot nearby to move it to. Mains or low voltage will give you the flow the shade can’t.
A pond with fish, or water that runs through a filter
Mains. Fish and filters need the water moving around the clock, and a solar pump stops when the sun does. Our guide to choosing and placing garden water features covers the difference between a self-contained fountain and a pond-fed one if you’re unsure which you’ve got.
What does each cost you over the years?
Solar looks cheapest because there’s no power bill, and for a small feature that’s genuinely true. The catch is the parts. A solar kit adds a panel, and often a battery, to the list of things that can wear out. The battery is a consumable: it holds less charge as it ages and eventually needs replacing, which a mains pump never asks of you.
Mains costs a little to run, more with a bigger pump, and a small fountain pump on a timer is a modest line on the bill. The big cost is up front, and only if you don’t have an outdoor outlet. If an outlet is already there, that up-front cost disappears.
Low voltage lands in between. It has a small running cost like mains, plus a transformer that can fail, but nothing on the panel-and-battery list.
Where the electrician comes into it
A solar kit, or a low voltage pump plugged into a power point you already have, is something you can set up yourself. Installing a new outdoor power point, or running fixed mains wiring out into the garden, is licensed electrical work in Australia. That’s a job for a licensed electrician, and the rules are set by the electrical safety regulator in your state or territory. Check with them if you’re unsure where the line sits. Don’t run an extension lead out a window to a pump sitting in water.
So which one?
- Go solar if: the feature is far from power, it’s small and decorative, it gets clear midday sun, and you don’t mind it going quiet in the evening.
- Go plug-in low voltage if: there’s an outdoor outlet nearby and you want reliable flow in a courtyard, on a patio or in shade, without mains cable running through the garden.
- Go mains if: the feature is bigger, lifts water any real height or has fish or a filter, and you have or will pay for a proper outdoor outlet.
If you’re still sketching out the whole garden, start with our overview of water in the Australian garden and come back to the fountain once you know where everything else is going.