Dry Water Fountain

DGotlieb

Active Member
Has any one made a convincing looking decorative water fountain with out any actual water?

I am hoping for something like this, with out the sound or risk of water spilling as it's on a moving wagon, also not dragging power cables or complex battery.

1582059464754.png
 
Clear acrylic rod and a heat gun can be your friend.
 
I would take a look at some of the model railroad people on Youtube. I've seen some nice waterfall methods that could likely be adapted. Luke Towan has done some, IIRC.
 
Maybe if you melt dry ice you can get some dry water? :whistle:

More seriously, perhaps a lighting effect to simulate reflections off the surface of the water onto the wall behind the non-fountain would be more (or at least equally) effective as finding some material to make static water cascading down...or at least let one simplify the water streams to be something less than perfectly realistic, perhaps something put together out of fiberglass (and a nice transparent resin/epoxy) for instance.
 
Has anyone done this and think it is worth it vs just having a real fountain?
The director wants a real fountain, I think doing something like bent acrylic rods would read just as well from 30' while being much easier to deal with on a moving wagon for 3 weeks.
 
If the Dir. wants water do one like the picture. run it off a 12 volt battery and an inverter. The pumps in those things pull almost no amperage. Stick a switch on the back of a flat and whoever sets and strikes the piece is responsible for turning it off and on.
If you are worried about splash, get some aluminum window screen and set it in the bowl just above the water level. If you are worried about slosh, cut a 1/2"-3/4" wide strip of acrylic to fit the inside edge of the bowl and epoxy it in place just below the lip of the bowl.
 
Has anyone done this and think it is worth it vs just having a real fountain?
The director wants a real fountain, I think doing something like bent acrylic rods would read just as well from 30' while being much easier to deal with on a moving wagon for 3 weeks.
@DGotlieb How much water and for how long? ( 1 gallon for 3 minutes Vs. 10 gallons for 30 minutes equates to a huge difference in volume to store, volume drained to collect / contain as well as weight to roll about.)

Here's where my thoughts are going; I've used this several times for a kitchen sink on a rolling set piece.
Bladder tanks, sort of an accumulator for water rather than high pressure hydraulics.

Adjust the air pressure behind the bladder to suit.
Fill with water from your nearest hose bib / mop or paint sink. Use snap together garden hose couplings with internal stops to prevent leakage when not coupled.
Drain water into a 5 gallon paint bucket with a layer of old rags in the bottom to minimize noise.

In the case of the kitchen sinks I dealt with, I replaced all gaskets and O-rings for an air tight seal to prevent loss of pressure. In one case, the unit was part of a cooking show set and the bladder tank had to provide enough water to prep' all of the recipes.

The second time the sink was in the set of a homeowner's kitchen and required far less water.

In both cases, a shelf was installed under the sink to place the bladder tank as high / close to the sink as possible to minimize how far 'up hill' the bladder tank needed to force the water. Water's heavy when it comes to using bladder tanks to push it up hill.

In my area of Canada, bladder tanks and all associated fittings were stock items in Home Depot. A light coating of Vaseline kept the hose couplers air-tight.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
 
Your production is probably long over by now. But if you couldn't get away with real running water. You could try thin mylar strips hit from below by a small fan. This video isn't the best, but you can see this being used with the water spraying out of the barrel.
To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.
 
Last edited:
I may as well chime in way too late here as well.
I’ve always found localized sound effects to be a great way at really selling a visual effect. Flowing water makes noise. Throw a little powered speaker into the fountain (battery + wireless receiver if on a wagon) and the effect becomes far more believable.
But don’t overdo it. Subtlety is your friend.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back