Fountain Odors - Causes and Solutions

Everyone knows what water smells like when it's been left sitting too long. It's unpleasant, to say the least. So when you purchase a nice new water fountain for your business, home or garden, the last thing you want is to have the nice, relaxing experience of sitting near your fountain spoiled by a bad smell.

Bad fountain odors are generally caused by one or a combination of three things: algae, excess decaying matter and anaerobic bacteria. To keep these things from causing your fountain water to smell bad, keep these simple tips in mind:

1. Keep your pump turned on more often. Algae and anaerobic bacteria tend to proliferate when there isn't enough oxygen in the water. As your pump circulates water though the fountain, it oxygenates it, creating a healthy environment. If you leave the water in your fountain sitting for a while without turning the pump on, the oxygen is depleted, causing anaerobic bacteria in the water to release nasty smelling gases like methane, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide. Keeping your pump running isn't bad for the pump ' in fact, your pump will last longer if it runs continuously rather than constantly being turned on and off.

2. Keep the fountain clear of organic matter that could rot and release foul odors. Fallen leaves, twigs, grass clippings and other plant matter not only cause your garden fountain to look bad and run sluggishly, they release methane gas as they decompose.

3. Change the fountain water if you let it sit undisturbed for longer than a couple of days. If you run your fountain constantly, you won't need to completely change the water out as often, since the water you add to the basin to make up for evaporation helps keep the fountain water fresh.

4. Use fountain water treatments to treat and prevent the growth of algae in your fountain. Water treatments are highly economical and easy to use. Adding a few drops of anti-algae solution to your fountain water every week sure beats dealing with algae removal.

5. Clean the fountain according to manufacturer instructions whenever there is a buildup of stubborn algae growth that isn't solved by the use of water treatments (or if you haven't been using water treatments up to this point.)

6. Check the bottoms of any river rocks present in your fountain basin. Occasionally, there may be a buildup of organic matter underneath them that you haven't noticed, which can cause a bad smell. River rocks can be placed in a bowl of water with either vinegar or bleach added to get rid of algae and other buildup.

The bottom line is, keep your fountain clean and oxygenated and you won't have a problem in the first place. For more tips on fountain care, check back here with us every Wednesday or go through our fountain care archives.

Want a product that controls bacteria and sweetens the smell of your fountain water at the same time? Check out the Fountain AcScents line of fountain care products at KineticFountains.com.