Ponds, waterfall fountains and other outdoor water features can be attractive additions, but their overwhelming size can sometimes take over a design. Create something more delicate with a disappearing stone stack waterfall. This charming water element fits nicely in a small corner of the yard, including a magical note to your flower garden or a very small touch of relaxation to some oasis corner of the yard.
Dig a hole at the yard that just fits with a plastic wash tub, so the rim of the tub is level with the ground once the tub is inserted into the hole. Place the wash tub in the hole when you have finished digging.
Attach a 6-foot period of vinyl tubing to your fountain. Place the pump at the middle of the wash tub and track the cord toward the nearest electrical socket.
Thread the tube through the middle of a slice of plastic grate that’s big enough to cover the entire hole and stretch 2 or 3 inches on every side. Place the grate on top of the hole, covering about half of this opening. Lay the tubing in addition to the grate.
Fill the wash tub with water. Plug the cord into a GFCI safety socket and turn on the fountain. Hold the end of the tube above the grate to gauge how high the water will spout. Adjust the dial on the pump to make the water pressure higher or lower until the water spouts about 2 inches in the upright tube. Unplug the fountain whenever you’re content with the water pressure.
Move the grate until it completely covers the hole, with an even amount of overhang on every side. Make a stack of the largest rocks in the middle of the grate, developing a solid small hill made from rocks with the tube sticking up through the center. Make the stack about 12 inches tall.
Pull the tube through till the end sticks up about 1 inch in the rock pile. Secure the tubing into the stones with silicone sealant. Permit the sealant to dry for at least 30 minutes, or the length of time stated on the sealant package.
Pile a selection of rounded river stones around the huge rock pile to completely cover and camouflage the plastic grate. Trickle the stones to the surrounding region so it only looks like a stack of stones at the yard.
Plug the cord back in the socket to permit the water to trickle down the rock pile to disappear through the stones below and into the wash tub.