Why You Should Use Distilled Water in Your Wall Fountain or Table Top Water Features

In Office Floor to Ceiling Water Wall

If you have a wall mounted Water Wall or Floor Water Wall or even a tabletop water fountain in your office or home then you may want to use distilled water. Right now you're asking......Why should you use distilled water? 

Water feature such as water fountains and floor fountains as a rule are usually not considered sources of drinking water. Wouldn't be cheaper to use tap water? Besides, what purpose would using distilled water serve?

Main reason we recommend distilled water it can help to keep mineral deposits from developing inside the water features. Mineral deposit scale can develop and form over time thus causing your fountain to look dirty,also make your beautiful fountain ugly. These deposits can also affect the performance of the pump that recirculates the water. Because the pump has to work harder than normal, you may have to replace the pump sooner than you think.

Distilled water is much cleaner than tap or hose water. Using this superior quality water can stop mineral deposits from forming inside water features. Distilled water is free from chemicals and pollutants that are in regular tap water source. 

Tap water contains hard water deposits, mineral deposits and calcium that are difficult to remove from water feature once they are developing. It’s best to not even use tap water if a distilled alternative is available. 

Distilled water is water than has been treated through a process of distillation. This process removes most of the impurities. Distilling water involves first boiling the water and then condensing the steam into a perfectly clean container. Most of the solids will be left behind. You can find distilled water from the local supermarket or you can invest in a filtration device. Note that not all water filters actually use a comprehensive process of distillation. Some will only clean the water but still leave in various impurities like fluoride, organic compounds and other chemicals.

If your pets occasionally drink from a water feature then this is another reason to use only distilled water. To avoid extra maintenance and to keep your house safer, make sure your water features use pure and distilled water as a source. There are a few products that also help control algae and scale build Fountec and Protec are great products for controlling and preventing both problems. 

Fountec's organic polymers keep fountain and statuary water cleaner, clearer, and algae-free without chlorine and laborious scrubbing. This EPA registered product utilizes a unique control mechanism to kill and inhibit algae without harming the environment. Unaffected by heat, sunlight and evaporation, Fountec also outlasts and outperforms copper, enzyme and quat based products. A small dose of Fountec lasts up to a week or more and is very economical due to its concentrated formula. While we don't recommend your fountain as a drinking source for pets, the fact remains that it is hard to keep pets from drinking from it.

However, as long as the product is used according to directions, it will not harm your pets. As with all chemicals, we recommend that you keep them out of reach of children and pets.

Weekly Fountec use also prevents mosquito landings! Fountec is not only a powerful algaecide and clarifier, it is also a surfactant that breaks water tension. Due to the natural effect of Fountec's polymers on water tension, it is an excellent deterrent for control of mosquitoes, flies, and wasps in fountains, water gardens and birdbaths.

Features

• Keeps water always clean, clear and algae-free
• Recommended dosage: one drop per gallon of water per week- very economical
• Kills and inhibits all types of algae growth in all types of waters
• Fast acting
• No chlorine needed

Protec Water Fountain Treatment is powerful, dual-action formula of Protec makes it very easy to maintain the beauty of water statuary surfaces. Protec contains a unique blend of advanced organophosphates for superior protection against both white calcium mineral buildup and metallic stains. Protec will prevent and remove existing mineral deposits and metal stains on all types of fountain and statuary surfaces. This product will also help prevent pump damage due to hard water buildup. Protec treated water is safe for birds, plants, and animals.

Features

• Safe for all types of fountain surfaces
• Recommended dosage: one drop per gallon of water per month- very economical
• Keeps water surfaces continuously clean and looking new
• Prevents and removes white calcium buildup
• Protects pump
• Protec eliminates the need for using distilled water in your fountain - it removes the mineral deposits from tap water

10 Fountain Care Tips:

1. Use water treatment once a week.

This is actually the most important step if you want to keep the water clean and healthy. Using this special treatment can kill off algae, scale and rid the water of mineral deposits. Remember that these microscopic pests can damage your finish.

2. Add water to outdoor water fountains daily or weekly depending on evaporation rate.  

Your fountain cannot function without fresh water. You must maintain the proper water capacity in order to prevent the pump from burning out or suffering other damage. Check the water level daily. Be sure that the surface is always above the pump. A good standard to work from is to keep the water surface an inch below the basin’s rim.

3. Keep the pump clean from debris.

Clean the pump piece regularly and thoroughly. This will prevent all sorts of debris from compromising the performance; from pet dander to dust to airborne pollutants.

4. Replace the water of your outdoor water fountain once a month.

You must replace the water completely once a month in order to protect the fountain from dust and other deposits and impurities. Ignore this step and the fountain may start to smell sour.

5. Clean the outdoor fountain itself once every three months.

This means disassembling the parts and giving careful attention to each piece. The manufacturer’s standard is a full cleaning once every three months. Scrub the inside and the outside but only use cleaning supplies that will be gentle to the finish.

6. Read the manufacturer’s notice for additional maintenance directions.

Not all fountains are created the same and some require special attention.

7. Do not add any foreign substances to outdoor fountains.

Be careful about adding any foreign substances to the fountain water. Foreign substances, harmless to you, could still potentially affect the pump, the finish or even the inner workings of the fountain.

8. Winterize your outdoor water fountains.

In order to avoid cracking, drain your fountain in the winter and take out the pump. Cover the basin with absorbent materials or a fountain cover.

9. Get rid of accumulating trash.

Debris like leaves, branches, mulch and other natural or unnatural materials can affect the performance of the pump. Even organic materials can release bacteria into the water and this will cause some smelly side effects.

10. Do not let water splash indoors.

Try and keep the surface level at just the right place—about an inch from the basin rim. Splashing water from outdoor water fountains can damage some surfaces like wood and tile. In fact, waterfalls and heavy splashing outdoor fountains are not recommended for interiors.


Safety tip for the month....... 

NEVER LET THE FOUNTAIN RUN DRY!! Lack of water will burn out the pump.

Until next time............  Mark "Koiman" Lawson