In this article, we will take a closer look at some elegant and simple way to add a relaxing waterfall to your home. Make this easy-to-build DIY Japanese bamboo water fountain. This article will show homeowners how to build the sluice in a single day, and it will also teach people how to build a small but effective pond to catch all the water. The tools required are:
Utility knife
Hand maul
Jigsaw
Hammer
Driver or Drill – cordless
Hacksaw
4-foot level
You will also need:
Sand
Pond liner
Pump
2-inch PVC pipe
Pinch valve
Drywall screws
Plastic water line
Number 8 copper wires
Split bamboo sections and one-inch supports
If you do not want to build a small pool, you can use another type of catch basins like a whiskey barrel or plastic containers. You can use bamboo, which is readily available from online sellers. Split the bamboo with the length of the sluice for an additional fee.
To know more about making a small pond, visit this site to find out more.
Project overview
If your storybook garden seems there is still missing or lacking something, the relaxing sound of running water could be the missing piece, especially one with the Japanese water fountain look and vibe. But homeowners do not have to settle for some plastic-resin-made waterfall for the missing vibe.
The answer to this problem is to make your own version of the Japanese sluice made from bamboo. This simple project does not involve a lot of time, money, or skills. As a matter of fact, you can finish this project in one day, and add another day for the installation of water plants, pumps, and a small pond to make it a weekend project.
Homeowners do not have to be very handy or have a shop with different power tools. The only tool you need is a jigsaw for cutting spout holes, a three-pound maul to help pound the support stakes, and a hacksaw to help cut the bamboo in length.
Visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sluice to know more about sluice.
Where to start and end
If a homeowner already has a small pond in their yard, they can use it as a catch basin for their sluice. If you do not have a pool in their home, they will need to either use an above-ground catch basin like a plastic container or whiskey barrel or install a pond liner. You can find it in-home or garden centers at around $30 a piece.
The best way to plan or design the project is to start at the bottom and work away from the pool. Draw about six inches of the slope on each ten to twelve-foot bamboo sluice section. Gardens with a sloping hill is the best space for this project. If the hill has a steep slope, you need to incorporate more zigzag design to help mitigate the slope, or else, the water will flow too fast.
Your sluice on a steep hill works the same way as switchback roads on a very steep mountainside. A flat garden will also work, but you need to use higher support, the next bamboo conduit needs to be six inches taller, so after five sections, the sluice will rise two and a half feet, in addition to its starting height. Try to use a sluice section length that suits the yard. It is strictly a “what-will-look-best” design technique that develops as homeowners build the system.
Make sure to get ideas of sluice lengths and routing by laying out sections of your bamboo on the ground before starting the project. You only need parts of it to make hairpin turns or run around obstacles like big rocks or tree stumps and use full or half lengths for straighter and longer runs. The best way to start this project is to look for a quality bamboo water fountain kit on the Internet or in the garden and home depots.
Assembling the Sluices
As you assemble your sluices, make sure to work your way away from your pond. Run the water from the hose to check the flow of water. That will help homeowners decide if slopes are too shallow or steep and if they like the direction. Do not worry if you do not have the whole project figured out ahead of time – remember, nothing is permanent. Mistakes can be remedied by pulling the crutches out of the ground and repositioning them.