Not for Sale (Still dreaming of having table-top vortex fountain versions for sale at one point.)

Meet my Passion Project: the Crane Vortex Fountain. I had the stone flower bed built in front of my house, and wanted a fountain in the middle. The fountain of my dreams was made by a company in England. In speaking to its creator, he explained that they did not sell these fountains in the States. So I went to the source of all wisdom‚ YouTube‚ found some demos on how to build small vortex fountains (in plastic drink cups). Then I collaborated with my brilliant engineer friend, Paul. We experimented with pumps and 5 gallon plastic buckets to work out the set up. I buried a 30 gallon garage can for the water reservoir and used a powerful pump to circulate the water.

After searching 8 months, I found a source for the glass tube. I made a fused glass base & attached it to the glass tube. The water shoots into the tube, directed to the wall‚ which makes it spin in a circle. Once it fills, the excess waters drains both down around the outside of the cylinder and also down the hole in the center of the container’s floor. A modified toilet tank floater thing is connected to the house drip system, which allows the fountain to re-fill itself as needed. A pricey amount of colored landscaping glass was used to create the spinning fin design around the glass. In the end, I skipped flowers in the flower bed so the fountain takes center stage. The fountain creates a beautiful sound and is a visual stunner. The toddlers in the neighborhood can’t get enough of it—like the courtyard Pied Piper.

The Vortex Fountain has been an on-going project, with different aspects being re-done with untold hours of work. (Much thanks to Chesley for assisting with hours of class sorting!) Problems with algae growth has led to die in the fountain to reduce photosynthesis. Prior to this, one photo shows the bizarre effect of algae and bleach leading to one of many massive cleaning projects. Another photo illustrates the deep navy effect when too much die was added. Excess moth carcasses has prevented proper draining, and resulted in one of many deconstructions & cleaning. The list goes on and on.

Like any "child," the Vortex Fountain is highly demanding, and in the end‚ well worth it.

I think.