How to Make a Solar Water Feature

A solar water feature is one of the easiest solar projects you can do. There is no mains cable to bury, no electrician and no running cost - a small panel powers a low-voltage pump, and the water runs whenever the sun is out. This guide walks through three builds, from a ten-minute bowl fountain to a proper bubbling pot or pebble pool, with the parts for each and the mistakes that make most DIY solar features disappointing.

How a solar water feature works

Every solar water feature has the same three parts: a solar panel, a small submersible pump, and somewhere for the water to sit - a bowl, a pot or a buried reservoir. The panel is wired straight to the pump, so the stronger the sun, the faster the water flows. When a cloud passes, it slows. When the sun goes in for good, it stops.

That is the most important thing to understand before you start. A direct-drive kit only runs in direct sunlight. A battery-backed kit stores some energy so it keeps going through cloud and into the evening, at a higher price. Neither will run like a mains pump on a grey November day, and a UK panel needs to be in direct sun to work well. If you want the detail on pump sizes, see our solar pond pump guide.

Choose your build

Build 1: a bowl fountain (10 minutes)

The simplest solar water feature is a floating fountain in a wide bowl. The panel and pump are one unit that sits on the water and sprays a small jet.

1. Choose a wide, shallow bowl or bird bath at least 30cm across, so the spray lands back in it.
2. Put it where it gets direct sun from late morning - not under a tree.
3. Fill it, drop the fountain in, and fit whichever nozzle gives a spray that stays inside the bowl.
4. Top up the water every few days in summer. A floating fountain that runs dry will burn out its pump.

A floating fountain such as the SZMP 3.5W with battery costs about £15. Our solar bird bath fountain guide covers the options in more detail.

Build 2: a bubbling glazed pot (an afternoon)

This is the classic patio water feature: water bubbles up through the middle of a glazed pot, runs down the sides, and drains into a hidden reservoir underneath to be pumped round again.

You will need: a frost-resistant glazed pot (around 40-50cm tall), a buried reservoir or sump a bit wider than the pot, a solar pump kit with a separate panel, about a metre of flexible tubing to fit the pump outlet, aquarium-safe silicone, a 20mm diamond hole saw, and a bag of cobbles.

1. Drill the pot. Turn it upside down, put masking tape over the centre of the base and drill slowly with a diamond hole saw, keeping it wet with a trickle of water. Do not use hammer action. Make the hole just big enough for your tubing.
2. Dig in the reservoir so its rim sits slightly below ground level, and check it is level.
3. Sit the pump in the reservoir, push the tubing onto its outlet and lay a strong mesh or grid over the top.
4. Stand the pot on the grid (on a couple of bricks if you need height), feed the tubing up through the hole and trim it just below the rim.
5. Seal around the tubing inside the pot with aquarium-safe silicone and let it cure for 24 hours.
6. Run the panel cable out under the cobbles to a sunny spot and stake the panel facing south.
7. Fill the reservoir and the pot, then cover the grid with cobbles.

Before you buy a pump, check its maximum head - the height it can lift water. It must be comfortably more than the height from the water in the reservoir to the top of the pot, or you will get a dribble instead of a bubble. Small solar pumps often lift less than a metre, so a shorter pot is the safer choice.

Build 3: a pebble pool (a weekend)

A pebble pool is the same idea without the pot: the water bubbles up through a bed of cobbles and drains straight back into a buried reservoir. There is no open water, which makes it the safer choice where small children visit, and it suits a natural, cottage-garden look.

1. Dig a hole for a 30-90 litre sump and set it level, rim just below the surface.
2. Lay a liner offcut or membrane around it, sloping in, so splashed water runs back into the sump.
3. Put the pump in, attach a short length of tubing and lay a strong mesh or grid across the sump.
4. Bring the tubing up through the mesh, then pile cobbles over it so the water bubbles through them.
5. Run the cable to the panel, fill the sump and adjust the flow.

A bigger sump means less topping up in a heatwave, which matters because a solar pump runs hardest on exactly the days when water evaporates fastest.

Getting the most from the sun

• The panel matters more than the pump. Put it in the sunniest spot you have, facing south, and keep it clear of shade. The feature itself can sit in partial shade if the cable reaches.
• Check the cable length before you buy - it decides how far the panel can be from the water.
• Clean the panel and the pump filter every few weeks. Bird droppings on the panel and algae in the filter are the two most common reasons a solar feature slows down.
• Choose battery-backed if you want it running in the evening when you are sitting outside.
• Bring the pump in for winter. Ice can crack pots and damage pumps. Empty glazed pots or cover them, and store the pump and panel indoors until spring.
• Help wildlife with a shallow edge or a few stones that birds and insects can stand on.

Recommended kit

Everything below was in stock on Amazon UK when this guide was written.

You will also want clear 10mm x 13mm tubing (~£10 for 5m) - check it matches your pump outlet - and a 20kg bag of Scottish cobbles (~£17) to hide the grid and give the water something to bubble over.

Summary

• A solar water feature needs just a panel, a small pump and a reservoir - no mains or electrician
• Direct-drive kits run in sunshine only; battery-backed kits carry on through cloud and into the evening
• Start with a bowl fountain, or build a bubbling pot or pebble pool over a buried sump
• Check the pump's maximum head is more than the height it has to lift the water
• Put the panel in full sun, clean it and the filter regularly, and bring the pump in for winter

For bigger ponds, see our solar pond pump guide. To water plants from a water butt with solar, see our solar water butt pump guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: October 13, 2026