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Season 1: Project #1 Fountain do - Anything I Can Do
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If
your life is stressful, what you need is a fountain.
The
random gurgling sound helps the brainwaves to be more alpha and
less beta, making noisy children seem a mere remnant of some former
life, making your soul float into the ethers to obtain the arcane
truth that our stay on earth is transient, so it's vital to get
that big- screen surround-sound mega-bass home theatre system as
soon as possible. You can buy a Zen fountain from a catalogue starting
at around $200, or you can make your own for about $60.
Once
you have a fountain, you'll want to practice yoga, eat organic foods
and ride your bicycle to work. You
may even use your new surround-sound home theatre to play New Age
DVD titles like Ocean Surf with Pan Flute. As long as they don't
show the pan flute player, because he's liable to ruin the mood.
Many
home made fountains look a bit tacky because the creator leaves
the cord hanging over the top edge of the fountain. It's
hard to have inner peace with that big black cord wrecking the harmony
of the visual effect.
So
let's rev up the drill and hide that baby.
Artisans'
work featured on this Episode
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Materials:
- A bowl, planter, pot, pail, or child's swimming pool for the
large outdoor model
- Rocks or pebbles, depending on the size of your container, or
water plants if you want more of a mini-pond effect
- 'Clear' silicone sealant
- 3-prong replacement plug
- Pump - available in the garden section of home centers, or in
some craft stores
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Tools
- Drill
- Glass/ceramic/tile drill bit - a specialty bit, shaped sort
of like the spade on a deck of cards
- Wire cutter pliers
- Wire stripper pliers
- Utility knife
- Screwdriver
- Extra pail to test pump
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Steps:
| Drill a hole in the side of your container, somewhere near
the bottom, using a glass/ceramic/tile bit. The hole should
be the same diameter as the pump cord, so buy your drill bit
accordingly. |
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| Next, cut the plug off the pump. This will give you a severe
emotional spike, since you are effectively wrecking your $50
pump. However, it is really a minor act of derring-do, since
you will now re-wire the cord using your replacement plug. |
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| But first, put the pump and cord in the container, and push
the now plugless cord through that little hole you just made
in the wall of your container. |
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| Next, slide the housing of the plug replacement onto the cord,
and then strip about an inch of the outer plastic sheathing
off the end of the cord. |
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| This will reveal 3 wires, coated respectively in white, black
and green plastic. Strip each of them back about ½ an inch,
and twist the wires to make them compact. |
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| Now connect each of the three wires to the three screw terminals
on the 3-prong replacement plug. The screws are different colours.
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IMPORTANT:
Connect the green wire to the green screw,
the black wire to the brass screw,
and the white wire to the silver screw. |
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| Now slide the housing over the connected wires, securing it
with the provided screw. |
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| Fill a pail with water, drop the pump into it, and plug it
in to make sure that your wiring is sound. This is a good time
to experiment with the various attachments that come with your
pump, to see what kind of flow pattern you want. |
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| Next, put the pump back in your fountain container. Pull excess
cord through the hole so most of the length is available to
reach the AC outlet. Seal around the cord on both sides of the
drilled hole using clear silicone sealant. Let it cure for 24
hours before moving it. |
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| After 24 hours, fill your container with rocks. |
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Then add enough water that it is higher than the
level of the pump housing. Plug in the power, and eureka, inner
peace.
(P.S. The dog will now eschew his bowl and drink only from your
fountain, so make sure you top it up regularly.) |
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Artisans'
work featured on this episode:
(click pics for Artist info and larger
images)
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