solar powered water feature, how do i make one? a container, pebbles, solar pump

[mumma24]

Not quite sure where to start! Tips & advice please, or can I buy this as a kit?

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

Do you mean one of those ones that looks like a circle of pebbles on the ground with water trickling up through the middle of it? We had a kit one, and it worked well for the first year, but then the solar pump started getting unreliable. The worst thing was keeping the water reservoir hygienic though. it was ok in the first year with a steradent tablet lobbed in every now and then, but in the second year no matter what we added to the water it rapidly became stinking and bug-ridden. It was an absolute pig to empty too, as it was essentially a big non-removable bucket dug into a hole in the ground. We got rid in the end, a shame because it was lovely in that first year. If you are going to do one, make sure the reservoir is fairly small and can be lifted out of the ground to be refilled and cleaned.