Fountain Repair in Raleigh, NC

Most repair calls start the same way. The water stopped moving, or it drops too fast between fills, or there is a crack that was small last year and is not small now. Often the pump simply wore out. A fountain runs for months at a time, and the pump is usually the first part to give out.

A worn pump gets replaced with the right one for that fountain, not whatever is cheapest on the shelf. Size it wrong and the pump either starves the fountain or pushes way too much water out and splashes it all out in a very short time. It is really a balance, getting the pump properly sized to the fountain.

Cracks and leaks are the other half of the work. A hairline crack in a basin can let water out slowly enough that most people blame evaporation for a whole season before they catch it. I find where the water is actually going, clean the spot back to good material, and seal it so it holds. The basin stops drinking your water and the stone stays put through the next freeze.

Ground moves. A fountain that sat level the day it was placed will lean a little more each year as the soil under one side gives way. Heavy urns and statuary do the same, slow enough that you stop seeing it until a guest points it out.

Setting a piece true again is careful work. The fountain comes up by hand, the base underneath is built back so it drains and sits flat, and the piece goes back down where it belongs. It is usually a single visit, and it lasts because the ground under it was fixed, not just the lean on top.

A repair gets a fountain going again. Keeping it that way is the part most owners would rather hand off, and it is the bulk of what I do. Many of the area's fountains are cleaned and checked by the same hands every month, so the water stays clear and the small problems get caught long before they turn into a repair bill.

There is seasonal work too. In spring I open fountains that were shut down for the cold. In fall I drain them, pull the pumps, and close them so a hard freeze does not crack the basin over the winter. For owners who travel, or who simply would rather not watch the water line, an auto fill keeps the level right on its own.

When a fountain has lost its color, or you want to bring an older piece back, it can be stained by hand. Staining is not paint. Paint sits on the surface and peels in a year or two. A stain soaks into the stone and holds, so the color lasts and the piece still reads as stone instead of something painted over. It costs more than a quick coat of paint. For a fountain you care about, it is the right way to do it.