If you mean the ones that float on water I had one it lasted about a month they replaced it and the 2nd one did the same. Unless they have improved in the last 6 years?

Friends of our bought one and were not impressed.

Solar energy water features are fine if we get the sun , but we don't get much of that do we ?I would go for mains supply far more reliable.

I looked at solar water pumps the other day. Fully charged they run for 6 hours max so they wont run through the night and probably wont run in a dull early morning either.

Hmmm..... this doesn't sound promising. I think I'll stick with a mains powered one then. Thanks for your replies :-)

Obviously a solar-powered feature depends on how much diect sunlight you get. I had been under the impression that they stored power, but mine doesn't - tiny wisp of cloud goes in front of the sun, fountain stops instantly.

And my garden's so placed that I only get a maximum of two hours' direct sunlight anyway. I'm trying to find a way to hook a back-up battery to it, but the only thing I seem to be offered is another solar panel working in tandem - still no good without sufficient direct sunlight.

But it does save the hassle of safely laying electical cables, so maybe buy a cheap one and see how that goes?

Good luck Fran, I suspect you will be disappointed

lol me too, Moon Grower! I've Googled for "battery-powered water feature" but that only brings up more solar ones, sigh.

You would be constantly recharging batteries if you went that route.

nods, so true. And I'd have to get a recharger! Want to, but there are so many options it's "durr?" time.

I did think about a power unit that I ould chage up on the mains and then disconnect and then plug intot he fountain - until I thought, that's batteries, isn't it? But i was thinking of soemthin gbigger - I don't know, something the size of the solar panel - hm, charging up a solar panel on the mains?

Of course the real alternative is to get mains power, but I'm a tad paranoid about electricity and water gettng together - unless you're very lucky you don't often get the change to make a second mistake - and mains fountain would mean having to have the feature right outside the back door, so there were no cables lying around to be a trip hazard, especially given my visual and physical limits. I doubt that my council would dig up and relay the paving to lay a cable safely.

I did read somewhere in a GoY comment about taking cables round the sides, against walls etc, which I hadn't thought of before. But I'd still be very wary of pluging it in the first time!

Fran it you have a washing machine you are using an appliance that has water and electricity. Ask an electrician for advice on running the wires along a wall and then in a small conduit to the actual fountain.

lol know that, Moon Grower, but they're designed by people who know what they're doing! There've been enough news stories about "DIY electricians" who didn't, I did'nt want to join them. I'll certainly take expert advice, probably more than once, before I start fiddling - better yet, get them to do the fiddling as well.