|
Answers to the more common questions people have about floating
fountains and Desert Rain. Click on any of the blue words below
or scroll down and read through them all. Organizing this area
was a big challenge. After voting, we decided on the following
order:
Who •
What • Where • Why
• When •
How
WHO?
Who buys floating fountains?
Golf Courses, Home Owner's Associations, Business and Shopping
Centers, Parks and anybody with at least 30" deep body of
water.
Who is DesertRain®?
DesertRain® Floating Fountains was started in 1994 by Stephen Church and Bill Norman of Aquatic Dynamics, Inc with an idea to build a better fountain for the
lake industry. After a few years of research and development,
Desert Rain was introduced to the lake industry. Shortly after
that, ADI was sold to Aquagenix Land & Water Technologies,
Inc. Aquagenix had little interest in being a manufacturer of
floating fountains, but definitely wanted the Desert Rain line
to continue to be available for their customers. Aquagenix sold
the fountain division of Desert Rain to Bill Norman. In Jan of 2005 Bill Norman sold DesertRain® to Aquatic Eco-Systems, Inc. of Apopka, FL.
Who do you sell your fountains to?
Usually, directly to the customer. We're one of the few
floating fountain manufacturers who sells direct. We prefer to
deal directly with the customer for clear communication and long-term
customer satisfaction. The benefit to you is lower prices. We
build the highest quality floating fountain and are able to offer
it to you at very competitive pricing because we don't have layers
of distribution mark-up.
Who is your competition?
You can find our competitors' web sites by searching floating
fountains or lake fountains. Be willing to scroll through more
than one page to get everyone. If you find six or seven, you
probably found all of the manufacturers.
Who can properly install the fountain?
Our On-Shore Fountain and Traditional Fountains 1-5 hp are geared for self-installers.
The installation directions are straight forward and the fountain
can be completely installed in about four hours. We do advise
using a licensed commercial electrician to do your electrical
connections. Your local pool pump dealer can usually recommend
someone to mount your pump on-shore for you if you're not comfortable
handling that yourself.
Larger fountains 7 ½ hp and up, are
geared for our commercial customers like irrigation companies,
re-sellers and medium to large companies who have professionals
on staff to handle the installation.
It has been our experience that it is well worth the hour
or two that you pay for a LICENSED COMMERCIAL ELECTRICIAN, familiar
with electric motors to come and assess your electrical situation.
Your electrician can determine what power options you have available,
estimate how much it will cost to get appropriate power to your
fountain site, and make recommendations that could save you money
and time. Having an adequate electrical run in place before installation
is critical.
Click Installation
for an overview.
Click Electrical
for printable information for your electrician and/or electric
company.
Click Printables
for complete installation instructions in pdf format.
WHAT?
What is a floating fountain?
A well pump & motor hung vertically or horizontally with a nozzle
for display. Whenever you see a fountain in the middle of nowhere
and wonder how it got there, it's probably a floating fountain.
The biggest benefit to using a floating fountain instead of a
fixed fountain is flexibility. The floating fountain is not a
permanent part of the construction and can be moved. Floating
fountains adjust automatically to the changes in your water level.
Additional fountains can be added as budgets permit. Nozzles
can be changed out or adjusted to change the appearance of the
fountain. That's flexibility! That's the traditional floating
fountain.
Desert Rain also offers two other types of Floating Fountains:
• Direct Line - fire hose attached to lake's fill
or return line of your existing re-circulating or irrigation system
• On-Shore Pump & Motor - swimming pool pump
& motor housed on-shore with intake and display placed
anywhere you choose in the lake - good for circulation and aeration.
What is your warranty?
Desert Rain Floating Fountains, warranties to original purchaser
complete fountain for one year from date of shipping against
manufacturing defects.
Warranty is void on any fountain abused, neglected, fish hooked,
improperly installed, or improperly removed. If you're using
a hammer, you're abusing. If you don't follow installation and
maintenance instructions, you're neglecting. Light bulbs, fuses,
vandalism, environmental conditions and acts of nature are not
covered under the warranty.
What is an intake screen?
An intake screen is a filter for your pump and nozzle.
A cylinder shaped, perforated stainless steel tube that's about
one to three feet long and about 1 foot in diameter. Your fountain
needs one of these to keep fish, rocks, golf balls and other
hazards out of the way so your pump gets the water flow
it needs to stay cool and your nozzle stays clear to display
nice and full. You may need to occasionally clean the intake
screen of mineral and algae deposits with a wire brush to keep
the flow at full volume. Intake screens are included in all On-Shore
Fountains and Traditional Fountains. Optional for Direct Line
Fountains because often the existing pump already has an adequate
intake screen.
What is a control panel?
A control panel houses the electrical components of your fountain
including breakers, timers, GFI and surge protection and photo
cells. Control panels are included in all On-Shore Fountains
and Traditional Fountains.
What does a floating fountain need to operate properly?
1) Adequate flow of electricity for the motor.
For prolonged pump and motor life (regardless of brand) an
adequate supply of electricity must be maintained to the motor.
2) Adequate water supply for cooling of the motor and pump
operation.
Our traditional fountain motors are water cooled, no oil (yeah, no oil changes)
and require water to flow easily over the motor. Keeping your
water clean will keep your fountain clean of debris, calcium
deposits, etc. If your water is challenged with this, periodically
check your fountain for debris hazards, algae and calcium build
ups.
What are the Cardinal Rules for floating fountains?
1) Calculate from TRUE SOURCE to the motor.
2) One continuous - NO SPLICING - PVC jacketed electrical
cable from motor to control panel.
3) One size LARGER cable in the water to compensate for
dissolved particles' conductivity.
What are the main differences in floating fountain brands?
Design, replacement parts availability, component quality,
display, technical support, warranty and price. We recommend
that you decide what you're trying to accomplish and choose the
brand that best serves you and your lake.
What is the difference between aeration and a fountain?
Aeration is simply adding movement and oxygen to water.
Fountains and aeration systems both aerate the water. Aeration
systems are usually located on the bottom of the lake and bubble
the stratified water from the bottom up to the top and are cost-effective
ways of aerating a lake. Traditional floating fountains usually
aerate water that is sitting on the top of the lake achieving
some aeration benefits while creating an attractive spray display.
On-Shore Floating Fountains can achieve both benefits of deep
stratified aeration and an attractive display, by positioning
the intake on the bottom of the lake and discharging to the surface
via a hose to the display nozzle.
What type of electricity do I need?
115V single phase, 230V single or three phase and 460V
three phase are the most common in the U.S. All other types of
electrical sources are available, but need to be specified.
If you only have 115V available, the only fountain option
you have is a 1 hp On-Shore.
WHERE?
Where is Desert Rain located?
Central Florida
Where do I put the control panel?
Well above the highest water level line and as close
to the meter as possible.
Where do I locate the shore-mounted pump?
Well above the highest water level line, but with as short of
a pipe run as possible to lake's edge.
Where do I place the fountain display?
No further out than it needs to be. The closer the fountain is
to you at your viewing place, the larger it will appear. With On-Shore systems, friction
loss occurs from the pump to the display through the fire hose,
so the shorter the distance the less friction loss, the bigger
the fountain display. The further out you place a traditional fountain, the
longer and larger the electrical cable will need to be, adding
cost in both materials and labor. You do, however, want to make
sure that the fountain is far enough out in the lake that it
doesn't spray on anything that you don't want it to.
WHY?
Why do some floating fountain manufacturers call their
fountains aerators?
Fountains are aerators in the literal sense. See, "What
is the difference between aeration and a fountain?" above
for more information.
Why does Desert Rain offer three different operating
systems?
Different systems for different solutions. The components button covers
all three different systems in detail to help you decide which
one is best suited for you and your lake.
WHEN?
When will I get my fountain?
On-Shore 1-5 hp and Direct Line Fountains are usually
shipped within 2 weeks after you place your order. We can be
specific when you place your order. We ship FedEx Ground and
shipping time is approximately one week. Orders are considered
placed when payment arrangements have been made.
Traditional fountains and 7 ½ -15 hp On-Shores are considered
custom made to order fountains and are usually shipped 4-6 weeks
after order is placed with shipping normally running about one
week. Many fountains are received within three weeks after the
order is placed. It depends on many factors. Figure seven weeks,
and be pleasantly surprised when you get it in three. Custom
orders are considered placed when Desert Rain receives a 50%
non-refundable deposit.
HOW?
How do I start?
1) Choose what you want your fountain to look like. Popular
nozzle display choices to view at fountains
2) Choose which operating system is best for your lake. Choices
available at components
3) Determine your budget and what options you would like.
See specs at specifications
Then, call us at 1-800-899-2565, fax (407) 886-6787 or email and we'll
be happy to help.
How do I place an order?
We accept phone and fax orders. We would like to communicate
with you before you place your order. You
may call us at 1-800-899-2565 or email
or request a quote at quote.
How do I determine what size of fountain would look
best in my lake or pond?
First, determine approximate dimensions of your lake
or pond. Second, decide what you are trying to accomplish with
your fountain. Is it serenity, drama, powerful attraction, a
certain look, feel or sound? If you can describe what you're
trying to accomplish, we can help you make good choices. Determine
your budget. This will help narrow your choices. There are literally
thousands of options. Good rule of thumb: fountain should be
no taller than 1/2 the width of your lake.
How come floating fountains are so expensive?
Our floating fountains are made for commercial application.
That means we engineer and build high quality, rugged, workhorse
types of fountains. No junky backyard stuff here. Solid brass
architectural nozzles, polyethylene floats, high grade stainless
steel, NEMA 3-R control panels, etc. These components are expensive.
Then we engineer and hide from view all the makings of the fountain.
This is the work of craftsmen and engineers. Desert Rain only
sells fountains designed and built to withstand the challenges
of nature and time. We don't waste our time or your money on
anything else.
Why lights?
Lights are highly recommended for fountains that have
night time traffic. Our lights come in three different wattage,
250, 500 or 1000. specifications
Which fountain?
Click specifications
to view a list of some of our standard fountains. We also do custom
fountains -- designed, engineered and built to customer's
specifications.
How do I determine the horsepower size?
Horsepower size is a big determining factor on cost,
the higher the horsepower the higher the cost. However, horsepower
is the fourth question to answer. First, what pattern of display
do you prefer? Second, how large is your waterscape? Third, how
tall do you want the spray to go? The answers to these questions
determine horsepower needs. Desert Rain will be happy to assist
you.
|
