The Complete Handbook of Fountains & Waterfalls
A practical reference for professionals, businesses, and serious enthusiasts: selection, installation, maintenance, and repair
by Alumigogo Books
non-fiction
From pump curves to freeze protection: the engineering and business reference for anyone who works with fountains and waterfalls.
About this book
Most fountain problems are not mysterious. They are the predictable result of undersized pumps, clogged intakes, or improper winterization. This handbook treats water features as what they are: small hydraulic systems with specific rules for flow, pressure, and filtration. It explains those rules with worked examples and real-world numbers, then shows how to apply them across a range of installations, from a residential pondless waterfall to a commercial lobby fountain.
The book is organized for field use. Early chapters cover types and specifications, with concrete guidance on reading pump curves, calculating dynamic head, and matching nozzle sizes to flow rates. Later chapters provide step-by-step installation sequences, a seasonal maintenance calendar, and a troubleshooting index organized by symptom. A dedicated chapter covers the business opportunities in this trade: service contracts, repair work, custom design-build, and retail supply.
Written for professionals and serious enthusiasts, this is not a coffee-table book. It is a reference you will reach for when a pump keeps losing prime, a basin is leaking, or a client asks why their waterfall is louder than expected. The information is grounded in hydraulic physics and proven installation practice, not in marketing claims.
Reader Reviews
Michelle Flores
★★★★★I bought this because I service water features as a side business and was tired of guessing on pump replacements. The chapter on understanding flow and head is worth the price alone - it explained why some of my installs underperformed. I knocked off one star because the troubleshooting chapter, while good, doesn't have a quick-reference chart I can laminate and throw in my truck. I had to flip through a few pages on a job. Still, it's the most useful reference I own on this topic, and my clients have noticed the difference.