Follow these tips and your solar fountain can provide years of bird enjoyment!
A solar birdbath fountain can be one of the best additions to a yard's bird habitat, attracting birds of all kinds. They drink and bathe, and watching them in the bath is great fun to watch. Here are some tips on how to operate your solar fountain.
1. Keep the pump clean.
Pumps can clog from bird and organic debris. Most pumps have a plastic sponge-like filter inside that can be cleaned with a good blast of the hose. If it is particularly scummy, use a weak bleach solution (9 parts water to 1 part bleach) to clean, rinse well, then let air dry. The housing can get scummy so make sure you clean the housing as well.
Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a self-cleaning pump, but a quick clean up now and then will keep the fountain flowing nicely.
2. Keep the water clean.
Don't let the water become filled with bird waste and debris. This is not good for the birds or for the pump.
Clean the birdbath often with a stiff-bristled brush that is used only for birdbath or feeder cleaning. If the bath is really dirty, clean it with a weak bleach solution (9 parts water to 1 part bleach), rinse well, and let air dry before refilling.
3. Don't let the water get too low.
Pumps that run dry will burn out and kill the pump.
4. Use a sufficiently deep birdbath.
Running a fountain will increase the rate of evaporation of the water in the bath. Having a deeper bath with a higher volume of water will help.
At a minimum, the birdbath should be able to hold enough water to cover the pump.
5. Put it where you can enjoy the show.
Moving water is like a bird magnet and you wouldn't want to miss the show!
Besides your regular yard and feeder birds that could use the fountain, the moving water might attract other birds like tanagers, warblers, and more.
