Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I bought this solar fish fountain in June of 2008. Initially set up was simple and it ran great, although I did add some decorative marbles to the bowl to make the sound less harsh (it was like a faucet initially). The cord for the solar panel was really long, making it easy to set up high where it got good sunlight. However that made it easy to accidentally cut the wire once when trimming bushes. But it's only two wires so repair was simple. The peg that's included in the kit to hold the solar panel is pretty useless, it's too short to keep the panel up above the bushes in the garden. If you have a place against the side of the house where you can mount the panel up high, that might work, but mine was placed in the middle of the garden.
This fountain sat outside in my garden and it's cute and whimsical and kept on running as long as the sun was shining. There's no battery back-up, so if the solar panel is shaded or moves out of the sun, the pump stops. Other than that, it just runs all the time during daylight. Keep the bowl refilled as needed, and enjoy.
The bowl required regular cleaning, and so did the pump. There are two metal mesh filters inside the pump housing that easily get clogged with algae and debris. We have really hard water here too so that doesn't help either. I became an expert at taking it apart and putting it back together, just be sure to tip the solar panel so it's in the shade or disconnect the wire at the panel. There are some small parts inside the pump impeller unit that will go flying if you take it apart while running, and there's no off switch.
After about a year and a half, the pump started making some loud noises when running and was not pumping water very well. Cleaning the pump and reassembling it would sometimes help. After awhile it was clear that the plastic groove into which the impeller rotates had become worn away on one side, probably from times when the pump was running when the water got low (due to evaporation, dogs, or other animals -- you have to watch to be sure that the pump is always under water, and the suction pads don't work to keep it attached to the bottom). Anyway, I think the plastic gets worn away anytime the impeller is off center, such as when the plastic cap isn't fully on, and more so if the pump is running while dry. I tried adding some tape to keep the plastic cap in place, that worked for awhile. Eventually I was able to repair the plastic by reshaping a groove with glue, but I wouldn't recommend that. It ran for another 6 months that way, but there are replacement pumps (6 Volt)that cost less than $20 out there, just not that easy to find.
The fatal failure came today. The metal ring that holds the ceramic fish above the bowl had been rusted for a long time, and today it failed completely, breaking in half. Fortunately the fish and bowl survived, so I hope to rebuild the supports with non metal bits, replace the pump, and keep it running for awhile longer. The ceramic fish and bowl still look great. The blue glaze is thick and beautiful even today.
My one gripe about this is the regular maintenance of the pump. Other than that, it's pleasant, whimsical, and with the solar panel, a nice eco-friendly addition to a small yard. Just beware that it's not going to last forever. About 2 years 5 months for me.
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