Small Pool Water Features

Small Water Feature by sblainc.com - image used with permission
Image Courtesy of Shepard Butler Landscape Associates

Pool Water Features is the catch-all phrase to cover any type of splashing, spraying, shooting water display that you can add to your pool plumbing.

From a spouting statuary in the corner of the pool, to stacked rocks releasing a babbling brook, they take on many forms.

Today’s photo blog is centered around small pool water feature ideas. The only limitation is your imagination (and your budget)!


Copper-finish Pedestal Fountains spill over into the pool for a soft splashy sound. Pedestal water features come in a variety of size, shapes and materials.

Bobe Water & Fire Bowl shown
Image Credit: Bobe Fire & Water Features

Sheer Descent® Waterfall placed inside of a simple faux stacked rock wall, backed by bamboo and Buddha, to qualify as a tranquil, ‘zen pool‘.

Sheer Descent Waterfall by Jandy
Image Credit: Jandy Pool Products

Chipped Slate Water Wall built into a low retaining wall. Fed by a 2″ PVC pipe that separates into smaller branches to fill a small overflow trough, more or less evenly.

Chipped Slate pool water wall, design by Mike Farley, Pool by Claffey Pools - image use by permission
Image Credit: Farley Pool Designs

Rain Curtain Water Features are pretty special, and can be attached to any structure like a Pergola, or more elaborate arches, or where a patio roof overhangs the pool surface.

Bobe fire and water Rainfall Feature
Image Credit: Bobe Fire and Water

A Cascade Feature uses large flat rocks to create a tumbling river into the pool. A rubber membrane and lots of mortar is used to keep it leak-free.

image of pool with cascade water feature
Image by Tim Abramowitz via istockphoto

This minimal wall scupper is barely there and can be turned on/off automatically with valve actuators, powered by a pool controller, and remote control.

Tiled pool with raised wall, raise floor, long steps and scupper water fall feature. Build by Bonick Landscaping, image used with permission
Design/Build: Bonick Landscaping – Irving, Tx, Image: Brian Rodgers

Wall Spouts are a classic design, with floral designs or Lion’s heads being popular, or in this case, simple copper scuppers. Raised walls also serve as retaining walls, for an upper deck area or planter area.

image of wall scuppers by Bobe Fire & Water
Image Credit: Bobe Fire and Water

Deck Jets are a favorite for many pool builders. Small jets are placed in the deck to shoot a very accurate stream of water, which can also be colored with LED lights.

small-pool-water-fountains - albatross pools, australia
Image Credit: Albatross Pools – Victoria, Australia

Adding small water features to your pool can be done as part of a renovation, or smaller spouts or fountains can be added anytime.

Pool Fountain Installation? Very small fountains or spouts can be tapped off of an existing pool return pipe, with a Tee fitting and a small valve. Larger fountains typically have their own dedicated pipe running from the equipment pad. Features with even greater water volumes are connected to a booster pump to supply it’s own water, without affecting filtration or circulation.

Contact us for help with your own DIY small pool water feature, or if you prefer to keep your hands clean – contact your local APSP pool professional for their ideas and pricing for the job.

2 thoughts on “Small Pool Water Features

  1. Joe Brocato

    I like doing my own work, but was wondering if you had any suggestions to pipe in small water features like a couple of copper bowls to an existing in ground pool.

    • Hi Joe, it can be done pretty simply. You want to draw out a plan to include all of your needed supplies and materials. In most cases you try to make the shortest run possible, putting fountains on the same side of the pool as the pump/filter, so that the trenching and pipe run is short. Speaking of trenching, if you are digging to install any new pipes around the pool, call 811, to have your property marked for underground utilities. A fountain set-up usually includes a 3-way Jandy valve or CMP valve on the return line, so that you can turn a valve and turn on and off, the fountain(s). It’s also a good idea to have a secondary small valve, right at the back or under the fountain (copper bowls), to be able to adjust the water flow and balance water flow between bowls. Or you could use a second 3-way valve, used as a tee to split water to each bowl, but may still want to use smaller 2-way valves behind each bowl for greatest control. If the filter system is close to the bowl location, you can do it all with flexible hose and flex hose fittings from home depot, like a 1″ line connected to the 3-way valve, and then hitting a tee hose fitting and splitting into two half inch lines to run to the bowls, with the control valves placed somewhere easily reachable. If you use the flexible hose, you can also bury it in PVC pipe, to protect it, or you could run PVC all the way up to the bowls, and then use a Tee and 1/2″ flexible hose to snake it up into the bowls, depending on what type of attachments it has, if any.

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