Fountain heads
When designing a fountain jet water feature one of the most important criteria is the choice and use of fountain head nozzles. This article is about some of the most commonly used fountain effects and the type of nozzles used to create them.
Fountain heads are used in residential and commercial fountain designs across the world; their origins date back hundreds of years. They offer the scope to create stunning water jets that leap meters high into the air, to more elegant fountains for a low key effect.
The use of fountains in garden features or commercial water feature projects will always help to add height, movement and flow to any garden or landscape design. Modern fountains offer a wide variety of choice and allow you to create unique water sculptures that work as either a point of interest or as a back drop to a large landscape.
Fountain heads are usually made from plastic, brass, SS and other non corrosive metals. The prices and quality can vary. A positive out come from this is that you can use fountains in small to medium garden designs where the budget is a contributing factor. They still create the stunning effects found in higher end fountain water feature projects without too much compromise.
Fountain Types
Generally speaking there are four main flows of water created by a fountain head nozzle.
1.Normal traditional flow
this is most easily achieved as it involves pumping water through a fountain attachment without any form of special effect. The visual appearance of this style is just like the flow of water you get from a garden hose or tap.
2. White Frothy water
this style is becoming more common in today’s water features. The effect is achieved by allowing the intake of air into the water flow before it leaves the end of the fountain head. This gives the water a white frothy appearance. This can be particularly useful if you are using fountain lighting as the water reflects light equally.
The two most common fountain heads that use this style are the geyser and foam heads.
3. Laminar flow
this is the newest type of fountain head. The jet of water has a crystal clear glass tube like appearance. The solid tube of water produced does not separate so it can be used to create arks and more defined pieces of fountain design. They also allow light particles to move freely inside the water jet.
4. Film of water
these jets create a clear film of water obviously. Unlike the other fountains the water is directed to a downward motion either by pumping water onto a smooth curved plate like the bell jet nozzle, other examples are the fan jet and water blade.
