Wall waterfalls do require some TLC to keep them looking beautiful and flowing nicely for years to come.  Below is a guide on how to clean your wall water fountains. Remember, this is a general guide, your fountain may have a different set up or different materials, but this should guide you through some tips on maintaining your wall fountain.

Fresh Water is the best way to start with your Wall Fountain:
When you first get your wall fountain it is important to keep the water fresh right from the start.  Use distilled water if you can to keep your wall fountain free from hard water and calcium deposits.  With large fountains, this is not always a practical option. Most people prefer to use regular tap water in their larger fountains.  Depending on your water hardness, you may start to see some lime or calcium build up on your fountain over time.  This is normal with any water feature.  To control this and still use hard water, you can use a product called No More White Scale.  This will help prevent the white scale build up at the water line and face of  your fountain.  Algae will also appear over time with any type of water you use.  Where there is water, there will be algae.  There are several fountain care products that will help keep your water fresh and combat algae build up.  Some suggestions for large fountains are Fountain Fresh, Fountain Block and No More Algae.  Using fountain care products will definitely help keep your wall fountain water fresh but it does not eliminate the need to clean your water feature.  Read on for cleaning tips for your wall fountain.

Cleaning  your Wall Fountains:
A cleaning schedule of every 4-6 months to completely clean your water feature is advised.  Occassionaly, this may involve taking it apart so you can get at the critical parts of the fountain.

1. Emptying the Water from the Wall Fountain: The first step to giving your wall feature a good cleaning is getting the water out.  A couple tips to do this:  You can take a second fountain pump and pump the water into a bucket or use a shop vacuum to extract the water out.
2. Cleaning the Fountain Pump:  The pump of a fountain is the heart of the fountain.  It is vital to keep it clean.  Pumps clogged with debris or algae do not function properly and develop problems. The pump sits in the base of the water feature making it ripe  for algae to grow.  Unplug the pump, unhook the tube that connects the pump to the fountain and remove it to clean.  It's easier to clean the pump in a sink.  Usually there is a back plate on the fountain pump that can be removed for access and cleaning. Run fresh water through the pump and use some type of brush, a toothbrush works great, to remove any build up in the small areas.
3. Cleaning the Fountain's Distribution Unit: This is an important area to keep clean.  Usually the distribution unit will have holes or ports where the water flows out.  If these holes get clogged, water will not flow properly and the fountain's performance will be affected.  Sometimes it's easier to remove the distribution unit and clean it in the sink.  When possible, take a long brush or something that you can stick through the unit to get rid of any debris. You can also use a toothbrush on the outside to clean the holes as well as possible.  Some wall fountains have a trough at the top with a water spill way.  Keep this clean as well.  Wiping it or scrubbing it with a mild abrasive sponge works great.
4. Cleaning the Tubing:  You will typically see a tube that carries the water from the fountain pump to the wall fountain's distribution unit.  This tube can also get build up in it and cause water flow issues.  If you can, it would be a good idea to disconnect the tubing and clean that as well trying to get in it with a brush.
5. Cleaning the Face of your Fountain:  The face of your wall fountain should be very easy to clean.  If you have a slate wall fountain simply using a non-abrasive pad or scotch brite pad to free the face of any build up or algae should work great.  If you have a glass or mirrored face wall fountain, cleaning the mirror can be done with windex, CLR or any other glass cleaner.  A highly recommended glass cleaner is Jazz Window Prep.  This will not only clean the glass, it will make the water flow flawless over the face of your fountain. 
6. Wiping the Base of the Fountain Clean:  It is unnecessary to take the base of the fountain down. Once the water is out of the fountain you can simply wipe the base clean with a sponge and clean water.  This will remove any slime that has started to build up around the base of the fountain.
7. Now you are ready to put your fountain's pump back in and add fresh water.  If this cleaning ritual is done every few months it will truly save you a lot of work and keep your fountain pump and water fountain in great condition for years to come.  For more tips on fountain care, please visit our Fountain Maintenance page.