[Inspired]

I have long time customer that had a large fountain installed years ago by another company. They installed a float valve in the basin, way ugly. I've done sprinkler and lighting maintenance for these people for years and every time I look at that float, I would shake my head. It's hokey and ugly and looks really unprofessional. It failed recently and I couldn't find a better option quickly, so I installed another stupid, ugly, cheap, unprofessional float valve. Now it's on me. Every time I walk by it I get mad. Please help me.

Anyone have a favorite brand or another option?

[NCSULandscaper]

i havent ever put in auto fill valves in my ponds except for 1 that fit in the skimmer box. ive never cared for them because if a problem happens with hole in liner, rock shifted etc it would go unnoticed because water level wouldnt go down

[Fine Edge]

I ran across the same dilemma this past Spring when we installed a fountain. I couldn't stand the thought of this ugly float valve hanging on the side so we decided to inform the client that he would just have to fill it manually.
He said no problem but when I stop by for maintenance check, of course the pump is running with hardly any water due to evaporation.
One option that we thought about was to run spaghetti tubing from the drip line, under the fountain and up throught the middle hole where the pump wire exits. Better than nothing , I guess.

[livingwaters]

The hudson valve is my favorite. Its sturdy and easy to install.
Hudson Valve Company, Inc.

[papercutter]

We used to use something similar to this Swimming Pool Water Level Controllers, but a whole lot cheaper- I feel like it was around a hundred bucks at the pool supply shop. Way less obtrusive.

[glenns garden]

The other down side to the float is that if it sticks open and the client is out of town for a week or two there may not be anyone around to notice.When they get back besides a swamp the water bill will be insane.

I had someone call this year with just that problem. I took it out and they decided they would go with manual fill.

[Inspired]

Have any of you used one of these? I saw one at the bottom of a fountain here recently, no float ball. It just sits on the bottom of the basin. I'll have a chance to talk to the customer tomorrow and post about it.

[Inspired]

The home owner says he likes it. No problems in 5 years. I bought one at Ace Hardware for 9.95. I'll mount it in the next couple days and post how it goes in.

[Grubbworm]

I see how much water evap's / leaks / splashs out of the fountain in 24 hrs. Then I just hide small tubing up thru middle or etc so clear hose cannot be seen. I attach to a timer at a water faucet. Set the timer to come on daily for say 5 minutes or whatever to replace the water gone in 24 hrs. Actually works pretty OK!

Grubb Worm Landscaping - Home

[Inspired]

I've done something similar with bird baths, added a valve to the irrigation system. Here we have a plumbing code that basically makes hose timers illegal without a PVB (pressure vacuum breaker).

Sorry I haven't posted anything on this. The little valve is still sitting in my parts bin. This is one of our busy seasons here in Phoenix. It will be nuts till Christmas.

[JimLewis]

I second the recommendation on the Hudson valve as well. That's what we've been using for years. But one key thing - be sure to regulate the pressure down to about 35 psi. Otherwise, they have problems sticking open. If you install an in-line P.R. then you'll almost never have problems.

We connect these to the mainline of the irrigation system. Works fantastic.

[livingwaters]

Thanks Jim, for the info on the Hudson valves sticking. I havn't had a problem yet, but I could see that happening.

[JimLewis]

Yah, well it happens a LOT. So much that I almost quit using them last year. I love them. But it really sucks when they stick open and flood out your customer's landscape. They don't get so happy when that happens.

Fortunately, someone clued me in on the pressure regulator thing. Since we've done it that way, I have yet to have a problem with them.

[klbuch]

Hello, my name is Keith. I own a company called "Creative Fountain Floats", and invite anyone to visit my web-site to learn more about my product. I have been selling this kit for 5 years and have hundreds of satisfied customers across the country with virtually zero problems or component failures.
This kit installs easily in about a half an hour, includes everything needed to complete the install including teflon tape and masonry drill bits. The float valve delivers up to 1.5 gpm as needed and has an adjustable arm to allow you to vary the water level by several inches,the physical dimensions of the float valve are; 6" long, 1.5" in diameter. I warranty all components for 5 years, simple instructions with illustrations make installation a breeze.
I offer wholesale pricing and discounts for orders of 10 kits or more.This kits works well with all water features, including KOI ponds, bird baths and waterfalls.
Most of the larger manufacturers of fountains in the San Francisco area, as well as Masserell's in New Jersey have been offering this kit to their customers for years, Landscape contractors keep this kit on their trailers to offer to customers during constuction of peoples yards.
Please check me out at "creativefountainfloats.com". I can be reached in person by phone at " 916 223-6266".
You can GOOGLE "fountain fill kit", and I pop up #1 on page 1.Thanks for your time.
Take a monent to check out the "Customer Comments" page on my web site.

[JimLewis]

We've used something similar to that in the past. Worked well. But the problem is, I install mostly pondless water features. So there is no skimmer and no floating water. Nowhere to install this type of device unless you add a valve box somewhere. And that's just takes up too much room, compared to a Hudson valve, which takes up relatively no room.