Replies

1. 
   UncleDunc | Jul 28, 2004 10:35pm | #1

   I like indoor fountains. They're interesting and soothing at the same time.

   If I understand correctly what you're talking about, you're going to be exposing a rather large surface area of water to the air, which might result in enough evaporation to change your AC requirements. The Dulles Hyatt has a fountain that is like a wall waterfall, a large flat surface with just a sheet of water running down it. But the lobby, bar, and restaurant are all in one big room, probably something like 8,000 square feet, with high ceilings, so they've got a lot more air to hold the water.

   How long does it take for your shower to dry out in the summer?

   My first reaction was to just ask, isn't the relative humidty already high enough in Annapolis?

1. 
   Annapolitan | Jul 29, 2004 06:44pm | #2

   Uncle Dunc:

   Thanks for your kind reply.

   I did forget about one of my rules: "Must be practical and beautiful".  Annapolis is humid alright. I should probably scale down to something similar to what I saw in the issue of Inspired House.

   I am putting on my thinking hat...

2. 
   Bersch | Jul 30, 2004 10:12pm | #3

   Hi Annapolitan,

   This sounds very cool!

   I'm in retail construction and we have a number of stores with waterwalls in them.  The name of the store is Inner Self and there is one at Tysons Corner Center in Mclean, VA.  The waterwalls are about 3'wx10'tall with water coming down both sides from a reservoir at the top, which is above the ceiling.  The column penetrates the ceiling.  The water is collected in a tank at the bottom and recirculated.  Our logo is sandwiched between the two acrylic faces and lit from below with a fiberoptic light source.  It is very effective at getting attention and may be worth its' cost as a marketing tool.  This unit costs about $20,000.00 before installation and the fiberoptic is another $5,000.00 

   It requires regular maintenance even though there is a sophisticated filtering system in the tank. If you do this, you will have to do periodic maintenance and you'll spend a lot of money, but it will be a real "show stopper". You may have to have your HVAC re-engineered to deal with the evaporated water. 

   Were you planning to build this yourself?  If so, do a lot of research.  If not, I'll be happy to provide you with the name of our manufacturer.  They have built a number of sophisticated systems around the country.  There are a number of custom shops around the country.  Ours is in New Hampshire.

   I hope this is some help. Good Luck!

   Dan

1. 
   neilpuck | May 26, 2005 10:42pm | #4

   Dan thanks for your description, I've seen them in restaurants etc, and am planning on installing one in my house.  My question is, what size pump did they use for that installation?  Mine is going to be about 7 feet high by 8 feet wide.  I know there will be evaporation issues, but there will be a water source installed near it, maybe i'll work in a sensor which can automatically add water when it goes below a certain level. 

    

   Neil 

1. 
   Bersch | May 31, 2005 04:24pm | #5

   Hi Neil,

   I'm not sure of the pump size.  The recirulation pipes are 3/4" with control valves to balance the flow.  Getting an even flow across the surface can be tricky.  Filtration is critical as algea can grow quickly.  The shop we used is: Rock n' Crab and can be reached at rockncrab.com.  A google search will be helpful as well. 

   Good luck.

   Dan