How to Build a Waterwheel Fountain

Place a milk crate inside a half barrel with the open side facing down. This will create a platform halfway up the interior of the barrel. A half barrel is a wine or whiskey barrel cut in half across the belly, which creates two large containers with wide open tops. You will use only one of these for your fountain.

Place a decorative water wheel on top of the milk crate with the base on one corner of the crate.

Place the fountain pump on top of the milk crate directly behind the water wheel. Allow enough room for the wheel to spin freely without touching the pump. Attach 3 feet of plastic tubing to the pump.

Pour river rocks into the barrel until they are level with the milk crate. Arrange the rocks so they surround the wheel but don't touch it.

Stack rocks on either side of the wheel to create an enclosure surrounding it. Thread the tubing through the rocks until the end of the tubing sticks out above the wheel. Cut off any excess tubing with scissors.

Place water plants in their pots on top of the crate in front of the wheel. Fill the barrel with enough water to cover the pots but not the plants themselves.

Plug in the fountain to test the flow of water. Adjust the aim and strength of the flow by adding or moving river rocks until the water hits the top of the wheel and makes it spin. Add more rocks for decorative purposes as needed.