DIY Wine Fountain

Building your wine fountain 

This fountain was installed outside of our guest bathroom.

I have had several people ask me, how it was created.

 It starts with you finding a wine rack that suites your taste and size. The larger the rack, the larger the catch basin will need to be. The same goes for the pump size. This rack is 6 feet tall and we used the 600 gallons per hour pump.

For cost, convenience and ease of use, I used common elements used in drip irrigation. Below is a picture of the pieces which will be available at most hardware stores and big box stores that sell irrigation supplies.

Figure 1

Materials

 1. Cable ties – These will be used to secure the half inch main line (#2) to the back frame of your wine rack.

2. Half inch drip hose –

This is the main feed line which is run around the back frame of the wine rack.
It is secured to the rack with the cable ties. It will serve as the main distribution system that will feed the individual ¼ lines that go to each bottle.

3. Half inch elbow –

 If you have a square wine rack, you use the half inch elbows to route the half inch line around the wine rack. If you have a curved wine rack, you may not need these. It is important not to get kinks in the main half inch line or you won't get good flow to the wine bottles. You may need several to get a good routing of your main line.

4. Half inch Tee –

 You will see this later when I discuss the pump, but I like to create a loop with the main half inch line. If you have a single line that dead ends, those wine bottles being fed near the end of the line may not get enough water. If you have a small fountain this may not be needed.

5. Hose coupling – This will vary depending on your pump and you may need help at the hardware store getting couplings to link the pump to the half inch main line. I will show how my pump was connected later.

6. Quarter inch tubing – This is sold in bundles of 50 feet or more and also comes in different colors. Black is standard and blends in well in most situations.

7. Barbs –

These are little connectors that are used to connect the quarter inch tubing into the half inch main line. You put one end of the barb in the quarter inch tubing and the other into a  small hole that is punched into the half inch main line.

 This is the small pointed tool that you will need to buy that creates the hole in the half inch line.

 You then push the barb into this hole until it snaps in place. You might want to buy some plugs, if you make a hole by mistake.

The other end of the quarter inch tubing will be pushed into the wine bottle hole that you will have drilled. (coming up). Use extra tubing as you will want to move the bottles around and the extra distance will need some slack. You can always cut the tubing down when the bottle has found its home.

8. Mini valve – This is optional. Since you will be tapping the main line at different points and different heights, the amount of water coming out of each bottle may vary. This little valve can be spliced into the quarter inch line and you can restrict the flow of a bottle that is getting too much water. You  can always add this at the end, so see how things go without these little flow control devices.

9.  Submersible water pump for fountains. 600 gallons per hour or more..... Depending on your fountain.

10. Catch basin...tub...Like I suggested, the size of the basin depends on the size of your wine rack rack.

So that is what you will need for the water system. Using drip allows for a very easy to use system that is very inexpensive. Attaching your half inch main line is next.

                                                                      Figure 2

 In figure 2 at the bottom, where the red arrow is pointing, you will see the half inch main line coming from the pump where I have used an elbow to make the turn up the back side of the wine rack.  The main line runs around the perimeter of the wine rack and the black cable ties are used to secure it.  You will also see the quarter inch bottle tubing coming from the main line to one of the bottles.  More on this later.

 Figure 3

 Figure 3 shows both ends (I did a loop) coming together at a Tee. From the bottom of the Tee I connect to my pump. I took my pump and a piece of half inch main line to the hardware store and found some connectors to make the connection. Since pumps come with different size outlets based on the pump you have chosen this will vary and you will need a trip to the hardware store for some help. Bring your pump and the half inch main line that represents what is coming out of the Tee to your local hardware store.

 Also in this picture you see the catch basin. The size of your catch basin will vary based on the size of your wine fountain. You will need one deep enough so that the pump will be submerged and large enough so the wine rack can be placed on the back edge and the water coming out of the front of the wine bottles will be over the catch basin. I placed my wine rack front about a third of the way across the catch basin. To support the front end of the wine rack, I put a 2x4 across the top and rested the front of the wine rack on it. I also put a mesh over the catch basin to keep the leaves out, however they still managed to get in. You could try a finer screen to keep mosquito out. I use some mosquito dunks to control them. See figure 2
Now your wine rack needs some bottles. How many bottles you want dripping out water is a matter of personal taste as well as how many bottles you want in your rack total. I didn't want a full rack of bottles nor did I want every bottle to be dripping water. You can always add more. I decided I would have about 12 bottles dripping and an equal number or greater just empty. You can play with the arrangement when you are placing the bottles. As I mentioned earlier, you leave the feeder lines long so you can move things around until you are happy with your creation.

 Figure 4

Drilling holes in the wine bottles

You will need a 1/4 diamond drill bit for cutting glass.

Find a small bucket somewhat shallow bucket for your wine bottle to rest in. I half filled my wine bottle with cold water to keep things cool while I drill. I used a towel to set the bottle an an angle with the water toward the bottom. You can see my diamond drill bit at the location I plan  to make the hole.

I have a spray bottle of water that I will use at the point of contact to keep things cool so the glass won't fracture and will be easier on the drill bit. Getting the hole started is the hardest part as the bit will want to walk around. Starting at the bottom of where the label is and not on bare glass, helped get it started. Wear gloves and safety glasses and don't be in a hurry. I drilled this hole in less than a minute with no problems. You may get one that fractures, hence the gloves and the bucket. If it does break it is not explosive, just annoying. There are several Youtube videos you can watch on drilling holes in wine bottles for extra help.

 Figure 5

Figure 5 is a finished bottle with the quarter inch tubing just as an illustration. Next comes the fun part of placing your bottles in the rack and running your tubing to them.

Figure 6

Place the wine bottles that you want dripping in the wine rack. Some high low and in the middle. Using your puncture tool, make a hole in the half inch main line. Put a barb on the end of a length of quarter inch tubing and push that into the half inch main line started hole. Place the other end of the quarter inch tubing into the bottom of the wind bottle hole you drilled. I would leave a lot of slack at this point since you will want to move the bottles around when you see how the water is flowing.

 My husband added a light and put the fountain on remote control.

 Here's a picture of the water flowing from some of the wine bottles.

 This is the first one, my husband made.  It was made with two curved wine racks...a lot smaller. It can be found at Overstock.

My son made this one below, complete with a wine barrel.

 Here are some wine racks  to consider:

Some are at Overstock or Wayfair.  
I hope you try this!  Our friends love this addition to our bathroom.  Lovely ambiance!  My husband actually made the wine fountain and put together a draft for me with the instructions. He is an engineer, so it might seems wordy....LOL. Get creative as you want!  Make it  small or large....


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About Linda @ Life and Linda

Hello, welcome to LifeandLinda. I am from Northern California. I enjoy blogging, Designing Blogs, Decorating, cooking, entertaining, gardening and clogging. I hope you enjoy your visit.