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Those who like the independence and eco-friendliness of solar powered water features are limited to watching and hearing the gentle flow of water when there’s bright sunlight. And that’s not too often in the British climate. The solution to this problem is simple – Solar Powered Water Features With a Battery Backup. The solar panel charges the battery, and you run the water feature from that when it’s cloudy and even into the evening.
My review looks at the pros, cons and features of five models in different styles and gives my recommendations. The Buyer’s Guide offers a warning followed by some advice to help you choose the right solar water feature with battery for your needs.
Best Pick
Runner-up
Best Solar Powered Water Features With Battery Backup reviews
1. Aqua Moda Solar Terracotta Cascade Water Feature With Solar LED Lights
Best Pick
Buy on Amazon.co.uk
The Aqua Moda Solar Terracotta Cascade Water Feature With Solar LED Lights is a traditional water feature consisting of a jug that streams water through three small bowls with spouts into finally a large collector bowl at the bottom of the structure. Everything is arranged in a curve on a metal frame that makes for a visually pleasing water flow.
This water feature is constructed of natural clay (terracotta) and remains in its original pinky colour. Terracotta is a durable material but it can dry out and it can break or chip if it’s dropped heavily. However, having a natural material in your garden is worth the little bit of extra care you need to take with it. Just remember to take it indoors in cold weather.
The solar panel provides 2.5W of power to the garden feature. For cloudy days or if you want the water feature on at night, there’s a built-in rechargeable battery. The battery is more than sufficient to pump the 200L of water per hour that this water feature manages.
And for mood lighting, this unit comes with an LED light for the bottom bowl that casts a glow upwards through the whole structure. This gently illuminates both terracotta bowls and the water stream giving a warm glow.
Pros
- Solar powered (2.5 kW) water feature and 200L/hour pump.
- Made of natural coloured terracotta.
- Water flows from a jug at the top through three smaller bowls with spouts into the large collecting bowl at the bottom.
- Frame is made of coated metal.
- LED light in the lowest bowl provides night-time ambience.
- Comes with rechargeable battery for cloudy days and dark hours.
- Timer included stays on for three hours every 24 hours.
- Easy to assemble.
- Fully self-contained with a closed loop water system.
- Dimensions: 36cm (width); 31cm (depth); and 53cm (height).
Cons
- Instructions are a bit vague.
- The bowls need to be secured to prevent accidental knock-overs.
Our recommendation
With its traditional design of a jug and four bowls arranged in a curve, the Aqua Moda Solar Terracotta Cascade Water Feature With Solar LED Lights fits into any garden landscape design. Made of natural terracotta in its original colour, these organically styled elements work together in a metal stand to gently cascade water to the large bottom bowl.
The Aqua Moda Solar Terracotta Cascade Water Feature With Solar LED Lights is the Best Pick of the water features in this review.
2. Blumfeldt Solar Powered Liquitorre Garden Fountain
Runner-up
Buy on Amazon.co.uk
The Blumfeldt Solar Powered Liquitorre Garden Fountain gives off a minimalist vibe with the tapering cylindrical column and the perfect sphere mounted on top. Made of dark grey polyresin with a rippled texture throughout, this water feature is durable and lightweight, resisting both rust and mould.
The texture of this feature allows the water to bubble down the sphere into the collecting basin in an interesting way. Don’t expect a smooth flow, it’s more of a wave-like stream of water. But that adds visual interest as well as a different sound.
The solar panel has a generous 300cm2 of area to collect sunlight which is either used immediately or stored in the 3.7V battery. It’s on a 5m cable so you have freedom to move it around quite far for the best patch of sunlight.
The battery runs the water feature when there’s not enough sunlight, including at night when the LED lights at the top of the sphere become visible as an a low-key glow. When the battery is fully charged it runs for an impressive eight hours. To switch to battery mode, simply press a button on the back of the solar panel.
If, after you’ve carefully checked the dimensions of this fountain, you decide you want a larger one instead, check out the Blumfeldt Liquitorre XL Garden Fountain – Solar Fountain. This is the same minimalist model but is 70cm high and has an 11L water tank.
Pros
- Polyresin solar powered fountain with a sphere on top of a cylindrical tower base that tapers at the bottom.
- Dark grey polyresin surfaces are rippled.
- Solar panel is 2W and has 300cm2 of sunlight-collecting surface.
- Water pump circulates 200L/hour of water.
- Water tank holds 5L of water.
- Cable between solar panel and water feature is 5m long.
- Built-in rechargeable Lithium-ion battery (3.7V, 2Ah).
- Battery lasts for up to eight hours when fully charged.
- Battery has LED light that indicates that the charge is approaching minimal levels.
- Four white LED lights are at the top of the sphere
- Fully self-contained with a pump-powered water circulation system..
- Dimensions: 27.5cm (diameter) and 56cm (height).
Cons
Our recommendation
The minimal design and neutral colour of the Blumfeldt Solar Powered Liquitorre Garden Fountain fits into most patio décor and garden landscapes. The large solar panel powers a strong stream of water and the battery, when fully charged, keeps things going for another eight hours.
I like its minimalist style in contrast to the best pick. The Blumfeldt Solar Powered Liquitorre Garden Fountain is the Runner-up in this review.
3. Blumfeldt Savona Solar Fountain – Water Feature
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The Blumfeldt Savona Solar Fountain – Water Feature is designed to look like a stack of natural rock bowls down which water cascades. The water flows out of each bowl at a different angle, giving an interesting stream of water to watch. Everything collects in the lowest bowl and is pumped back to the top. You just have to remember to top up the water tank in this self-contained water feature.
This water feature is made of polyresin that’s coloured and textured to resemble roughly hewn rock. Polyresin is lightweight and weatherproof, plus it resists mould and frost. It’s a durable material to have in your garden, but it’s still best to bring in the water feature in the cold months.
LED lights in the bottom bowl throw light upwards to the undersides of the bowls above and to some of the water flow, giving everything a slightly different colour.
The solar panel is separate from the feature and connects via a cable. The panel is on a stake which is easily put into the ground in the best patch of sunlight you receive. The 2.8W of power produced by the solar panel is enough to circulate the water throughout the feature and to charge the 7.5V Lithium-ion battery. On a full charge, the battery lasts for five hours.
Pros
- Rock-like solar powered water feature made of polyresin textured as rock.
- Designed as water flowing down a stacked pile of rock bowls into the collecting rock bowl at the bottom.
- Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery (7.5V) operates for five hours when fully charged.
- Solar panel produces 2.8W of power and is 9V.
- Warm white LED lighting.
- Solar panel (300cm2) on a stake to easily put into the garden or even indoors.
- Fully self-contained with a water tank and pump system.
- Dimensions: 30cm (width); 21cm (depth); and 47cm (height).
Cons
Our recommendation
The Blumfeldt Savona Solar Fountain – Water Feature adds a rustic element to your garden landscape. Designed to represent stacked hewn rock bowls, this water feature offers a meandering water stream that flows down the pile. LED lights gently cast a glow on the underside of some of the bows and the water. Made of polyresin, this water feature is weatherproof and durable.
4. Amur Granit Pills & Bowls Solar Water Feature
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The Amur Granit Pills & Bowls Solar Water Feature has a solid looking appearance of dark grey granite, but it’s made of textured impact-resistant polyresin. This makes it lightweight as well as durable, weatherproof and resistant to rust and mould. The two suction feet under the base of the structure ensure that it sits as solidly as it looks.
Within a cut-away cylinder shape, two bowls sit on different heights of the structure and water flows from one to the other and down to the collection basin that’s about halfway down. The bowls are rimmed with the same metal-looking polyresin as is the outline of the cylinder. It’s quite minimal yet still substantial.
The pump that circulates the water has an in-built filter. You don’t have to worry about leaves or other garden debris being sucked into the circulation system as they are strained out. The solar panel is separate to the main structure and sits within a rust-proof aluminium frame for protection.
The Lithium-ion battery is recharged by the solar panel and works on overcast days and darker evenings. I like the safety feature on the battery that shuts off the pump when the battery reaches the minimum charge it should hold. This protects the battery from completely draining and being difficult to recharge.
The LED light in the collection basin shines upwards and gives a soft glow to the underside of the top bowl and the water stream between the bowls. You won’t have any trouble seeing as well as hearing your water feature at dusk.
Pros
- Solar powered (2W) water feature with a significant solid-looking appearance.
- Constructed of plastic finished to look like grey textured granite in two finishes.
- Water flows through two bowls on pedestals within a cylinder shape down to a collection basin halfway down the structure.
- LED light in the collection basin.
- Pump has an integrated filter.
- Lithium-ion rechargeable battery acts as backup on non-sunny days (and nights).
- Safety feature on battery cuts it out when it falls to its minimum charge.
- Solar panel is safe within an aluminium frame.
- Fully self-contained with a water tank and circulation system.
- Dimensions: 34cm (width); 31cm (depth); and 68cm (height).
Our recommendation
The Amur Granit Pills & Bowls Solar Water Feature is a good choice if you like the look of granite but don’t want a heavyweight water feature built of the original material. The two granite textural finishes in this model contrast with each other well, as does the metal-looking ring around the bowls and the column. The rechargeable battery is a backup for cloudy days as well as the power source for the LED lights in the evening.
5. Pizzaro Solar Bird Bath Water Feature With LED Lights by Solaray
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The Pizzaro Solar Bird Bath Water Feature With LED Lights by Solaray looks like a fountain that you’d find in an old town square somewhere in Italy. Made of pinkish polyresin finished to look like concrete, this is really a fountain with two levels to collect the water. And by choosing the number of jets you want to spray, you can change the look and workings of this fountain.
The fountain consists of two square bowls at different levels. The water nozzle on the top level sprays water up into the air and that falls down into the top bowl; the water collects and overflows to the lower level bowl from where it’s circulated back up to the nozzle. Some online reviewers have complained that the water sometimes sprays out of the bowls. While this is a bit messy it also means that you have to refill the water tank quite often. But as long as there’s enough water to circulate, the fountain also acts as a bird bath.
The solar panels and the rechargeable Lithium-ion battery are built into the structure of the fountain. The fountain runs automatically each day as soon as the battery is charged up by sunlight on the solar panel so you don’t have to worry about switching it on. White LED lights in the upper level bowl come on automatically at dusk if the fountain is still running – another thing you don’t have to worry about turning on.
And don’t forget that this makes a great bird bath for your feathered visitors as well.
Note: Please double and triple read the dimensions of this fountain. It’s small and nowhere near as large as it looks in the photo.
Pros
- Fountain water feature, solar powered, in two levels that works as a bird bath as well.
- Styled as an olde world fountain in an Italian piazza with a pinkish concrete-looking finish to the polyresin.
- Water exits from the fountain nozzle at the top and splashes down into the top bowl where it overflows into the lower level bowl.
- Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery for cloudy days and after dark use.
- Three fountain heads to choose from – 1 jet, 6 jets or 8 jets.
- White LED lights in the upper level bowl.
- Solar panels are built in to the fountain.
- Pumps circulates 200L/hour of water.
- Fountain runs automatically each day.
- Fully self-contained with a pump-powered circulation system and a water tank.
- Dimensions: 47cm (width); 33cm (depth); and 80cm (height).
Cons
- Water splashes out of the fountain bowls quite a bit.
Our recommendation
The Pizzaro Solar Bird Bath Water Feature With LED Lights by Solaray has an olde world charm as a fountain while also serving as a bath for the birds that visit your garden. Made of polyresin but finished in a pinkish concrete texture, this water feature has both a built-in solar panel and a built-in rechargeable Lithium-ion battery. I like that you can choose the number of fountain jets, from a single jet for a directed stream to seven jets for a more impressive and wider water flow.
Buyer’s Guide for Best Solar Powered Water Features With Battery Backup
Our Buyer’s Guide contains both a warning and some advice to help in your purchase decision.
Warning – Size of water features
It’s not unusual for me to talk about dimensions and size in the Buyer’s Guides, but it’s really important in this review of solar water features with batteries. In some of the sales photos, the water feature looks large and in others, it’s just impossible to tell how large it really is. And a common complaint in the online reviews of these products is that they are much smaller than expected.
That’s why you really have to read the dimensions and map out the actual size using as tape measure and string. In general, these water features are much smaller than you think. All of those in this review are under 90cm tall. Think about it this way – all of these water features fit on a table top.
The size of these solar water features means that they fit anywhere in your garden or on your patio. And it’s easy to move them around if you find that they, and the solar panels, end up being in a shady part of the garden.
Power
Solar powered garden features are powered by sunlight. The ‘sun’ part of this is important as daylight just isn’t enough. A cloudy day doesn’t have enough of the sun’s rays to power these units.
Solar panel
Sometimes the solar panel you receive is separate from the water feature structure and sometimes it’s built-in. The separate panels are connected by a cable to the main structure and the length of that cable determines how far away the panel can be. So you can have your water feature in a shady area and your solar panel in a sunny one if the connecting cable is long enough.
With the built-in solar panels, you’re limited as the water feature itself has to be in the sun. Choose your type of solar panel carefully depending on the location you want to put it in.
Battery
The backup battery is a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery. It’s charged by the solar panel and may take quite a while to get to full power. In most cases, the battery is an integral part of the water feature but occasionally you may find that it’s separate. Sometimes the battery kicks in to play when the sunlight vanishes; other times you have to flick a switch to change from solar power to battery power.
All the solar power water features with batteries seem to operate in their own way and I didn’t find any real standard across the board. And not all manufacturers give information about the batteries. I liked it when the sales information included: Volts; Ampere hours (Ah); time to recharge; use time when fully charged. But it doesn’t happen too often.
Final Conclusion
If you’re thinking of buying a solar powered water feature, then buying one with a backup battery extends your use and delight of this water feature. Put on the fountain on cloudy days or use it as ambient light and gentle sound in an outdoor dinner party in the summer. I present a variety of design styles of these water features in my review to suit most patio and garden landscapes.
The Best Pick is the Aqua Moda Solar Terracotta Cascade Water Feature With Solar LED Lights. This classically designed water feature is the only one in this review made of a natural material – terracotta clay.
The Blumfeldt Solar Powered Liquitorre Garden Fountain is the Runner-up. This is a minimalist design that goes well in any garden landscape.
I’ve reviewed plenty of other garden and indoor water features, both solar and mains electricity powered. Please read 8 Best Self-Contained Water Features – Comparison & Reviews; 7 Amazing Solar Powered Water Features For Small Gardens; and 5 Best Indoor Water Features for Relaxation and Health.
And for comfortable seating in which to relax and listen to your water feature, check out Best Garden Furniture Sets to make the most of summer.
Last update on 2024-04-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
