[Bill_Head]

What product(s) would you recommend to seal & waterproof the bottom of a fountain basin in order to prevent water from seeping through the concrete joints between the bottom and sides?

 

[joecaption]

Fountain basin?
Guess you mean the joint where the wall and slab meet.
The trick is to keep water from ever getting to it.
Working gutters.
Down spouts leading away from the foundation.
Grade sloping away from the foundation.
No mulch piled up againt the foundation.
No flower beds forming ponds.
May even want to concider a french drain.

 

[user1007]

What is the fountain made of? Is it seeping at plumbing joints or is the material not sealed and seeping itself?

If you need to line the basin you might need to consider fiberglass or some sort of pool liner material from a pool and patio shop. Or you could have a metal pan made for it at a metal shop. Hard to tell what you need from your description. If you have a waterscaping company in your area they should be able to help you. The deal with such things on a regular basis.

 

[Thurman]

"the bottom of a fountain basin". I'm picturing exactly that-- the water collection area at the bottom of a fountain. This is where the fountain's water pools to be pumped back up and over the fountain. It sounds as if this is a multi-piece concrete basin with the bottom and side-walls being separate pieces. I can only suggest shutting the fountain down, draining/removing all the water, allowing this area to completely dry, then coating it with some type of concrete sealer that would not be too gawdy after curing.

 

[Bill_Head]

The fountain is made of separate pours of concrete walls placed on top of a concrete patio. The water seepage is occurring from inside the fountain and is leaking out underneath the walls onto the concrete patio. I was considering a two-part epoxy paint, which allows tinting to match the color of the fountain. The useful life of such coatings is usually 2-3 years.
Do you think a clear silicone caulk would do a satisfactory job of waterproofing the bottom area? This would be cheapest.
Any other ideas?

 

[user1007]

Seams like silicone would be hard to tool smooth.

What about swimming pool gunite?

You might swing by a pool and spa company in your area to see what they suggest. If you have an artisan concrete company doing countertops with integrated sinks they should be able to recommend a sealer for you. PM me if you need names of a couple to call if none are near you.

If you reinforce the epoxy or other resin with fiberglass cloth I should think you would get more than two years out of it? You could almost use the concrete basin as a mold and make the fiberglass unit separate by introducing a mold release.

I was orginally thinking cutting some rubber pool liner material to size would work? Depending on size and complexity of the shape, metal would be a possibility?

Found this and other possibilities with a quick google search for fountain liners.

http://www.sanitred.com/WaterFountain.htm

 

[Bill_Head]

It appears that RUST-O-LEUM Leak Seal, which comes in a spray can like spray paints, is a cost-effective alternative. According to the can, it should be applied in two coats. First, a light coat, then a heavier coat. It's the same material you've seen on the commercials that is used to repair leaky gutters and seal the screen door in the bottom of the small john boat. It's now available in clear/white from Home Depot.

 

[user1007]

Not sure I can tell for sure whether the OP has a leak problem or a natural seeping problem through the porosity of the material? I fear trying to caulk seams will just expand the seepage outward? Seems like some sort of liner or overall coating is called for here but hard to tell without seeing it.

 

[paulsmith544]

It is a bit common thing which every fountain faces you can do any thing if you want to maintain the beauty of your fountain and also get rid of the seepage you should call the people from the fountain maintenance shop they will do it better so that the beauty of your fountain will remain same.

 

[AllanJ]

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