Bakyard Waterfall Pro

A steady sheet rather than a splash, closer to rainfall than a tap. The 450 L/hr pump is adjustable, so you set it: a soft trickle indoors, or opened right up for the courtyard. At 25 dB the pump itself adds nothing.

Two years — at least double what the category quotes on a pump, where six to twelve months is normal. And there's a 30-day money-back window if you decide it isn't for you, refunded in full.

It is polyresin, not stone. The slate texture is applied by hand, so depth and pattern differ piece to piece rather than repeating off a mould, which is what gives the cheap ones away at arm's length.

The 9 L reservoir runs three to four days between top-ups and fills from a watering can. In a hot spell check it weekly. Like any water feature it will go green if it sits still in full sun, so keep it running.

Generally the opposite. Mosquitoes need still, stagnant water to breed, and independent guidance treats moving water as a control measure rather than a cause. A fountain that is running is doing that work.

Bakyard, an Australian business holding this in our Sydney and Melbourne warehouses. Orders are dispatched within 24 hours and land in 2-5 days. It is not coming off a boat six weeks from now.

Yes, and that is what the adjustable flow is for. Turned down it is a trickle, and with the pump at 25 dB there is no motor hum underneath it. It is rated for indoor use as well as outdoor.

It runs on mains power, so it needs a power point within reach of the cord. Most people run it off an existing outdoor point. There is nothing to wire and nothing to plumb.

$249 buys the 450 L/hr adjustable pump and the 9 L reservoir — the two parts that decide whether a water feature still runs in three summers. It beats buying a cheap one twice.