In the current days, these architectures are utilized to beautify town parks and squares, to honor occasions and people and for leisure and recreational reasons. There are many kinds of fountains and they comprise splash, drinking and musical models. Musical fountains produce a spectacle with light, music and liquids. They use jets of liquid and programmable spouts controlled by a computer. They were initially stated during the first century AD. They are capable of imitating several sounds such as that of trumpets, muskets and cannons.
Splash fountains are also called bathing pads and they are designed for people to cool off during hot summer seasons. They are located at places they can be accessed easily and do not have nonslip surfaces or standing waters. Standing waters are avoided to reduce hazards of drowning in order to leave them unguarded and unsupervised.
Splash pads are positioned in public pools, playgrounds or parks. In some, the waters are heated by solar power harnessed through darkly tinted granite slabs. They have various designs with common ones containing walkways between lines of nozzles on either side. People walk on the walkways and are sprayed by the nozzles.
A drinking fountain is meant to provide drinking water to humans and they contain sinks placed in rows with continuous streams or taps. People who need to drink must bend to the sink to do so. Indoor versions have chillers for lowering temperatures and filters for eradicating impurities. They are positioned in public sites like rest areas, libraries and grocery stores. Regulations demand that they have designs that make it easier wheelchairs users to drink from. Provisions for kids and short adults must also be incorporated.
Old fashion architectures relied solely on gravity and difference in level of elevation for functioning. This however changed in the 19th century when steam and electric pumps started being used to pump water. In the 20th century, most urban jets started to recycle their waters in closed circulating systems.
In modern structures, removal of solids from circulation is done by filter. They need chlorination and anti-algal treatment once in a while. Topping is important to replace dehydration through evaporation whereas overflows after heavy rains need to be handled by allowances incorporated in the design. A 12 volt power source runs them. Colors can be added in the waters to offer them a different appearance that suit a certain function. Pumps are responsible for pumping water through the plumbing network.
Water fountains may be powerful and unsafe if poorly managed. The tallest one on the globe is over two hundred meters tall. Regular maintenance is needed to ensure they function properly and remain hygienic. Manual assessment is needed particularly in rainy seasons.