LED Fountain with Stones (Dollar Tree)

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Dollar Tree is the store where everything is famously sold for just $1.25. However, recently the deep discounter has started selling some products that cost more than $1.25. These items are part of the Dollar Tree Plus line, and it includes a selection of home goods and seasonal items. Most Dollar Tree Plus products in my local stores cost either $3 or $5. That’s still cheaper than what some items go for in the other dollar stores such as Dollar General and Family Dollar, where I’ve seen prices as high as $20 for certain items.

While browsing in the Dollar Tree Plus section at one of my local Dollar Tree stores not long ago, I found several types of small battery-operated decorative fountains in various designs. They looked intriguing, so I bought one to try at home.

The LED Fountain with Stones cost $5 at Dollar Tree. That’s a lot less than what other tabletop fountains go for on Amazon, where it’s not easy to find ones for less than $20, and they go up substantially in price from there.

Here’s more information about the Dollar Tree fountain, according to the box:

Features an LED light
For indoor use only
All-natural river stones included
Requires two 1.5V AA alkaline batteries (not included)

This is distributed by Greenbrier International, Inc., which is the company behind certain Dollar Tree private label products.

Dollar Tree LED Fountain with Stones — Directions on the back of the box. (Click to enlarge.)

The outside of the box and an instruction sheet in the box include directions for setting up and using the fountain.

Insert two AA 1.5V alkaline batteries (not included) according to polarity.
Fill the reservoir with approximately 6-8 ounces of water or until a steady, full stream is achieved. The water reservoir is located in the base. There is a small opening around the upper base that allows water in. You do not need to remove any parts or screws; simply pour the water in. Do not overfill the reservoir as it may cause splashing or leak. Never operate the fountain without water. Refill the reservoir when necessary. To reduce mineral deposits and bacteria buildup, replace the water every two weeks.
Place rocks for decoration, avoiding the water intake area.
To operate the fountain, turn the power switch to the ON position. If the fountain does not flow immediately, turn the power off and on two or three times to prime the pump and remove air from the line. To avoid damage to the pump, do not run the fountain for more than 48 hours at a time.
Keep fountain on a level and stable surface while in use.
Replace the batteries when running water slows.
To drain the fountain, remove the rocks and slowly turn the fountain upside down.

Using the Fountain:

So how well does this fountain work? And is it easy to use?

Setup is intuitive. I simply opened the battery compartment on the bottom of the fountain’s base and put in two AA batteries. Then I put the rocks in and filled the base with water. I ended up using a little less than 8 ounces, since 8 ounces filled the base right to the brim and seemed like a bit too much water. After that, I flipped the switch on the back of the fountain and it immediately began running.

This is about what I expected for a $5 fountain. The blue watery-looking background is a little cheap looking. There is one single light in the center of the base, and it doesn’t provide a lot of light.

The motor is a little loud, but you reduce the motor noise if you keep all the rocks toward the front edge of the fountain base. That way, the falling water collects in a small pool at the base, and the sound of water splashing into the pool does a lot to drown out the motor noise.

This fountain does splash quite a bit when you run it over time, even if it’s not filled too full. You definitely need to place it on a surface that isn’t going to be damaged by moisture. I might even recommend placing a small cloth or tea towel under the fountain to absorb the splashing. I’ve owned other larger, mid-priced tabletop fountains that also splashed some, so I’m not surprised that this one splashes, but it’s definitely the “splashiest” of all the fountains I’ve used. It leaves a significant amount of water on the table around it after running for a couple of hours.

The water comes down from the top of the fountain in five narrow streams. I noticed that after several hours of continuous running, the water streams on both ends were weaker than the three water streams in the center. I even tried adding a little more water to the base in case the problem was water loss due to splashing, but that didn’t fix the issue.

This is an okay little fountain for the price, but I wouldn’t say it’s anything special and you can definitely find better fountains — and ones that splash less — if you’re willing to pay more. For now, I have this running on my glass-topped coffee table in my sunroom. It looks nice and adds some ambiance.

This might also look good on a kitchen counter where water damage is less of a concern. It’s an ideal size to use on a desktop at home or at work, but the splashing is a definite downside to using this at a desk, especially around electronics or paperwork. The fountain is intended for indoor use only, but it might also work on a covered porch or patio as long as you don’t leave it out during cold winters.

I’m not sure whether I’ll keep this fountain because of the the splashing issue, but if I do keep it, I’m thinking about placing this on my covered front porch for the summer.

The Verdict:

Dollar Tree sells several small tabletop fountains as part of its Dollar Tree Plus product line, which features products that cost more than $1.25. I bought the LED Fountain with Stones for $5. It’s easy to set up and use, and it adds some fun ambiance to any room. However, it splashes a lot. If you have a spot to put this where the water won’t cause damage to any surroundings, its a fun little find. Otherwise, you might want to pay a little more for a fountain that splashes less.