Pool Water Features Guide: Scuppers, Sheer Descents, Water Bowls and Fire & Water Bowls

Pool water features give a raised wall or spa dam a purpose and add the sound of moving water that makes a backyard feel finished. We at Urban Supply are an authorized TessaRai dealer, and nearly every order comes down to the same questions: stream or sheet, plastic or metal, bowl or no bowl, and whether fire belongs in the picture. This guide sorts out the four kinds of pool water features TessaRai makes and when each one fits.

The Four Kinds of Pool Water Features TessaRai Makes

TessaRai is the outdoor line from Travertine and More, and its water features fall into four families.

• ABS pool scuppers. Molded plastic outlets that set into the wall and throw a defined stream, in 8 colors. Browse the TessaRai pool scuppers.
• Sheer descents. The same molded ABS family, built with a lip that shapes the water into a flat sheet.
• Metal water spouts. Stainless steel or copper hardware that stays visible on the wall face. See the TessaRai metal water spouts.
• Concrete water bowls. Hand-cast bowls with a spillway in the rim, sold bare, as fire and water bowl kits or as stand-alone kits. Start with the TessaRai scupper water bowls.

Molded ABS fits a thin wall or a long run of outlets. Metal fits when the spout itself is part of the look. A bowl fits when the feature sits on top of the wall rather than through it. Plenty of pools mix them, with sheer descents along the main wall and bowls on the end columns.

Stream vs Sheet: Pool Scuppers and Sheer Descents Explained

Every pool scupper does one of two things with water. A stream scupper gathers the flow into a rope or arc that lands with a splash, which is louder and livelier. A sheer descent spreads the flow across a lip so it falls as a clear, flat sheet, which is quieter and reads like a pane of glass. Choose by sound first and looks second.

TessaRai's molded ABS line covers both. The stream scuppers are the Fitz, Big Mouth, Corbin, Square One and Runnel. The sheer descents are sorted by lip depth:

• Sheer Rain with a 6-inch or 9.5-inch lip
• Rain Curtain
• Sheer Wave with a 1-inch or 6-inch lip
• Sheer Fall with a 4-inch, 6-inch or 12-inch lip

A deeper lip projects the sheet farther from the wall, so a 12-inch Sheer Fall lands well out into the pool while a 1-inch Sheer Wave hugs the wall face. Go deeper if the sheet has to clear a ledge or coping below the outlet.

All of the ABS scuppers and sheer descents come in the same 8 colors: White, Black, Copper, Brown, Bronze, Silver, Gray and Gold, so the outlet can vanish into plaster or read as metal hardware.

Metal Pool Wall Spouts in Stainless Steel vs Copper

A metal pool wall spout is the choice when you want the outlet to show. Each style comes in stainless steel, which keeps its bright finish, or copper, which weathers to a natural patina and darkens over time.

The Radius, Slimflow and Open Top Spillway each come in three lengths. Metal spouts also pair with the concrete bowls, since the fire and water bowl kits ship with a stainless steel spillway and plain bowls can take a copper sleeve.

Scupper Water Bowls and Matching Bowls on a Raised Wall

A scupper water bowl is a cast concrete bowl with the spillway built into the rim: water fills the bowl and pours out the front in a single sheet. These are the water bowls for pools that sit on a raised wall or a column and run off the pool's own plumbing. TessaRai casts them in GFRC, which is glass-fiber reinforced concrete, in the same 8 finishes as its fire bowls: Black, Beach Sand, Beach Dune, Grey White, Light Grey, Charcoal and Medium Grey from stock, plus Coastal Blue, a special-order color that costs more and takes longer.

• Round: 27-inch (99 lb), 33-inch (194 lb) and 39-inch (294 lb, built to order, allow extra lead time)
• Square: 24-inch (67 lb), 30-inch (127 lb) and 36-inch (242 lb)

When you set two or three bowls on one wall, keep them the same size and finish. Bowls of one size spill from the same rim height, so once the installer balances the feed, the sheets fall evenly. Confirm the wall can carry each bowl plus the water in it.

Plain TessaRai cast concrete bowls can be converted too, with a black curved spillway on a round bowl or a black cut-in straight spillway kit on a square bowl, and copper sleeves are made for the same round and square sizes as the scupper bowls.

Adding Fire: Fire and Water Bowl Kits and the 360 Fire and Water Bowl

A fire and water bowl puts a gas flame in the center of a scupper bowl, so the water pours over the front while the fire burns above it. The TessaRai fire and water bowl kits come in round 27-, 33- and 39-inch sizes and square 24-, 30- and 36-inch sizes; the 39-inch round is built to order, allow extra lead time. Each kit includes the scupper bowl, flat pan, ring burner, hoses, fittings, key valve, lava rock and a stainless steel spillway, with a 12-inch ring on the 24-, 27- and 30-inch bowls and an 18-inch ring on the 33-, 36- and 39-inch bowls.

Every kit comes as Match Lite, a manual key valve ignition with no electrical hookup, or Auto Ignition, an electronic igniter with a low-voltage transformer connection and WiFi control from an app. You choose natural gas or propane at checkout, and a licensed gas plumber must install the gas side. Our Concrete Fire Bowl Buying Guide: Sizes, Match Lite vs Auto Ignition, Gas vs Propane goes deeper on sizes, burner rings and ignition.

The 360 fire and water bowl is a 40-inch round outer bowl with an inner fire bowl, and water cascades 360 degrees around a central flame. The kit includes the pump and pipes, a 6-inch ring, hoses, fittings and lava rock, in Match Lite or Auto Ignition, and because it recirculates from its own basin it works as a stand-alone centerpiece too. TessaRai also makes 30- and 36-inch round double fire and water bowls in stainless steel or copper with Auto Ignition. For bigger fire features, our outdoor fireplace buying guide compares gas, wood, fire pits and fire tables.

Stand-Alone Water Feature Kits for Patios and Courtyards

Not every water feature needs a pool. The TessaRai water feature kits recirculate from their own basin and ship with the pump, pipes and fittings, so the installer's job is power and placement. All of them come in the same 8 finishes as the bowls.

• 360 Kit with a 30-inch round bowl, 10 inches tall. Water sheets off the full rim.
• 360 Kit with a 25-inch vase bowl, 27 inches tall. The same all-around fall from a taller vessel.
• Double Bowl Round Kit. A 30-inch basin bowl with a 27-inch spillway bowl stacked above it.
• Double Bowl Square Kit. A 30-inch square basin with a 24-inch spillway bowl.
• Mushroom Fountain Kit. A mushroom-shaped dome of water for a softer fountain.

These kits suit a courtyard, an entry or a patio corner. If the same plan includes a spa, our hot tub buying guide covers inflatable, frame, built-in and wood-fired options.

Plumbing, Installation and Winter Care for Pool Water Features

Most TessaRai pool and wall water features include a 1-inch female thread fitting for standard pool plumbing, but they should still be plumbed by a pool or water-feature installer, who sizes the pump and line runs for the number of outlets, balances the flow between them and sets each unit level. On a new build, hand the installer the specs before the wall goes up.

Gas is a separate trade: any fire and water bowl needs a licensed gas plumber, and Auto Ignition kits also need the low-voltage transformer connection run to the bowl. Large bowls ship by freight, so plan for curbside delivery and a crew or equipment to lift the bowl onto the wall.

Cast concrete is durable but porous, so the care routine is short but not optional:

• Apply a penetrating concrete sealer once a year, or more often in a harsh climate.
• Wipe bowls down with mild soap and water and skip acid cleaners.
• Use a fitted vinyl cover when the feature isn't in use.
• In freeze regions, drain water bowls and cover them before the first hard freeze, since trapped water can crack the bowl as it freezes.

What Is the Difference Between a Pool Scupper and a Sheer Descent?

A pool scupper is any outlet that pushes water from a wall into the pool, and a sheer descent is the kind that shapes it into a flat sheet. Stream scuppers such as the Fitz and Big Mouth throw a defined stream that splashes when it lands, while sheer descents such as the Sheer Fall and Sheer Rain use a lip to spread the water into a curtain.

Can I Turn a Plain Concrete Bowl Into a Water Bowl?

Yes. A round cast concrete bowl takes the black curved spillway, which includes its water line and fitting, and a square bowl takes the black cut-in straight spillway kit. Add a copper sleeve if you want the inside lined in copper.

Does a Fire and Water Bowl Need Both a Gas Line and a Water Line?

Yes, and they belong to two different trades. The water side runs through the bowl's plumbing fitting and is handled by your pool or water-feature installer, while the gas side runs to the key valve and is installed by a licensed gas plumber. The 360 kit is the exception on the water side, since it recirculates from its own basin.

How Long Does It Take to Get Pool Water Features Delivered?

In-stock scuppers, spouts, bowls and kits typically arrive in 7–14 business days. Pieces that are built to order, such as the 39-inch round bowls, take about 4–6 weeks as special-order items, and the Coastal Blue finish adds lead time as well.

Ready to Plan Your Pool Water Features?

Decide stream or sheet first, then the material, then whether fire belongs in the design. If you're unsure which lip depth or bowl size fits your wall, contact us and we'll help you spec it. You can also browse the full TessaRai fire bowls and water features collection. Free shipping on orders over $299, certain exclusions apply.

Related reading: Concrete Fire Bowl Buying Guide: Sizes, Match Lite vs Auto Ignition, Gas vs Propane, Outdoor Fireplace Buying Guide: Gas, Wood, Fire Pits & Fire Tables and Hot Tub Buying Guide: Inflatable, Frame, Built-In & Wood-Fired.