Pioneer Pet Stainless Steel Fountain Raindrop Design

You'll see alot of back and forth on this in the reviews, but it's overall a pretty darn good product. And the price can't be beat. One thing that many of the negative reviews seem to revolve around is insufficient cleaning. This is an open pool of water. It gets bugs, cat hair, saliva, dust, and other household things in it. It needs to be cleaned out regularly. Fortunately, their design is _very_ easy to clean. Even taking apart the electric motor and cleaning it is much, much simpler than it sounds (mostly because you dont really take it apart, the motor is sealed, you just remove and clean the impeller/propeller). Based on my experience, with the necessary maintenance, this thing runs really well. And I find my cat drinks much more water because of it. Things to watch out for: - Dump the water, take it apart, and clean it weekly. This takes no more than 10 minutes. - Pioneer Pet has solid videos on how to clean the main unit, and how to take apart and clean the motor. It's really much easier than you will expect. Pump Maintenance 101 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYyTFv_u3Sw - I don't find that I need to take the motor apart and clean the impeller every week, it can be done once or twice a month, in my experience. - Change the filters monthly. This is about a $3/month expense. They may be good for longer, I'm not sure how to tell. - Use the cleanest water you can. Bottled, purified, reverse-osmosis, soft, whatever you have available. The cleaner the water, the longer the thing will go between cleanings. One thing to watch out for: I had the motor stop working after about 2 months. I was frustrated thinking it was not very high quality, etc. Turns out that a cat hair had gotten down in and wound around the impeller. Once I took it apart and wiped down the impeller, it worked like a charm. Lastly, and this has nothing to do with the product itself, but if you're getting one of these to try to get your cats to drink more water, placement is very important. Put this in a high traffic area, where your cat hangs around near it, or passes by it many times a day. That will hugely improve the likelihood of it being drank from often. EDIT To add two more notes: 1. In my house, I find that I add a coffee-cup amount of water most days. You don't have to, it'll go a few days before getting low enough that the water flow suffers, but I find it easy to just fill up a coffee cup with water and dump it in. I live in the desert, so very low humidity, but also only have one cat. YMMV. 2. The top piece will occasionally rattle a little bit. This is the only noise making part of the fountain. The majority of the time, this is resolved just by tapping the top pieces, which moves it enough that it stops rattling. I'll probably go get a small tube of food-safe silicon caulking and just put a couple tiny dabs on the lip where the lid sits on, to buffer the metal on metal contact. In any case, the noise is usually very minor.

I purchased this modern stainless steel fountain for my 10 year old DMH Calico cat nine days ago (1/6/2015). Initially, my cat walked around this fountain wondering if a CAT UFO had landed in her feeding area. She observed the top of the fountain with the water bubbling and streaming down like a river into the stainless steel pond like bowl . After a week using my Sherlock Holmes tactics, I finally caught her drinking the water from the bowl. I was so happy and relieved. Fountain Versions: The Pioneer Pet Stainless Steel Raindrop Design fountain is available in both black ceramic and stainless steel. I purchased the stainless steel version due to less bacterial infection on stainless steel. The ceramic version can break or chip causing it to be more susceptible to bacteria build up. It is difficult to identify/clean the dirt, grimes and/or potential charcoal dust on black ceramic. I rinse the charcoal filters thoroughly before placing them in the fountain; however, I am not perfect. If I miss a small residue from the charcoal filter, I can see it on stainless steel and rinse the filter again so my cat stays healthy. Pros: A. Construction - The package includes the fountain, one charcoal filter and the fountain cord. It has four parts... the stainless steel bowl, the stainless steel top lid, the cords and the plastic motor house. The motor house is made of white plastic which can be tightly closed. This is where your pump and filter is placed. Safe Practice - Wear gloves when handling the charcoal filter to ensure charcoal dust does not get on your hand and other household items. Charcoal dust is toxic to both cats and humans. B. Design Advantages * Three ways to drink water - from the area where water is bubbling, the river like ramp and the bowl. I was concerned that my cat would not use this fountain so I thought at least I could use the stainless steel bowl if she does not use the water fountain. * Insects will not lay their eggs - What I love about this design is that the flow of water makes little water movement in the bowl discouraging insects and flies laying their eggs in the water. In addition, if your pet drops food in the water in the bowl and you are not around to clean it, she can still drink fresh water from the other two water sources. * Weight - The stainless steel is not too light or too heavy. This is helpful for seniors challenged with joint pain, arthritis or heavy lifting. This fountain prevents cat acne unlike 100% plastic water fountains. The small motor house is made of plastic but the rest of the fountain is stainless steel. * Fast and easy to clean and set up - It is as easy as 1,2,3. It does not take much time to clean stainless steel or set it up. This pet fountain does not have too many nooks and crannies to clean to the point where you regret adopting a pet! This would be a fantastic choice for multi-pet homes or shelters challenged with lack of enough volunteers. * Adjustable Pump - The pump has three speed levels so you can determine the speed of the water flow. If I am in a Zen mood and my cat approves, I will set it on level 3 to get the sound of a water fountain. If I want it to run silently, I will set in on level 2. C. Fountain set up, and Instructions- The instructions have pictures and are easy to follow. Take the motor house, insert the pump (adjust to second level speed) and the charcoal filter after you have rinsed the filter thoroughly and close the motor house lid. The motor house has three suction cups on the bottom which is attached to the bowl preventing it from moving around. Run the cord through the opening of the motor house and fountain (be sure your hands are not wet), put the stainless steel lid on the bowl. Safe Practice - Before plugging it in, place the empty fountain in the feeding area, then fill the fountain with water up to ½ inch from the top of the bowl. Dry your hands before plugging in and turning it on. D. Pump, Water Splash, Pump Noise and Movement - Make sure the pump is placed in the motor house properly otherwise the motor will not run. The pump's black tube should line up with the white hole in the fountain lid. The motor house has a tiny area where the cord could be secured thus preventing it from moving, water splash or pump noise. If the cord is not secured, overtime you will see wear and tear in your cord which is not good. The pump has three settings. I set the pump on level two setting and it runs with no noise or rattle. The higher you set the flow of water, the higher water fountain effect you would achieve. You will not have any pump noise if ... * The water is poured up to ½ inch from the top of the bowl * The pump is cleaned weekly and free of residues and grimes * The pump is set on level two * The pump cord is secured where it needs to be inside the motor house * The pump's black tube lines up with the lid's hole, and * The motor house suction cups are attached to the bowl firmly Tips * Wash/rinse the fountain and charcoal filter thoroughly prior to use to get rid of the plastic odor from the plastic parts and the charcoal dust, etc. * The first time you set up the fountain, fill the fountain with water, let it run for 10 minutes, dump the water, rinse, fill up with water again and let it run for another 3-5 hours prior to filling up with clean water again. * I use three bottled water (16.9 OZ X 3= 51 OZ) to prolong the life of the filter and set the pump on level 2. Tap water leaves a lot of residue. * I wash the fountain by hand to prevent dishwasher residues on the fountain. In addition, the smell of dishwasher soap discourages my cat from using the fountain. In addition, the motor house is plastic. Pioneer Pet states that their fountain is dishwasher safe. I would hesitate washing the plastic motor house in the dishwasher. Overtime, the heat may affect its form. * Clean the fountain at least weekly or sooner, if needed. * Initially, place the water fountain near your cat's water bowl filled with water to ensure she stays hydrated. Once she gets used to it, remove the water bowl. * Put the fountain on your cat's floor mat used for her other bowls. The smell of the floor mat signals that the water fountain is hers to keep!! * Put other water bowls around the house to encourage your pet to drink water. Your cat will find out quickly which bowl contains the freshest water. This promotes exercise for your pet as she would keep running back to the water fountain for drinking fresh water. * Some of the pet retail chain stores do not carry this fountain. After much research, I found Amazon's price to be the lowest (as of 1/2015). * Buy the awesome Pioneer Pet Fountain Cleaning Kit Blue (read my review) and one pack of filter containing three filters. If your pet adapts to this fountain, you can order more filters. Cons: None I would highly recommend the stainless steel version of this water fountain.

I had a 2.5 gallon automatic water before I bought this. He seemed to enjoy drinking out of the toilet bowel more than the automatic waterer. Even if the bathroom doors were shut all day, and his only water supply was the automatic waterer, he still wouldn't drink from it. I think he prefers the toilet over the automatic waterer because it's fresher cooler water. That's why I bought this. The filter would filter out debris and the running water would keep it cool. If your dog is a slob like mine, keep the food bowel a few feet away from the water bowel. It will filter out debris but large chucks of dog food will clog things up. My dog is a slob and when he goes from the food bowel to the water bowl, chucks of his food end up in the water bowel and I have to clean the bowel more often. My only issue with this is I have to keep refilling it. My 80lb Belgian malinois drinks A LOT of water. Probably close to two of these bowels a day. He seems to drink more than other dogs his size. Cleanup is easy enough. The bowel itself is easy to clean, but the white plastic enclosure has some corners that may need a brush. I have a sprayer faucet and it works just fine when I just hot water. There are only three parts that you have to remove from the pump, and it's easy. There is a YouTube video on how to clean it at: [...] I didn't have any problems with it. The plastic enclosure around the pump might be the first thing that breaks, but it hasn't done it yet. The pump is quiet except when the water gets low. Once it gets to about a quarter full, you start to hear the pump. Once it has less than a half inch of water left, it gets really loud. Refilling it with water will quiet it down, but depending on how long it's been low, it might take a minute for the noise to go away. I generally clean this when I replace the filter. I usually do that every 2-3 weeks depending on how the pump is pumping. If you experience a decrease in pump performance, a lot of times it's because a chunk of food is blocking the hole. Opening the plastic container will free it and it will pump again. If that doesn't work, check the filter and see if it's filled with debris. The next step would be to clean the pump. Always clean the pump when you clean the bowel and this bowel will last you. Even though this has been great so far, I'm going to have to sell it and upgrade to the Pioneer Fountain Big Max because my dog drinks so much. I'm hoping the bigger one will work just as well. They both use the same filter.

I first want to apologize for the "one star" rating. However, the skeptics will gravitate to the one star ratings by nature. In fairness, I would rate this "three stars" (my original rating was 5 stars plus one equals average of 3-in case you do the math). Like the heading states, I have had this for six years. If you think you're the GOT product reviewer, think again. I am the grandmaster and by admission I should feel shame or pride depending upon your perspective. I take it to the next level (the next lower level is 5 tiers down) before I can make an informed decision including the obvious reviews as well as working examples and feedback from YouTube (aka beginner stuff). The reason I drew you in (with the one star rating) is that it is doubtful that anyone worth their reputation would waste time on a ho hum 3 star review-the authentic do not eat quick grits which is why I will summarize with a very concise PRO/CON summary below (the method that my favorite and most revered of verified buyers use to post reviews-isn't this the world we live in? No more gimmicks, scams, misrepresentations or false advertising will prevail. We are in the information age and people genuinely want to share their "experience" to pass along their "insight" in an empirical and forthright critique-personal preference, belief system, and biases notwithstanding). So back to my advanced vetting process that allows potential buyers the benefit of vicarious hindsight. I purchased the top 3 rated pet fountains. In my case, it pertains to providing a minimum of 2-3 days of water for two dogs (20-30 lbs. each). In addition, this product (consider it the 4th among the 3 current purchases), will constitute the primary functionality and engineering difference among the 3 I just purchased. The design is far superior to the Pioneer Pet and here's why: Pioneer Pet (again, this is an updated 6 yr. review) PROS: 1. It is a solid build, stainless steel has endured without any signs of rust or corrosion (kinda obvious though). Suction cups are not great, one tore off and has ever since created a PITA to keep it seated while reassembling the filter pump housing-major flaw-see cons for clarification. 2. The pump is built to last. The first went 5 yrs. before replacement 3. It's quiet until inevitably the gurgling starts unless it's refilled (which means the quickly deteriorated quality of the water should be changed altogether-"topping off" as my original review species is not going to provide enough "fresh" water to restore the adequate volume of water and clarity/taste/color, etc.) 4. That's about all I can come up with now. CONS: BACKROUND data collection: At the time I purchased this fountain, it was just about the only game in town. With the perspective of 6 years of usage and realization that I lost too many hours to quantify (time lost that I could've spent researching other products on Amazon-loving you), I feel like I just discovered self cleaning ovens or something akin. 1. the design of a shallow basin, enclosed filter, and allowance of return water to enter the reservoir as well as, biggest peeve, the necessity to remove the power cable from the filter housing in order to clean it ARRRRGGGGHHH!!! 2. too little volume. The water will get "shallow" at about the half full line. The pump gets staved-thanks to the obtrusive filter that gets in the way and is in the wrong location entirely. Trust me on this. There is no "tight seal" between the water entering and the pump intake). The gurgling starts as soon as the larger particles clog the intake and/or the water is too low. 3. Filters-please. Not reusable, seriously. If you are sold on the "active charcoal" b.s., have at it. The charcoal is inactive as soon as a small amount of dog slobber coats the 3 grains wedged between the cotton filters-yes I disassembled one years ago and realized the granular size does nothing to provide any realistic function other than a great concept. If you already own one of these, rinse out the filter (leave the charcoal intact-unless you want to break it open which it is not meant to be-and flush it out with some vinegar or highly diluted bleach and then rinse and reuse. The only way to keep flowing water fresh in this low of volume is to constantly change it-every day is most likely IF you have a dog that doesn't like tainted water). Wow, long parenthesis there. 4. It is a chore to clean-quickly in the sink-without wasting so much water and/or necessitating a dishwasher run which also takes a toll on the rubber and plastic components. The filter housing-again, bad design, will require fine bristle, crevice worthy, attributes. A pre-soak is typically required 5. To many, this may be the deal breaker. The bowl itself is not well thought out. This harkens back to the low level factor in terms of water. The bowl is too wide in ratio to its height. The "fountain" is great if your animal (sorry, didn't mean to alienate the cat people-I have 4 outdoor cats as well) only drinks from the flowing water. If they drink from the bowl, they're angling their neck and having a smaller surface area of water to access (the top portion-call it the cap or lid or whatever-reduces the "bowl" surface area by a good 50%). Remember, I am differentiating this fountain from the "better" designed models available-more about this later if you're into novels. 6. The filters. As I mentioned, they need to be snapped into place and change frequently, do very little to prevent fine hairs, lint, airborne nuisances, etc. from bypassing it, and are stuffed into the "clamshell" outer housing that rarely stays put so aligning the spout with the top is a problem. Did I mention that this outer housing is both unnecessary to the models out there and the primary "mold reef" of the entire unit. 7. Water flow. I am positive that the shape and location of the filter-sucks through the bottom instead of the side-allowing all the bottom particles that naturally precipitate and flocculate-to be at the same level of the filter so that they are always "stagnating". What I mean is that the MANDATORY natural downward flow of the circulating water passes through the filter (think mountain spring water as it flows through porous rock) rather than being pulled from the water sitting at the bottom of the river bed (again, analogically speaking). To me, this is the deal breaker. 8. Cleaning requirements are far too frequent. Here's the math: Shallow basin + poor circulation + ineffective bottom-up filtering + slime accumulation = daily cleaning and unhappy pets. In summary, I recommend circulating pet bowls that work in a literal "circle". Water is pumped from a tall water basin, best if filter is a side inflow, cascades THROUGH a filter element-reusable indefinitely, and has an open, large basin from which your pet and a friend can drink simultaneously OR without tilting downward their muzzle. Believe this, the difference between a 45 degree and 30 degree neck bend in thermal dynamics (flow of air, water, or other matter through an enclosed space) is major. Consider it more work for your pet and less efficiency (like an exhaust vent for your drier-the more bends in it, the less air is passing through AKA CFM reduction). The one I like the best has a 3 L capacity, is entirely transparent to easily detect any mold growth or discoloration, is easy to clean, has a large open basin with optional "spout", consists of fewer parts, and made of high quality, heavy gauge, BPA free plastic (in terms of break resistance, SS is best but unfortunately not transparent). Plastic will outlive SS in case you're planning for a million years ahead-extra super value in that case. I dare to drop names but you've gotten this far (kindred spirits-you like insurance seminars too? I figure I'd put you out of your misery. I owe you that. Conclusion (hallelujah). In a completely perfunctory fashion,I settled on the one that checked all the boxes. I may be updating this review in 6 yrs. but in the meantime, I'm pretty confident (hint: Pecute brand) you'll arrive at your own conclusion. -Amen For the masochist among us: enjoy my original 5 star review I bought this contraption with trepidation. The reviews were mixed at the time. When it arrived, it appeared to be pretty "flimsy" and cheaply made. At that time, I wasn't expecting it to last more than a month at best (I figured the tiny pump would burn out hence I kept the box and invoice handy). However, after having it still going strong for the last "non-stop" 8 months, I am impressed which is why I took the opportunity to share positive feedback. Being a stickler for quality and design, I wasn't overly impressed with the gauge and grade of "stainless steel" which is a bit light weight-namely the cover-but the bowl is solid and the lid/upper section has been fine. There's no rust and it washes up with soap and hot water without any unnecessary scrubbing. Did I mention the pump is still working? And I mean 24/7. As long as you keep the water clean (flushing it out thoroughly at least once a week is ideal for one dog and one cat in my house) and then thoroughly cleaning it every other week works for me. While it is running, remember to keep it filled. If the water runs too low, it'll start gurgling and the pump will starve and water won't circulate. Just add water as the saying goes. At first I thought it was just a novelty for my dog but now she's keen on drinking from the spout as it flows into the bowl. It's kinda comical how she'll be drinking from the spout as it runs down the channel while the cat is hunched below lapping it up from the bowl. It does what it says it dose.The water flows with just a soothing sound that won't spook my cat for whom I purchased it originally because he seemed insatiable. I learned that he had CRF and there was no way I could keep up with his consumption using a regular water bowl. This device is great for this specifically because the volume of water it holds is nearly 2 quarts while the filter keeps the water free of hair and particles that would otherwise remain on the surface or stick to the sides of the bowl and/or clog the pump. I've re-used the original filter for the duration by rinsing it off and then allowing it to soak in a solution of hot water, vinegar and a little bit of bleach. I also use hot (from the tap) water and vinegar/bleach as a flush by allowing the machine to run as it would with fresh water. This way you can allow water to circulate through the filter as it would normally. Or you can drain the dirty water and just refill it (aka the "lazy" way that does not require a complete break down of components). The bottom line is that you need to keep it clean but there's really no maintenance other than that. If you want to spend the money, buy the filters. What you gain is the freshness of the charcoal which also adds a "fresh taste" and reduces odor. However, after a week or two, it'll need to be replaced to restore the "charcoal" effect. Otherwise, just keep rinsing it off and keeping it in its place allowing "filtration" of anything that would otherwise impair the pump. If you're buying filters because you believe the water is going to remain clean, save the money and just ensure that you're using clean water and that you always keep it topped off. If you do, you'll find that your pets will most likely drink more water while you'll benefit greatly with the added confidence that your pets will be well provided for at least a couple days should you forget to top it off completely. I highly recommend it.

Background: I've had my eye on this fountain for a couple months and only recently pulled the trigger on it. I have a 1 yr old black short-hair cat that's been drinking out of a small ceramic bowl since I got him in April. It was one of those sets that came with two bowls and an elevated stand that had rings the bowls sat in/on. Having these bowls that close to each other led to a lot of transfer of tiny food bits that would foul up the water quicker than I could change it. Also, I have to admit, it does get tedious making sure the water is always fresh and plentiful. My cat seems to stop drinking once the bowl gets half full so this only led me to the conclusion that I need something bigger and probably automatic with a filter. Now that the back story is done, on to the review. What drew me to this over the more popular drink well varieties was the look, sleek and modern with a stainless steel finish that would do a good job at keeping germs at bay too. Additionally, this was a tad cheaper as well as the replacement filters and with a great return policy through Amazon I figured the risk was worth a try. I ordered the product last Thursday and with free shipping (5-8 days) I received it much earlier, just this past Monday so I was already off to a good start. The parts inside the box were nicely wrapped in a paper covering, much like the material you stuff gift bags with and that was fine to protect the stainless steel finish; no scratches to report. After unboxing and reading through the directions (2 pages only!) it seemed that this was going to be a quick, easy setup (spoiler - it was). Set Up: The only real technical part of the setup was securing the motor inside the cavity of the motor/filter case(all really obvious when you get it). The motor has two suction cups on the bottom that when pressed firmly inside the plastic guide in the cavity secures it very well. Then you take the included filter (after you let it stay under a cold stream of water from your faucet (as per the directions)) and place it on the curved part of the motor/filter case (another very obvious location). The wire that comes from the now-secured motor is snaked through the back of the motor/filter case and there is a small slit that the wire can slide into to allow the motor/filter case to snap shut. Mind you, it was important to properly secure the motor in the correct rotation because the top of the motor/filter case has a plastic spout that needs to be placed on top of the similar spout that is on the top of the motor (for blowing the air to create the fountain effect). Once again, this is all very simple and obvious to fix as I needed to take a second and line up the two spouts correctly. Now with the assembly of the motor/filter case complete, the next step is placing the case into the bottom of the fountain which has a faint stamped outline to give an estimate of the placement area. Once you press firmly on the case (it has suction cups on the bottom of the case) it is secure. Note that you may need to slightly adjust the placement even within the stamped outline because the next step is placing the top part of the fountain on top of the bottom which sits nicely on a raised edge. Once again, you need to align the spout opening of the top part of the fountain with the spout of the case; hence needing to make a very slight adjustment in the positioning of the motor/filter case. There is another small hole on the back of the top part of the fountain that you snake the rest of the power wire through which ultimately you insert into the block-style plug. After filling the fountain with water up within a half-inch of the top, its time to plug into the outlet and let it do its thing. The pump started right away though the directions say it might take a minute or two to start running. I never changed the speed of the pump from its factory default setting and the noise of the motor was pretty non-existent. When you have a TV on normal volume or just having a conversation in the vicinity of the fountain, its barely audible and even at that sound level, it just becomes faint background noise. My Impressions: After it was up and running, I took his old water bowl and washed/dried it and filled it up with food as a secondary food bowl. My cat does not overeat so leaving that much food allows doesn't concern me with him overeating and if he does I'll just adjust the food level I leave in the morning. He warmed up to the fountain right away, naturally curious of course. What surprised me was that he went right to the fountain (top part where the pump is, well pumping the water) and the slide part and after a few initial paws at the water stream, started drinking and drinking and drinking. I haven't seen him drink from the basin part which is most similar to his old set up of just a water bowl so it makes me think that the running water parts is more natural to him, even after all these months of a plain, dumb water bowl. Another thing that intrigued me, and I may have missed it in the product details, is that it makes the water cold and keeps it cold. It isn't freezing by any means but definitely a good amount below room temperature. I assume this might promote more drinking since it probably makes the water less stale in taste (in addition to the filter). When I woke up this morning and came downstairs, there he was drinking from the top of the fountain again. At the end of the day, I can't guarantee that this will make your cat drink more water but it at least gives the impression that he is more interested in it to say the least. The coolness of water's temperature probably makes it more attractive to drink while the 3 drinking options can't hurt to foster more drinking (top of fountain/slide/basin). What matters to me is that I feel better about the quality of the water (having a filter) I am giving him and the fact that he took to it so quickly and still seems to be OK with the change. The instructions are clear, also telling you how to properly replace the filter, change pump settings and how to clean the motor itself if it becomes sluggish. It's an attractive piece of machinery and is actually smaller (in a good way) than I thought it would be. I can definitely envision this being OK to use with a two-cat household while 3 may be stretching it. I bought this with an extra 3-pack of filters so that should last me at least 4 months with a monthly change. In conclusion, for the price I paid (less than 40$), this is one of the cheaper cat-fountain models but it definitely does not cut any corners in the quality of the product and the results, at least in my case. As previously mentioned but worth repeating, the peace of mind it brings knowing that he has a constant source of clean, cold fresh water is worth the price alone. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask as I highly recommend this particular fountain-bowl.

I really wanted to give this five stars but I only gave it three stars due to one major flaw in the design at least in my opinion this is a major cost issue. This stainless steel pioneer pet fountain is well-designed except for one crucial part and that is, there is a white plastic housing that holds the water pump and the carbon water filter that holds itself to the stainless steel fountain by use of what looks like clear silicone suction cups in the first design flaw is that about every four days I completely dismantle this fountain taking everything apart to completely clean and reassemble but after a few months of doing this and removing the white plastic housing from the stainless steel fountain that holds the filter and pump the suction cups break off one at a time making the housing useless because this is not something that can be repaired. The second design flaw also has to do with the same plastic housing for on the back part of the housing is a small slit in the plastic that you insert the power cord that comes from the water pump that plugs into the wall that obviously provides power to the pump but as you go through the process of disassembly to clean this pump with the rest of the fountain and put it back together that small slit in the plastic housing has sharp edges that eventually starts cutting its way through the electrical power cord going to the pump that is obviously underwater during operation and I started becoming worried that if this cuts through too far it might end up electrocuting my cat and she is family. The first problem is that I have not found on Amazon where you can purchase the plastic housing separately and at least at the time I checked you can purchase a replacement water pump for the fountain but that costs about $20 and considering if you purchased it that would be all you would receive is the water pump considering that the entire pioneer pet stainless steel fountain you can buy for about $40 which includes everything so you might end up paying twice the cost of a water pump but you get the whole enchilada. So I simply purchased an entire new pioneer pet fountain even though I only need the white housing to replace the one with the suction cups that broke off. The stainless steel found itself is made very sturdy and there are no sharp edges and it is easy to clean and the pump has worked without any problems and my cat likes it. I also decided because it's so cheap to buy a case of Nestlé pure life by the water I just put bottled water into the fountain because cats don't drink much anyway so it's very inexpensive to give her bottled water and this prevents that hard mineral buildup from developing in the first place which like I said is a pain in the butt to remove. So a note to the manufacturer I would definitely redesign the housing that holds the pump and carbon filter or add a package of extra suction cups that can be added as needed when the old ones break off for that cannot be that expensive of a change and secondly I would round off the plastic where the electrical cord to the water pump goes through to prevent damage to the water pumps electrical power cord. I hope this helps for I am definitely not a professional reviewer as you can tell, LOL

Super disappointing. I bought this exact fountain just about a year and a half ago and wanted a new one because of some unslightly scratches and calcium deposits (not super noticeable, but I figured I wasn’t maintaining it as well as it should be and decided to splurge and start a new. I made it a point to select the ‘buy new’ option.... definitely not new. First, the interior packaging wasn’t repacked correctly (just kinda put back in the box so it wound close. Second, all of the pieces were assembled. Previously, the white plastic case that housed the pump was in a separate bag, apart. This time the pump was adhered (suction cups) in the white case, which was already assembled, and adhered (suction cups) to the fountain base. Oh, and a USED filter was in the case as well (case with pump; as it would be when fully assembled.) Oh, and the hair/fur. There was dried pet hair/fur all on the interior of the fountain and in the rubber stopper/bubbler between the rubber and underside of the top. Super disappointed; definitely not worth the price if it’s specifucslly noted as being ‘new’. One of my 2 cats is allergic to plastics, and can’t eat/drink from ‘regular’ plastic bowls and some ceramics are iffy so I was so happy to find this one (originally, about 1.5 yrs ago) and she didn’t have any reaction to it (her front mouth/under nose area would swell and get real red with previous dishes; but just a few days after swapping this in and the swelling was gone and the red rash was just pink and hasn’t returned since.). That’s a main reason I didn’t give it 1 star- that it is a good product.... if new (and if I DID choose a used item, I would hope they would clean it well enough that there wouldn’t be so much hair/fur left behind. It’s nit an exaggeration, there was enough to be able to tell it was either a medium length feline coat or short/medium canine coat that was light brown or a strawberry type dirty blonde color with some white. (And no, it wasn’t from my cats. 1 cat is white with 3 black spots/areas and the other is varying shades of grey with a little white...) Again, good product (I even accidentally let it run at a lower than desired water level for a 1/2 day and it didn’t overheat, make lasting weird noises, or break). Solid product, fast shipping, but not what I selected (new one) which made the price pretty unreasonable. I would still recommend this product, as new, as I do think it’s a great fountain (really quiet too). Just disappointed this time :/

Both my cats love drinking from this elegant, stainless steel fountain. People who say it gets "gunked up" aren't cleaning it properly. If you have lime or other minerals in your water, it will start to have mineral deposits. Because this is food-grade stainless steel, you can clean it with vinegar and Brillo soap pads. Just be sure to thoroughly wash out the lingering soapy smell. People who say it's noisy might be putting it in spot where the floor isn't 100% level. I find that adjusting it a bit on my floor (house was built in 1958) gets rid of any vibrational sound. I set it on a thick plastic mat under it to prevent spills landing on my hardwood floor, and I think this also reduces vibration, which might cause it to be noisy. Also, the pump inside needs to be set just right to be quiet, and the water level has to be kept up to where the fountain has enough water to be silent. When I hear the fountain making a noise, I know the water level is too low and as soon as I fill it up, the pump gets quiet again. I've had this fountain for 4 years now and the only part I have had to replace is the filter., and those are durable enough to last a bit beyond the 1 month time limit, although for the health of your cats you really should change it on time. Overall, this fountain was worth every penny I paid for it. I had tried plastic fountains before this one, and my cats rejected all of them. This fountain deserves the "paw print of approval."