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Cat Forum / Cat Anecdotes / June 2007Tips for Drinkwell Fountain Owners
I buy authentic Drinkwell filters (a 3-pak) on eBay from a user whose handle is 'debnroo'. It's cheaper than buying them at PetCo or Petsmart and they've always offered free shipping. Oh, and Kajikit! Pay particular attention to the instructions about removing the motor and cleaning it when you clean the fountain (I clean my fountain once a week). Otherwise it can burn out and then you really *would* have a $35 cat toy. You can buy a cheap long skinny brush wherever they sell aquarium supplies. A small straight toothbrush will also work. And don't forget to remove the "impeller" (the little propeller thing). It's held in place by a magnet and pulls out easily. You need to clean the inside of the motor where the impeller fits; that's where it gets gunked up. Jill >I buy authentic Drinkwell filters (a 3-pak) on eBay from a user whose >handle [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > Jill They also make cleaning kits especially to fit Drinkwell fountains. I got this one http://www.thecatconnection.com/Drinkwell-Cleaning-Kit.html but you can find even cheaper ones out there like this one http://www.thepamperedpetmart.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Cod e=CleanKit&Affiliate=Shopping.com which is basically the same but without the plastic handles. Hugs, CatNipped > They also make cleaning kits especially to fit Drinkwell fountains. I got > this one http://www.thecatconnection.com/Drinkwell-Cleaning-Kit.html but you Hmmm... I just put mine in the dishwasher... except for the pump, of course.  SignatureVictor M. Martinez Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM) Send your spam here: uce@ftc.gov Email me here: pistorLITTER@BOXaustin.rr.com >> They also make cleaning kits especially to fit Drinkwell fountains. I >> got this one http://www.thecatconnection.com/Drinkwell-Cleaning-Kit.html >> but you > > Hmmm... I just put mine in the dishwasher... except for the pump, of > course. We don't run our dishwasher enough to be sure the fountain is cleaned and then put right back out ;> Hugs, CatNipped >>> They also make cleaning kits especially to fit Drinkwell fountains. I >>> got this one http://www.thecatconnection.com/Drinkwell-Cleaning-Kit.html [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > CatNipped As far as I can see, our Drinkwell doesn't come apart. I rinse the dish and the feeder section out every other day. Woodgie don't play in the water, just drinks from the fountain occasionally. The pump isn't exposed to the air or the water - why would it need to be cleaned? For that matter, how? I don't get it... Kathy >>>> They also make cleaning kits especially to fit Drinkwell fountains. I >>>> got this one [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > matter, how? I don't get it... > Kathy Loose fur (which every cat household has lots of) can clog the impeller and cause the motor to burn out. Here are some cleaning instructions from: http://www.vetventures.com/FAQ.asp How often should I clean the fountain? Clean the fountain and the inside cavity of the motor with soapy water about every two weeks. In between (weekly), take apart and rinse with hot water. If you have a reservoir container, lift it out of the back of the fountain and quickly turn upright. Unscrew the reservoir lid and remove the black rubber O ring. Unplug the fountain, remove the cover and pull out the filter. Empty water out of the fountain. Remove the upper housing of the fountain by pressing in the tabs at the sides and lifting up. The flow control knob and stator are not attached and are freed when the housing is removed. Remove the motor from the fountain (refer to "How do I clean the motor?"). Is the fountain dishwasher safe? Remove the motor before cleaning the fountain. The motor is NOT dishwasher safe. Refer to motor cleaning instructions. The Additional Capacity Reservoir containers along with the black rubber O Ring located in the reservoir lid are NOT dishwasher safe. Hand wash the reservoir container with a mild detergent and rinse well. The rest of the fountain is top rack dishwasher safe. How do I clean the motor? Unplug the fountain, remove the cover and pull out the filter. Empty the water out of the fountain. Turn the bowl over and remove the motor from its cavity by slipping your finger into the indentation behind the motor and pulling that end of the motor out toward you so that it has turned a quarter of a turn. Carefully lift the impeller out of the motor. It should slide out easily with no resistance. Remove any hair tangled around it and wash it with the rest of the parts. Pour soapy water into the inner cavity of the motor and scrub with a small round bristle brush or cotton swab. Rinse well and replace the impeller after it is cleaned. For detailed cleaning instructions with diagrams, download the instruction manual. Here's the manual (which has pictures): http://www.vetventures.com/pdfs/DPFmanual.pdf Hugs, CatNipped >>>> They also make cleaning kits especially to fit Drinkwell >>>> fountains. I got this one [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > cleaned? For that matter, how? I don't get it... > Kathy What are you, 12? You obviously haven't looked very closely. The fountain part where the filter is comes off from the top of the basin. Um, you do know what a filter is, don't you? And the motor is attached through the base. As for the why... why do you wash glasses you drink from? Because they get dirty. Jill > What are you, 12? And what are *you*? Rude for no reason? SignatureJoey Dee from NYC Remember: It is To Laugh a few Ketzl pix <http://tinyurl.com/2a5u8b> >> What are you, 12? > > And what are *you*? Rude for no reason? You have to wash the fountains. What, you don't *ever* wash a cat water or food bowl? That's just a stupid thing to say. >>> What are you, 12? >> >> And what are *you*? Rude for no reason? > > You have to wash the fountains. What, you don't *ever* wash a cat water or > food bowl? That's just a stupid thing to say. No comment on your continued ignorance and false assumptions. SignatureJoey Dee from NYC Remember: It is To Laugh a few Ketzl pix <http://tinyurl.com/2a5u8b> > >> What are you, 12? > > > And what are *you*? Rude for no reason? > > You have to wash the fountains. What, you don't *ever* wash a cat water or > food bowl? That's just a stupid thing to say. Jill??!!! I think Kathy is just asking an honest question, about dismantling it to clean the inside parts that are not exposed. (I'd probably just use Victor's method -- *everything* here goes in the dishwasher!) Sherry >>>>> They also make cleaning kits especially to fit Drinkwell >>>>> fountains. I got this one [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > > Jill That's a really rude post, Jill, what got into you? Let's start this again: Your Drinkwell fountain comes apart to clean and as I have one I can tell you how... Blimey, I thought I was in a bad mood on the group recently (sorry, all) but that is probably because I am awaiting news from my blood test to see if my cancer has returned or not. What's your excuse? Tweed >>>>>> They also make cleaning kits especially to fit Drinkwell >>>>>> fountains. I got this one [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] > > Tweed Possible the stress from the horrible accident her nephew was in? Jo >>>>>> They also make cleaning kits especially to fit Drinkwell >>>>>> fountains. I got this one [quoted text clipped - 32 lines] > > Tweed Let's say I'm under a lot of stress since my nephew was run over by a drunk in a truck who has a revoked drivers' license and no insurance. No one is likely to pay his hospital bills. They just put a titanium pin in his leg and he's in a back and arm brace. My father went to the cancer center again this morning; he's still being treated for his 2nd bout of lymphoma and they are trying to determine whether or not its come back. Me, I still can't seem to find a job and I have another brother who is a total a.s calling me on the phone screaming at me about going to make sure my parents have a WILL and by the way, why does he care? And by the way, the Drinkwell fountain comes with instructions about how to take it apart and clean it. I'm not going to read the manual to this person. Sorry if I was rude but it's a simple matter to read the directions. Jill >I buy authentic Drinkwell filters (a 3-pak) on eBay from a user whose handle >is 'debnroo'. It's cheaper than buying them at PetCo or Petsmart and [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >It's held in place by a magnet and pulls out easily. You need to clean the >inside of the motor where the impeller fits; that's where it gets gunked up. I got them a 'freshflow' fountain not a Drinkwell (that was what the Pet Supermaket sells...) it doesn't actually 'waterfall' the water, it slides it down a chute so it doesn't make any noise, but aside from that they're probably identical inside... >> I buy authentic Drinkwell filters (a 3-pak) on eBay from a user >> whose handle is 'debnroo'. It's cheaper than buying them at PetCo [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > slides it down a chute so it doesn't make any noise, but aside from > that they're probably identical inside... Could be. Read the instructions carefully. There has to be a motor propelling that water up to the chute and it's bound to require cleaning. Jill >>> I buy authentic Drinkwell filters (a 3-pak) on eBay from a user >>> whose handle is 'debnroo'. It's cheaper than buying them at PetCo [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] >Could be. Read the instructions carefully. There has to be a motor >propelling that water up to the chute and it's bound to require cleaning. The instructions said to clean the inside part out once a month and to use filtered or bottled water in it if you had hard water... (we do, so I filled it out of our Britta jug.) >>>> I buy authentic Drinkwell filters (a 3-pak) on eBay from a user >>>> whose handle is 'debnroo'. It's cheaper than buying them at PetCo [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > use filtered or bottled water in it if you had hard water... (we do, > so I filled it out of our Britta jug.) I clean the motor every time I clean the fountain (once a week) and I'd recommend that simply because it may be easy to forget to do on a monthly basis. I just recently replaced Persia's 6 year old (Drinkwell) fountain with a new one I'd had stashed in the closet... it was running fine but getting harder to clean. I doubt that makes any sense, but it's true. I don't filter my drinking water because it's quite nice. It's not "hard" and it's not "soft". A nice balance. I remember visiting my aunt & uncle in Pennsylvania and their water was so soft I couldn't get shampoo to rinse out of my hair. UGH! Not a problem here. Neither is the water too hard. No bottled water for me! Jill > I got them a 'freshflow' fountain not a Drinkwell (that was what the > Pet Supermaket sells...) it doesn't actually 'waterfall' the water, it > slides it down a chute so it doesn't make any noise, but aside from > that they're probably identical inside... That's the one we had! It just recently started making a lot of noise, so we bought a new one, different brand. SignatureVictor M. Martinez Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM) Send your spam here: uce@ftc.gov Email me here: pistorLITTER@BOXaustin.rr.com >> I got them a 'freshflow' fountain not a Drinkwell (that was what the >> Pet Supermaket sells...) it doesn't actually 'waterfall' the water, it [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > That's the one we had! It just recently started making a lot of noise, so > we bought a new one, different brand. OK, so I am going to have to ask. Why do you all buy these "fountains" for your cats? What is wrong with "a bowl of fresh water"? <puzzled> Tweed >>> I got them a 'freshflow' fountain not a Drinkwell (that was what the >>> Pet Supermaket sells...) it doesn't actually 'waterfall' the water, it [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Tweed I bought one because our cats were so into running water. Their preferred water source being a dripping faucet in the kitchen sink. And because I really like to make sure they drink enough water. Its a problem for Jake. The fountain was more trouble for me to maintain than it was value to the cats. Since I couldn't hear it, I would forget to fill it. And it is difficult to clear properly and often. I gave it to my daughter, and we let the sink drip. As well as a faucet outside. (That one has a thing that is just supposed to drip when a pet licks it, but it drips a little bit all the time as well. We just keep a water bowl under it and have some very happy maple trees that like the moisture) I'm now in the market for a water bowl to put there that Kayla can't tip or move. But not so big she can get soaking wet in it. She seems to think one of her ancestors is a spaniel. Jo >>>> I got them a 'freshflow' fountain not a Drinkwell (that was what >>>> the Pet Supermaket sells...) it doesn't actually 'waterfall' the [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > > Jo Persia kept sticking her head under the running water when I was brushing my teeth. The bathroom counter was the only counter I ever saw her get up on but man did she want to drink from that running tap! So I got her a fountain and she loves it. Jill >>> I got them a 'freshflow' fountain not a Drinkwell (that was what the >>> Pet Supermaket sells...) it doesn't actually 'waterfall' the water, it [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Tweed I can't answer for everyone, of course, but there were a couple of reasons I bought one for Ketzl. 1.) I'm a sucker for him. 2.) I read that they keep the water fresher and more palatable. 3.) He is drawn to moving water and really likes drinking from it. It's a FreshFlow Deluxe, not a Drinkwell, but they're similar. I don't know that I would replace it if it broke. They are a pain to clean -- weekly -- in order to keep them working right and from growing bad bugs. He also has two glasses from which to drink that I refill twice daily. He also tries very hard to drink from mine, which is almost always at my side. The ultimate insult is that he prefers the toilet (I keep the lid down, though, so he can't get at it.) Maybe I'll just put in another bathroom that I'll never use for my own purposes. That way I can be sure the water in the bowl is clean enough for him to drink. :-) (No, I'm not *that* much of a sucker.) SignatureJoey Dee from NYC Remember: It is To Laugh a few Ketzl pix <http://tinyurl.com/2a5u8b> >>>> I got them a 'freshflow' fountain not a Drinkwell (that was what the >>>> Pet Supermaket sells...) it doesn't actually 'waterfall' the water, it [quoted text clipped - 34 lines] > The ultimate insult is that he prefers the toilet (I keep the lid down, > though, so he can't get at it.) I think they like the toilet because the porcelain keeps the water so cool. Try throwing a couple of ice cubes into his fountain - I think he would enjoy that, mine do. Hugs, CatNipped > Maybe I'll just put in another bathroom that I'll never use for my own > purposes. That way I can be sure the water in the bowl is clean enough for > him to drink. :-) > > (No, I'm not *that* much of a sucker.) > OK, so I am going to have to ask. Why do you all buy these "fountains" for > your cats? What is wrong with "a bowl of fresh water"? <puzzled> You only have to refill it once a week or so (depends on humidity) and wash it once a month or so? It has a filter, so the recirculation helps keep it clean. And it's fun. :) SignatureVictor M. Martinez Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM) Send your spam here: uce@ftc.gov Email me here: pistorLITTER@BOXaustin.rr.com On Jun 21, 4:19 pm, "Christina Websell" <spamf...@tinawebsell.wanadoo.co.uk> wrote: > >> I got them a 'freshflow' fountain not a Drinkwell (that was what the > >> Pet Supermaket sells...) it doesn't actually 'waterfall' the water, it [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Tweed I've never had one. I've always been curious about them, but lordy, I spend so much on the cats already that a fountain is just one of those "extras" that I always figured we could do without. I don't have a handy place to plug one in, either. Sherry >>> I got them a 'freshflow' fountain not a Drinkwell (that was what the >>> Pet Supermaket sells...) it doesn't actually 'waterfall' the water, it [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Tweed It encourages them to drink more water (and since CRF is the number one killer of cats, this can never be a bad thing) because: a) the water is filtered through charcoal and is aerated as it falls into the bowl, so the filtering and extra oxygen make it taste much better than water in a bowl; b) cats eyes can only detect motion and they have trouble seeing the surface of still water - a lot of times they'll try to get a drink, "miss", and get water up their nose and this *DIS*courages them from drinking water (always a bad thing); c) since the water is in constant motion it never gets stagnant. I first got my Drinkwell because Bandit was getting older and her kidneys were not working as effeciently (and she *hated* getting water up her nose so wouldn't drink enough from her bowl). Especially after she became blind, the Drinkwell was a blessing for her - she could hear where the water was. She drank much more than she did before I got it. I don't find it that tedious to take care of - I just give it a thorough washing once a week (and since we have *VERY* hard water here in Houston I soak it in vinegar about once every 3 nonths to disolve the minerals that build up on it). Hugs, CatNipped |
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