Tips 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

"jmcquown" wrote in message
...
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

They also make cleaning kits especially to fit Drinkwell fountains. I got
this one http://www.thecatconnection.com/Drin...aning-Kit.html but you
can find even cheaper ones out there like this one
http://www.thepamperedpetmart.com/Me...e=Shopping.com
which is basically the same but without the plastic handles.

Hugs,

CatNipped

CatNipped wrote:
They also make cleaning kits especially to fit Drinkwell fountains. I got
this one http://www.thecatconnection.com/Drin...aning-Kit.html but you

Hmmm... I just put mine in the dishwasher... except for the pump, of
course.

--
Victor M. Martinez
Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)
Send your spam he
Email me he

"Victor Martinez" wrote in message
...
CatNipped wrote:
They also make cleaning kits especially to fit Drinkwell fountains. I
got this one http://www.thecatconnection.com/Drin...aning-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


--
Victor M. Martinez
Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)
Send your spam he
Email me he

CatNipped wrote:
"Victor Martinez" wrote in message
...
CatNipped wrote:
They also make cleaning kits especially to fit Drinkwell fountains. I
got this one http://www.thecatconnection.com/Drin...aning-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

--
Victor M. Martinez
Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)
Send your spam he
Email me he


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

"KMP" wrote in message
. ..
CatNipped wrote:
"Victor Martinez" wrote in message
...
CatNipped wrote:
They also make cleaning kits especially to fit Drinkwell fountains. I
got this one
http://www.thecatconnection.com/Drin...aning-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

--
Victor M. Martinez
Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)
Send your spam he
Email me he


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

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

KMP wrote:
CatNipped wrote:
"Victor Martinez" wrote in message
...
CatNipped wrote:
They also make cleaning kits especially to fit Drinkwell
fountains. I got this one
http://www.thecatconnection.com/Drin...aning-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

--
Victor M. Martinez
Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)
Send your spam he
Email me he


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

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

On Mon, 18 Jun 2007 13:07:39 -0500, "jmcquown"
wrote:

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.

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...

Karen AKA Kajikit wrote:
On Mon, 18 Jun 2007 13:07:39 -0500, "jmcquown"
wrote:

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.

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...

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

On Mon, 18 Jun 2007 16:28:59 -0500, "jmcquown"
wrote:

Karen AKA Kajikit wrote:
On Mon, 18 Jun 2007 13:07:39 -0500, "jmcquown"
wrote:

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.

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...

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.)