Review: Drinkwell Platinum Pet Fountain
Wednesday November 19, 2008
The Drinkwell Platinum Pet Fountain has received mixed reviews everywhere I've seen them. I presently have a love-hate relationship with mine, and have to give it a mixed review also. Why? Because I have two of them. The older one works almost silently, almost flawlessly. The newer one has had problems almost from the first. Could it be a QC issue?
Your experience with the Drinkwell Platinum may be entirely different. If so, or even if you concur, you have the opportunity to post your rate and review of this product, in the form provided directly below my review.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of PriceGrabber
Comments
I bought one a little over a month ago.
I love it. It’s in the TV room away from the food in the kitchen, but the cats still use it, and they use it a lot, at least those cats that will drink inside. I’ve got one that always drinks from whatever catchpool he can find outside, including our pool. The latest adoptee used to beg for me to turn on the faucet just a little while I was in the bathroom so that she could drink from it. No more. The youngest at two years is still having fun playing with it, wetting her paws and then licking them dry.
My unit fits perfectly together. The water tank fits with no problems, and I’ve never had it close to overflowing. It occasionally makes noise, not just the gurgling from the reservoir filling the bowl, but it seems that a bubble will get trapped every now and then making a noise. In the TV room with the TV on, you can’t hear it. Most of the time it is quiet.
The problem is the occasional cat fight around it, and then they manage to get wall wart knocked lose.
I would love to try out a fountain for my cats but since they are all made of plastic and one of my babies is allergic to plastic, I’ve had to stick to a plain water bowl. I have the same problem with auto-feeders, they’re always plastic. Does anyone know of any non-plastic fountains or feeders available on the market?
I’ve had one for nearly two years. It overflowed once. I traced the problem to the screen that fits around the control lever. That screen had become clogged and the water in the front bowl could not get to the back to recirculate, so it overflowed. Now I check that screen on a regular basis. Otherwise, it’s been great.
I would love it if Bryan Price and ChipMac would post their reviews in the form under my review. Your blog comments will soon be out of sight, but the review will remain on my site as long as I am here.
Hated it! Talked to someone that loved theirs and the clean water gave new spunk to their ailing cat, so I bought one and it was VERY NOISY and scared my cats. No more new vibrating noises in my house!
I have one of the older models and all 4 of my kitties love to drink out of it. You do need to take it all apart and scrub the parts to remove cat hair, lint and miscellanous crud that gets in it. I have had mine over 3 years and only replace the filters. I use the extra resevoir to ensure enough water for all the kitties. They like the trickling sound of the water so much, 2 of the 4 wait patiently in the bathroom sinks for us to turn the water on to drink as well.
Our five cats love it! At first it was “different” and they had not authorized it being there. But there was curiosity although they would not give us the satisfaction of actually using it. But now one or the other of them is always there, drinking.
We, too, had one overflow problem and it was indeed the little screen being clogged, as described by a previous poster.
Here are a couple of tips to keep things working well: Change the black filter frequently. Clean that screen frequently. When the unit starts to rattle a little bit just add some water to the tank. I usually put about 1/4 of a tank in and the noise stops. And be sure and clean it well (I do this when I change the filter)–using a brush to get the cat hair, etc. out of it.
I have the Platinum model and the furkids absolutly love it. It is a bit noisy sometimes (especially if the water runs low) but nothing too bothersome. I take it apart about once a week and give it a good scrub with vinegar (to remove calcium deposits) and washing-up liquid. It takes about 5-7 minutes. I only use bottled, spring water which is not only good for the kitties but also minimises calcium deposits. The one thing that takes some getting used to is the sound of running water. In the beginning, I thought we had a leak. But it’s also good feng shui and most people find the sound relaxing.
I have an older model and my complaint is not the noise but the black stain the filters seem to leave on the bowl. They do NOT scrub off. Any suggestions?
I have had this for a couple of years and the cats love it. However, the water pump seems to have given out…does anyone know where to find a replacement pump?
Replacement parts for the Drinkwell fountains can be obtained from the manufacturer’s website @ http://www.vetventures.com
about the question of non plastic feeders – YES, there is 1 that I know of: perfectpetfeeder.com
about water fountains NON PLASTIC yet to find such a thing ! I wish they would make one from glass – so much better for animals or humans. Plastic has been known to leach toxins in bottled water .
Cheers,
Angelina
I have a love hate relationship with the new model. I had used the old one for years and it was time for an update. The new one holds more water, easier to clean etc. The noise is about to do me in!! It is upstairs and I can hear it downstairs….pump is not strong enough, the water lands behind the target and makes it very noisey. I had it overflow once but the intake filter only needed cleaning, sometimes I wish I had my old one back!
I just got my platinum model in the mail yesturday. I filled it up and plugged it in.It was a little noisier that I had expected. I then ran a few errands. Came home about 2 hours later and the entire resevior was empty and all over my floor. The bowl was overflowing. I emptied it, reassembled it to make sure everything was right and then filled it all again. I let it run for about an hour and everything seemed fine. I then unplugged it and went to bed. When I got up the this morning, again, the bowl was overflowing all over my floor and the entire reservoir was empty. I called the company I had ordered it from and they told me they had never heard of it doing this and are sending me a replacement. I hope the new one doesn’t do this.
I, too, have a love-hate relationship with this fountain. I bought two platinum fountains and from the very start the pumps were very noisy. I followed suggestions in the manual, but nothing worked. Finally I called the manufacturer and they sent two replacement pumps out. One of which was also noisy when it arrived, the other has intermittent bouts of noise. I can hear it 40 feet away. I called the manufacturer again and was told they would only give me one more pump, though both units are still warranty. I didn’t think that was fair, so I contacted a local consumer advocacy group, 7 on Your Side, and they contacted the manufacturer. They suggested the manufacturer call me back and try to resolve this. That was nearly a month ago and I have yet to receive a call. I’m considering filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.
My two cats like the water fountain but we have to clean it completely every two weeks. Even with purified water the bowl gets slimy in a short period of time. If I have to completely disassemble everyother week for cleaning, I would just as soon use a regular water bowl.
Waste of money.