Petmaster Fresh Flow cat fountain - problem?

[moiramassey]

I know I am late to this and I hope that Zooplus agree to take the fountain back.

Mine was noisy to start with. I rang PetPlanet (where I bought it) and they asked me to clean out the pump with 50% water. 50% white spirit vinegar. I muttered and they said that I was welcome to send it back but try it. I stuck the pump in a bowl of the vinegar water mix and let it run for 10 minutes. End of problem. Goodness knows why it needed doing straight out of the box but it did. Now I repeat that every time it gets noisy because of the limescale.

Is your water resevoir sitting down properly? The lid should fit on really easily and if it doesn't, then the water resevoir is not sitting properly.

Mine is 'full' when the water is about 2 cm from the rim.

[Gillian Harvey]

Yes it definitely is a dud one by the sound of it! Mine is more or less completely silent (just a slight humming). So I hope you can get it returned and get your money back. Will Wilf drink from taller containers of water? - I know some peeps on here have said their cats will only drink out of their own drinking glasses - tumblers and suchlike, or vases of water etc.

[Harna]

Have just fired off an email to Zooplus asking about how I can return this  water fountain.   

The blasted thing worked relatively quietly for about a day and a half. Then it started to make a grinding noise. So I turned it off. And left it until the following morning when I turned it on again. It made a slightly quieter noise. It seemed okay. I kept an eye on the level of fluff (worried that having 3 persians might clog it but no chance of that because they give it a wide berth and sit in the bath staring at the taps, instead  )

Then, this morning, it actually woke us up.  :box:

Mr Harna was not best pleased. It was expensive. The cats hate it. It makes such a loud noise that it wakes us up. It has to go.

(when I say it woke us up - we live in a medium sized, 3 bed victorian house. The fountain is at the back of the house, downstairs in the kitchen. At the back of the kitchen. We sleep upstairs, at the front of the house. There are 2 doors (kept ajar), 15 stairs and several metres between us and the fountain. The website describes it thus: "the pump is completely silent." OUR ONE ISN'T!!!!  )

I'm really worried now - Wilf will categorically not drink from a normal water bowl. He won't drink from the noisy fountain. He just wants to drink from the bath tap. We are about to go on holiday with people staying in our house - and they are going to be out during the day which means he won't be able to ask for water when he needs it (we have indulged him as we both work at home.)
 
Worried, stressed and out of pocket!
 

[Harna]

That's EXACTLY the one!   

Yep, Wilf would be drinking from the spout, probably with both feed planted firmly in the bowl.

Anyone got one of those that they want to swap for a pretty much brand new petmate?!
 

[fluffybunny]

 

So like this:
http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/cat_bowls_feeders/cat_fountains/14806

Except my two would drink from the flowing bit not from the bowl 

[Harna]

I think, with hindsight, I would have purchased one that is more tap-like - I didn't really realise that the one I bought was more like a gentle trickle down a ramp - I think Wilf would have preferred an actual dripping motion, like the bath tap that he prefers!

Therefore, if your cat is a tap-licker, you might want to get the spout fountain that is on Zooplus (sorry, don't know the name, too exhausted to type anymo . . . . .   

[fluffybunny]

Phew!  Glad that it's all sorted. 

Now then, I too am considering one of these, as both my kitties love drinking from taps, especially in the bath    Or the bathroom sink, ideally when I'm trying to clean my teeth 

Which one do people recommend?  I guess my main criteria are noise of operation (i.e. none), and size (don't want one too big).

Thanks!

[Harna]

Okay - water reservoir filled, cats less suspicious, much less noise.

All happy 

Thanks for all you help and advice!

[Gillian Harvey]

Hi SuzeB  - yeah, I've done this . . . . . as soon as I put it back onto the main unit, it just empties out into the main bowl bit . . . . .    

In that case there must be something faulty with the valve on the reservoir because if it should only drip into the main unit as the level of water in main unit goes down. However that wouldnt account for the noise of the unit though!

[Millys Mum]

When i first got my catit fountain i didnt fill the dome enough so when the water went down the motor had a moan, i have to tilt it and fill 100% so theres enough to fill everywhere.

[Harna]

Hi SuzeB  - yeah, I've done this . . . . . as soon as I put it back onto the main unit, it just empties out into the main bowl bit . . . . .    

Will go down and fill it again . . . .

[Tiggy's Mum]

Yeah, the water seems to be flowing down the little ramp thingy but the reservoir at the back (the clear thing) seems empty even though the bowl is full.

I have no idea if this is right or not . . . . . anyone??

Keep filling the reservoir up until it eventually stays full - once it's full you don't need to do anything else, as the cats drink it will gradually release a bit more water.  It makes a gurgling sound when it does this but only for a split second.

[SuzeB]

You need to fill  the resevoir seperately - just take off the crescent shaped top, remove the resevoir, turn it upside down, screw off the cap and fill from the tap.  Then screw the cap back on and put it back in.

[Mark]

Sounds really odd but I have found with a lot of these things, if you switch it off at the wall then back on again, it suddenly goes quiet - weird but it works with drinkwells.

I love that you're so technical.

 

[Harna]

Yeah, the water seems to be flowing down the little ramp thingy but the reservoir at the back (the clear thing) seems empty even though the bowl is full.

I have no idea if this is right or not . . . . . anyone??

[Millys Mum]

On the zooplus page it says the water should flow down the ramp and back to the reservoir...

If im reading the right product that is  http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/cat_bowls_feeders/cat_fountains/80895

[Harna]

Hello everyone - I thought I should update!

Zooplus calls it a "petmaster' on their site. However, when I checked the actual water fountain itself, it says 'petmate.' So yes, it's the petmate one! Clears up a *bit* of confusion!

This morning, we fiddled a bit with the little white arm thing on the motor - y'know, the thing that sticks out into the water bowl. This changes the flow, it would seem. (who was it laughing at the earlier 'technical' language!?  . . .) I then topped up the water in the main bowl until it was right at the brim. The reservoir thingy at the back is permanently empty (no matter how many times I fill it - fiddly thing that it is) and the bowl is brim full. Is this right?

Anyway, the sound is not quite as loud and we have, throughout the day, seen all three cats drink from it. Well, two definitely drink, the other dafty just becoming transfixed with the ripples. . . . .  and that's the battle won, I think!

Thanks for all your help and advice!

(just noticed the Drinkwell is £8 off until 18th August - I think Wilf would have preferred this one as it's more tap like . .. . oh well!)

[Kittybabe (Ruth)]

Sounds really odd but I have found with a lot of these things, if you switch it off at the wall then back on again, it suddenly goes quiet - weird but it works with drinkwells.

I love that you're so technical.

[Millys Mum]

If it is the petmate are you sure it's 'full' of water (seem to remember a reservoir in addition to the main bowl?), if it's full and covering over the pump it shouldn't be very loud at all.

I agree, i would still send for a replacement tho as once a motor runs dry its damaged 

[Tiggy's Mum]

I had the petmate fresh flow too so not sure if 'petmaster' is a typo?  Anyway, the petmate one was very quiet, certainly not as noticeable as you're describing.  Gave mine away in the Xmas auction though as Tiggy refused to go near it let alone drink from it 

If it is the petmate are you sure it's 'full' of water (seem to remember a reservoir in addition to the main bowl?), if it's full and covering over the pump it shouldn't be very loud at all.

[Mark]

Sounds really odd but I have found with a lot of these things, if you switch it off at the wall then back on again, it suddenly goes quiet - weird but it works with drinkwells.

[SuzeB]

I have a petmate fresh flow, not petmaster, so I'm not sure if they're the same.

Mine is not really loud at all, apart from the trickle.  A few weeks after we got it though it started making a really loud bubbly noise and we couldn't figure out why until we took it to bits and the motor was clogged with cat hair!

As yours is new though, I suspect it's faulty.  I'd try getting your money back or a replacement.

[Kittybabe (Ruth)]

Hi Harna

Glad to see you back... the boys and girl look wonderful!

I bought myself a Platinum Drinkwell. I gave it to Teresa when I last visited Paws Inn because not a single one of the cats in the family was interested!  It was deadly silent thought, but mine was just afraid of it.

Don't know of the other makes, Catit and Petmate etc but I am sure that if you send the one you have back you have a good chance based on the experience of others to be able to buy one that is fit for purpose.

I have the impression if they advertised it for its miracle silent motor, and it isn't that either you have a dud, or its just not the best in the world

[Harna]

Hello

I have three persians, one of whom increasingly will only drink from the tap and sits in the bath waiting for you to turn it on for him. As we are going to be going on holiday soon, we decided to splash out (literally!) on a drinking fountain for them all. I did my research and looked here to see what people were talking about, read reviews and so on and so on. Anyway, I ordered (from the Zooplus link at the bottom of the page) a 'Petmaster Fresh Flow' at a cost of £25.99. It arrived today - I was really excited and set it up straight away.

I can't believe how LOUD it is. 

In fact, it's louder than my washing machine!

I've checked the pump is in right and I've even stood it on a layer of old towels (we have a slate floor) but it still makes a very loud, very audible humming noise. The gentle trickle of water I can cope with but the noise of the pump - I didn't expect it to be any more than like a fish tank pump but this is so much louder.

Is this right?! I chose it because of the alleged 'silent operation' and also reviewers on the Zooplus site said that it was really quiet  - have I got a dodgy model??

I also had to feed my three cats in the hallway this afternoon as they refuse to go into the kitchen because of this mad humming thing in the corner. I realise that they may just need time to get used to it but it really defeats the object if they won't even go into the room that it's in . . . . Wilf is sitting in the bath gazing at the tap as I type this . ..  . 

This is the first time I have purchased anything from Zooplus - how are they for returning items? I really can't afford to pay £26 for something that is so very NOT 'silent' and which my cats won't even go within 10 feet of . . . . . .

I feel dejected!