Review on Beewarm Replacement Pump for 84oz/2.5L Cat Water Fountain - Ultra Quiet, Long Life Span, 6ft USB Power Cable - DIY (Water Pump) by Jose Fongdara

You should clean the pump yourself weekly. Be sure to disassemble it completely. Inside is a magnetic piece that has a propeller attached that pulls water through it. If you only use tap water, limescale will form on it. I've been out of town for a few weeks and forgot to ask my husband to clean the pump. Due to mineral buildup it stopped working and he threw it away and just ordered a new pump lol. Just take the whole pump apart. Clean with soap and water to remove dirt or pet hair from the screen on the outside of the pump. Once you've got it completely disassembled, unless it's completely bad, just soak it in pure white vinegar for an hour or so. I usually let it soak for a few hours, but we have two water wells for our pets. So I just read one by one. If you keep it clean it should last a while. It's very quiet as long as you keep the water level high. If it gets too quiet, it gets a little louder. Also remember that if the water level gets too low when the pump can't pump water, the pump will eventually burn out and stop working. Then you definitely need to swap it out.