Review on Stainless Steel Cat Water Fountain - Low Noise, Multiple Pets Friendly, 2L/67Oz Capacity by Brian Rivera

I have 4 of these fountains. 2 are an older model and 2 are the newer. I have 2 small dogs and 2 large cats. Overall these are nice fountains. The water in my fountains is changed out every 2 days, the stainless steel parts are washed in the dishwasher, and the pump and filter housing are soaked in a bowl with water and vinegar, thoroughly rinsed then allow to air dry. I have never had any problems with the pumps breaking down nor have I had problems with rust or pitting in the stainless steel. All of my animals love these fountains. Having said this, there are a few things that could be done to improve their performance. Firstly, I greatly dislike the plastic filters. There is really no reason for plastic housing around charcoal. The same thing can be achieved with the mesh filter fabric many other pet filters use. I would prefer to keep all that plastic out of our landfills. Secondly, I find the filter medium far too small to produce any real filtration which is why the water must be changed at least every 48 hours especially if you have multiple pets using the bowls. Again, this could be fixed with simply creating a filter that will fit into the pump housing more securely, thereby reducing the area where water can move around the filter instead of through it as it's supposed to do. It is important to keep in mind that these water fountains are not made to filter out tons of debris and pet saliva for long periods of time. They are not purification units. The point of these fountains is to circulate water and send it through a carbon filter to keep the water fresher longer without having to change it multiple times daily. This makes the drinking water a little more healthy for your pets instead of it just sitting stagnant in a bowl. In the case of cats, moving water is preferable to them.Like anything, the pump requires maintenance. Soaking it in vinegar and water to loosen any debris and slime inside the pump unit is is essential to keep it working properly. When I take the pump apart I clean all small pieces and corners with a Q-tip. This removes slime that can collect in the small spaces, (particularly in the well in which the magnetic impeller sits), which can also inhibit pump performance. Also important to note, the pump has suction cups on the bottom. In order for the pump to perform silently the suction cups must be engaged to the stainless steel. Otherwise you will get a lot of vibration and noise.These really are nice fountains if they are properly assembled and maintained. If the manufacturer could change out the type of filtration medium used it would make them excellent fountains. I have had the 1st 2 fountains for well over a year and the 2nd set of the newer model since August of 2022. If the manufacturer corrects the filtration issue I would happily give this 5 stars.