# Drinkwell platinum (aka Hammacher Schlemmer fountain)



## TAsunder (Apr 6, 2004)

Last week my old style drinkwell with 100oz reservoir began leaking. I cleaned it and filled it up on tuesday and by thursday the towel it rests on was soaked through and the reservoir was empty, the fountain 1/2 empty.

After struggling the whole weekend with it, trying plumbing tape, taking it to a local store for advice, we determined that it was unclear which part was leaking. A new motor is about $20 and so is a new bowl. I was ready to buy a new drinkwell entirely until I saw this:

http://www.vetventures.com/platinum.asp

Many of you will recognize this as the fountain they sell at hammacher schlemmer. Who knew it was a drinkwell the whole time!

I've decided to order one.

Does anyone else have one of these? They are very hard to find - no stores in town have them, and half the online places are either out of stock or charge OVER retail. I ordered one from the cat connection.


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## Debbie of SD (Apr 14, 2007)

Let us know if your kitty likes to drink from it when it arrives. My cats love drinking for their more traditional Drinkwell fountain, but I suppose, like all things, I will need to replace it someday down the road.


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## uminchu (Apr 19, 2007)

The website you supplied shows PetSmart as one of their distributors. If you are in the USA, is there a PetSmart nearby to you?


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

Hey, I didn't know that!! Thanks for posting....I'm eager to find out how good a fountain it is, so I'm looking forward to your review after you buy one.


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## TAsunder (Apr 6, 2004)

uminchu said:


> The website you supplied shows PetSmart as one of their distributors. If you are in the USA, is there a PetSmart nearby to you?


Petsmart only sells the normal versions. I checked the website and local stores. I don't think the drinkwell site differentiates between vendors who have the normal drinkwell and the platinum. Seems like most places carry the regular, pink, and big dog ones.

Should be arriving today. After reading the owner's manual online I'm fairly excited.


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## TAsunder (Apr 6, 2004)

It's up and running. It gave me an initial scare when I plugged it in at first, it bubbled briefly but didn't run. I think it won't run if you don't have the motor housed properly and in the right spot, and I didn't have the unit fully assembled when I first plugged it in. After assembling, it is up and running just fine.

The unit is super quiet. None of the bubbling or splashing noises from the old drinkwell. I would say whisper quiet. The only noises it makes are when my cats drink from the stream.

And the "max" stream is huge on the platinum. This shot is of the valve at full.










The reservoir it comes with is most likely 100oz - I filled it and then poured it in to my old 100oz (large reservoir) and it fit almost perfectly. The main bowl area seems to store quite a bit more than the original drinkwell too - I had to fill the reservoir twice and pour it out both times before the bowl was full, and then i filled the reservoir a third time.

All the main parts are dishwasher safe now apparently, which is good.

The motor is VERY easy to remove, unlike the original drinkwell. With the original you had to exercise your finger for 6 months before you developed enough muscle to jimmy that thing out of there. This one just rests calmly at the bottom of the unit (the motor is submerged in water) and stays put due to three suction cups.

The flow control lever does not disassemble into two parts for cleaning. I haven't read the manual yet but I'm not sure if I have to disassemble the motor+level part when cleaning - probably, due to hard water.

The top of the unit snaps into place slightly which is nice if your cats knock it around sometimes.

The one negative is the actual shape and function of the reservoir. It is slightly curved and so you can't just leave it free standing up side down in the sink and let the water go. Not a huge deal - I rest it on the side of the sink and it doesn't tip over. It also seems a bit harder to turn it over without spilling. But the area of contact with the water seems much easier to clean - there is no shelf behind it that can collect hard water.

My cats both drank from it immediately.

The charcoal filter is a little different. I'm not sure if they are interchangeable with the original filters. They have 6 square sections and the shape is very slightly more narrow on the bottom. It seems more sturdy, though, and I'm sure there's a reason for the 6 square design. The filter itself rests more easily in the unit and doesn't require a bit of leverage to get in there.

The bowl itself seems to be made of slightly more sturdy plastic. Or maybe I just don't remember what the thing was like when I first got the original.

So far I am very impressed! I would definitely recommend this one over the original if given the choice again.

Will report back in a few weeks as well.

I got mine, which comes with the 100oz reservoir, from thecatconnection.com. It shipped the same day, arrived 3 days later, and cost ~$68 delivered.


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

Well, I'm impressed. Thanks for the report!! I want one!!  Can you answer one question: is the filter upstream or downstream of the pump? (Not that it matters, I still want one.) :lol:


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## TAsunder (Apr 6, 2004)

It seems to be in the same position relative to the pump as the normal unit. Water is driven up from the bottom to the back of the housing, then forward through the rear of the filter to the front.


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

OK, thanks....it's downstream. Same as all the other fountains. I'd prefer upstream, so it filters crud out before the pump.....prevents the pump from getting plugged. But I suppose they'd need a more powerful pump to suck water through the filter. And that would mean it would cost more. Oh well, no biggie. It doesn't really make any difference in the purchase decision.

Thanks again for the report.


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## TAsunder (Apr 6, 2004)

There is a little plastic gate that is supposed to help prevent crud from getting into the pump. Also, the pump is less exposed to the water anyway, and the compeller or propeller or whatever it is called is not directly exposed to the water.

If you want to see some of the parts in more detail, you can check out the online manual...

http://www.vetventures.com/ProductManuals.asp


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

Impeller. :wink: That's exactly the same pump as in the Petmate FreshFlow (Jebao PP-333LV, you can see the label in the manual) but with a different flow-control knob. I've got a couple of those that have been running for quite some time. It's a great little submersible pump, but it does need to be taken apart and cleaned periodically else the pump gunks up, the flow rate decreases, and eventually the pump motor overheats and burns out, because it's cooled by water flow. The manual shows how to take it apart.


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## Paloma (Apr 3, 2007)

Somewhat OT: I want to get a fountain for our cats, but my husband is afraid (from reviews he's read) that none of them will last long . . .he says it will get clogged up and if we don't catch it very quickly, it will break. 

I see that you mentioned this particular pump has a gate that is supposed to prevent the build-up. It's probably too soon to tell, but does it work? Do they all have this? Is weekly cleaning good enough?


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## Rinso (May 12, 2007)

I would buy it, but I'd have a hard time keeping my children from playing in it too!


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

My Freshflows have been running non-stop for two years. I clean them weekly, and that includes taking the pump apart to clean it as well. That's the only secret of them lasting a long time. There's some really good pictures of the fountain: the pump and the grate, in the manual. That won't prevent the pump from gunking up; the pump itself has a "grate" so if there's going to be something clogging the system, it doesn't really make much difference where it's caught, there still needs to be water flowing through the pump else it burns out. And slime buildup will reduce water flow as well as debris caught by the grate, the pump, or the filter. It needs to be cleaned, that's all there is to it. People who report it not lasting are simply not cleaning the pump.

Tell your husband he's a wuss. :lol:


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## TAsunder (Apr 6, 2004)

I've never had a problem with clogging. I suspect the leak that caused me to buy a new drinkwell was from constantly removing the motor to clean it, thereby scratching off plastic on the housing or motor just enough to let a drip every few seconds come through. I tried some teflon tape and other things to get a better seal, but in the end a new drinkwell was in order.

A couple of notes... I think I may have overfilled it initially - or the reservoir does not keep it completely full - because after a while the level went down to a point where it does make a bit of a splashing noise if you don't turn it near max.

Also, the motor does have a bit of a hum. I could only hear it once I turned my computer off in the same room and the fan in the next room.


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## OsnobunnieO (Jun 28, 2004)

for some reason the link you posted doesn't work for me. If you don't mind me asking, how much did you pay for it?

Any sites I see online sell it for between $60-90 8O 

I have a Fresh Flow that I've had for years now (still running perfectly) that I paid probably $30 for. There's nothing wrong with it and I intend to keep it but was thinking about trying a new fountain to see if I like it better and keeping the Fresh Flow as a backup (or extra if I should ever move out). I do find the Fresh Flow is hard to clean... too many narrow areas I can't get anything into and they get kind gooey.

I just can't see spending that much money! Did you find it somewhere for a better price or are they really that expensive?

*edit - kept saying Drinkwell instead of Fresh Flow - duh*


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

I saw this fountain today at my local Petco. I can't believe the price. $90!!!!!! I suppose that's because it's "platinum." :roll: This is definitely going to be an online order.


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## TAsunder (Apr 6, 2004)

I got it for $68 shipped from the cat connection.

Keep in mind that this is equivalent to a normal drink well with a 100oz reservoir. It is about the same as a fresh flow jumbo.


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## Mysterious (Mar 1, 2007)

I just got one from petsmart and was researching online, and found a bigger version.."the big dog" fountain. holds over 2 gallons. 

http://www.thepetstoreonline.com/drinkw ... ntain.html

Its bigger, on sale for $59.00 and free shipping b/c I added more stuff.
I got the 70oz reservoir and more kitty grass pods for my smaller one.
So I saved ALOT of money just on the free shipping!

The one I have now my cats LOVE it and are constantly drinking out of it. They like to drink from the falling water. I can't wait till the kitty grass grows.


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## TAsunder (Apr 6, 2004)

I considered that model as well. But I liked some of the improvements they made on the platinum that weren't present in the big dog version. Since my previous drinkwell's leak was likely due to scraping of plastic from removing the motor, the submerged motor that did not require scraping or massive finger olympics was really appealing.


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

I think the submerged pump is quieter, too.


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## Mysterious (Mar 1, 2007)

Maybe they'll make a big dog platinum 

I'm used to thosew type of motors b/c they are on my fish filters. Odd about that leak. My fish filters which are way thinner plastic never leaked.
huh...the wear is probably from poor design. How long did you have it before it started leaking? 
If they do come out with large platinum, I'll be getting one!


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

I think it's because of the way the pump is installed (poor design)....it's extraordinarily difficult to get out. I remember that was one of my chief complaints about the Drinkwell. Oh, and the standard Drinkwell has an exposed pump, not a submersed pump.


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## Mysterious (Mar 1, 2007)

well I'll just use these till they break. Hopefully I can get a year or two out of them. LOL and hopefully wont break my acrylic nails getting that pump off.


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## TAsunder (Apr 6, 2004)

Mysterious said:


> well I'll just use these till they break. Hopefully I can get a year or two out of them. LOL and hopefully wont break my acrylic nails getting that pump off.


My drinkwell lasted about 3 years before leaking. I would remove the motor once a month, sometimes more. I'm pretty satisfied with a 3 year lifespan. I hope the platinum lasts that long!

Here's a couple of suggestions my pet store made. First, don't remove the motor fully every time you clean it. You can remove the impeller without removing the motor and then can stick the pipe cleaner or brush inside there pretty easily.

Secondly, to save finger pain, you can use some strong tape and a piece of twine or string plastic on the motor so that you just pull the plastic or twine and don't have to do finger olympics.

The drinkwell manual says you can use petroleum jelly too. I didn't try that, but it might prevent scraping.


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## Mysterious (Mar 1, 2007)

ok thank you! 
I was going to see if I could clean the impeller without having to take off the motor. I usually use qtips to stick down there in for my fish filters. soft enough to not damage anything, but good enough to swab out all the gunk.
I was going to clean it every time I refill it. 

thanks again!


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

Is the pump in the Platinum as hard to get as the pump in the standard? The pump in the FreshFlow is easy to get out.


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## TAsunder (Apr 6, 2004)

coaster said:


> Is the pump in the Platinum as hard to get as the pump in the standard? The pump in the FreshFlow is easy to get out.


Assuming you mean the motor and attached parts, you just have to remove the top part and then it's just resting on the base with some weak suction cups holding it in place. It's not jammed tight or anything.


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

OK, sounds like the Freshflow, then. So they fixed that problem.


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## Bethany (Jul 19, 2006)

So, survey says: worth the extra money over the normal Drinkwell? One of these days when I have the extra money laying about I'm thinking of picking a fountain up for Stormy: she's fascinated by running water and loves it when I turn the faucet of the sink on for her to watch, stick her paw in, etc.

I'm thinking that she'd prefer the Drinkwell to the Fresh Flow, since the Drinkwell has that faucet-like stream. But with cats, who can tell? She might like that little Fresh Flow waterfall, too...


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## TAsunder (Apr 6, 2004)

I think it's worth it, especially if you are going to buy a reservoir for the normal drinkwell. The average price for the normal drinkwell is about $40 and the 100oz reservoir seems to be about $15... so this ends up being about $5 more.


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## Mysterious (Mar 1, 2007)

ok, I just took apart the fountain today and there is no reason at all to remove the motor to clean it. I just took out the impeller, used a Q-tip to clean it all, and put it back together. No "finger olympics"(thats hilarious by the way), and took me seconds to do.  
And of course I had kitty helpers the entire time I was messing with it. 

Oh and the kitty grass is finally growing


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## TAsunder (Apr 6, 2004)

You can also run the whole unit with mostly water and about 1/5 vinegar for a few hours and that will really help get the hard water stains out.


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

I saw a new pet fountain in Petsmart today called the "Bubbler" (original, eh? :lol: )

http://www.petmate.com/Catalog.plx?ID=1822


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## Mysterious (Mar 1, 2007)

LOL coaster I saw that too..and it was a bit of an eye-roller for me. HAHAHAHA!

oh and and another positive thing about this fountain is that there is a huge increase in litter box clumps . So they are definitely drinking ALOT more, which is great b/c they are all refusing wet food. 
CiCi and Laddie play in the stream then drink out of it LOL!


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