Why a pet drinking fountain?
In nature, moving water is much fresher than stagnant
water. The movement constantly breaks the surface tension and draws oxygen
from the air into the water. This process, called aeration, makes water more
appealing to drink. Pets may instinctively be drawn to moving water for this
reason.
Research shows that one of the best ways to improve
your pet’s health is to get them to drink more water. That’s where a pet
drinking fountain comes in: it satisfies your pets’ urge for running water
and as a result, they drink more.
Why an Ebi
Fountain?
Features you won't find anywhere else:
Your custom Ebi Fountain can be dismantle-proof: we can "batten down" the lid and secure other components so even the smartest "fountain disassembler" has meet his/her match. We offer designs to eliminate "pawing" water out onto the floor. We can size your fountain to accommodate any breed, from the tiniest Munchkin to the largest Savannah. We offer fountains that are usable in a moving RV, equipped with battery, battery backup or auto-refill system.
There are especially quiet fountains available for skittish cats, cat spouts
that have the coloring of their Siamese or Bengal owners, fountains custom
fit to any space, give us a challenge and we will meet it!
The advantages
of ceramics:
Each of our ceramic fountains is lovingly hand built in
a multi-step process culminating in the high fire at 2200 degrees
Fahrenheit; the result is an extremely durable, nonporous stoneware that is
waterproof even without glaze. It not only resists the bacterial growth
commonly found on porous plastic surfaces but also keeps water cooler thanks
to its thermal mass.
You can choose the shape, size, spout and colors (40
different glazes and combinations thereof) of your custom made
Ebi Fountain. For information on how to order, click here.
Safe materials:
Our clay and glazes are certified food/dinnerware safe,
so guaranteed free of lead and other toxic substances. Material Data Safety
Sheets are available. We use FDA compliant beverage grade tubing. Our filter
housings are made from the same type of PVC pipe that brings water to your
kitchen sink. Even cats allergic to plastic have healed from their symptoms
after switching to an Ebi
Fountain.
The pumps we use are safe for the most sensitive
aquarium fish and are powered by a transformer that converts the 110 volts
of your outlet (or 220 to 240V, as the case may be) into a safe low voltage.
This means that only about the power of two to four AA batteries is
traveling along the cord to your pump – a voltage much too low to hurt your
pet even if he/she were to chew through the cord.
left picture: bowls, from an 8 inch (bowl height) XXL to a 5 inch small and
right picture: Lids from small to XXL
We make our fountains in 5 different sizes, depending on the number and size of your pets.
Small: These fountains are approx. up to
8 inches in diameter. They hold approx. 0.5 to 0.7 gallon of water and are good for up to two cats or small dogs.
Middle: These fountains are up to
10 inches in diameter and hold approx. 1 gallon of water. If you have more cats or a medium sized dog, then this fountain size will be good.
Large: These fountains are up to 11
inches in diameter. They hold approx. 1.5 gallon of water and are good for a flock of pets.
XL: These fountains are up to 12 inches in diameter. They hold approx. 2
gallon of water.
XXL: These fountains are up to 13 inches in diameter. They hold approx. 2.5
gallon of water.
Be aware that the amount of water a fountain can hold depends on the height of the bowl.
Superior design:
An Ebi
Fountain consists of four primary parts: a bowl that can be dimensioned to
hold 0.6 to 2.5 gallons of water, with a pump and filter inside (hidden and
inaccessible to your pet), covered by a “drinking lid”.
The bowl’s wide floor area relative to its height and
its “floor centered” weight makes the fountain tip safe.
Because of the bowl’s thermal mass
and its lid, the stored water is kept dark and cool inside, mitigating the
algae growth commonly associated with other fountains.
The “drinking lid” can be ordered with your choice of
spouts; from a simple bubbler, flower or shell, to a whimsical frog, lizard
or even a model of your pet with his/her characteristic coloring. This, or a
flower cascade, for example, transforms your fountain into a work of
functional art.
The filtered water spills into the drinking lid by way
of this spout, providing a consistent drinking water level. Sometimes the
spout itself can provide additional levels for drinking; for example the
high flower or a flower cascade enables elderly, rheumatic pets to drink
comfortably without any bending.
The “back flow” area of the lid allows the water to
flow back into the water reservoir below after passing through a stainless
steel mesh pre-filter to catch hair,
food and other debris.
Once back inside the bowl, the water goes through a
second stage of filtering before being pumped back up into the drinking lid.
This granulated carbon filter
removes fine particles, bad taste and odor; we offer several options to
choose from, including housings to accommodate standard replacement filters
from Drinkwell, the Forever Filter or our own Ebi’s Bio Filter, a refillable filter accepting
course aquarium carbon.
Superior
components:
The energy a “powerful” pump uses also heats the water,
especially if it is pressing it through a small filter (it’s a physical law
and you can feel it if you put your hand at the nozzle of the pump when you
fill up your bicycle tire.) That’s why we use relatively large inline
filters and highly efficient, low-voltage DC pumps. These pumps bring the
additional advantage that they are ultra-quiet and can be powered by
battery, solar, or any low-voltage power source (e.g. your RV’s cigarette
lighter or a USB adapter.)
Easy cleaning:
Here the “insides” of what you would be cleaning if
your fountain has a Bio, Forever or Drinkwell 360 filter (the housing will
look slightly different in each case, but they all sit between pump and
spout, and filter the water going up into the spout.)
The first photo shows a fountain with round filter housing.
Wash the ceramics and opened, emptied white PVC
filter housing with mild soap and hot water and use vinegar to disinfect;
these parts are also dishwasher safe (although caution should be taken that
nothing “clanks” against the ceramics, of course.)
For pump cleaning instructions, click here.
The tubing can also be washed with mild soap and
hot water, but because of the difficulty in cleaning the inside, many people
choose to simply replace them regularly. The FDA compliant beverage grade
tubing that we use is available online. (Google search for:
3/8 od clear vinyl
beverage tubing Samar 7003p.)
