The cleaning instructions are in the general set-up instructions and are very
short: “Clean the fountain with mild dishwashing detergent. You can use vinegar
for cleaning and disinfection, too.” This may sound a bit simplistic, but when
you take a look at the inside view of our fountains (below) you’ll see why
that’s really enough. There is nothing hidden or difficult that would require
special instructions. Except for the pump (please see those instructions below.)
And yes, we’ve had them in the dishwasher, bottom rack and on the sanitize
cycle, and there were no problems. The same goes for the filter housing, which
you just open, empty, and put in right along with the fountain. We just don’t
come out and suggest this because we don’t know how hot other people’s sanitize
cycles run and whether we can generalize from our experience. Also, many
fountains with high spouts (like the cascade or faucet) really don’t fit well (we offer
special cleaning brushes for the internal waterways of high-spout or animal-spout models.) Since
the fountains are nonporous and clean up easily, we’ve just stayed with the hand
wash recommendation.
Cleaning frequency will depend on a number of factors including the number of
pets, if they just drink out of the fountain or bathe in it (many breeds love
the water and really “get into it”), whether food from a nearby feeding area
gets into it, dust if it’s in a hallway, etc. Many of our customers clean every
2 weeks when they refill the filter cartridge, many do a weekly “quick clean” in
between filter cartridge refills, but you may have different requirements. When
the water pressure lessens, at the latest, it’s time to clean the fountain.
Everyone tells us they’re very easy to clean and need cleaning less frequently
than the fountains they had before.
Here the “insides” of what you’ll be cleaning (the different filter housings will
vary a bit, but they all sit between pump and spout and filter the water going
up into the spout.) Many of our customers buy large roles of the beverage grade
tubing and just change it out regularly (even though small cleaning brushes can
be used here, it’s the one thing that can hold you up.)
Depending on your water, you may have calcium deposits that require soaking in
vinegar or food grade citric acid powder (the latter is very effective and
inexpensive.)
Fountain with pump and charcoal filter:
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Pumps need to be cleaned “from the inside out” occasionally.
In most cases, the procedure below will even resuscitate a pump
that has stopped working: |
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Take off the grid, underneath is the flow control and a black cover with
a round hole that you can pull off, making the white impeller visible.
Gently remove the impeller making sure not to bend or damage the white
plastic part. Hit the pump against your hand so that anything that might
be lodged inside has a chance to come out. |
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Then rinse everything, clean the hole with a Q-tip, being very careful
not to bend or damage the impeller axle. If very slimy or calcium
encrusted, soak in a 1:10 solution of vinegar and water. You can also
use your Dental Jet to clean the pump. |
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Reassemble and set your flow control. |
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If it does not start running again right away once you’ve put it in
water and turned it on, plug in several times in a row, waiting a few
seconds each time, and in most cases you will have your pump running
again. If all is to no avail, we will replace your pump within 6 month
of purchase free of charge (if your pump has not seethed as a result of
running dry). Replacement pumps are also available with or without
filter foam and with or without on/off switch. |