Noisy Catmate Fountain Pump

[greenkitty]

I've noticed over the last couple of weeks the pump on our Cat Mate Water Fountain has got quite noisy, I change the filters regularly do you have to buy new pumps too or is there a way of cleaning them? I did look but it's not obvious how you take them apart!!

[MarkB]

They do get scaled up and over time, gunk can build up in them. When I first had the problem, they referred me to the cleaning instructions on the leaflet that came with the pump and emailed it to me.

I find a tea spoon works well for getting the bits off

first you take the cover off - you can see a seam about 1/2 way along. After that, you need to take off the tear-shaped piece of plastic, then finally, the blue paddle that is attached to an axle. That is the hardest part, as the axle is a magnet and if you don't get it out all the way, the magnet pulls it back in

Then I soak it in descaler. I guess vinegar would work, but will take longer.

I hope that makes sense, but I could forward the email to you otherwise.

Funny, but most of the low ratings on Amazon relate to the pump making a noise or stopping

I also have one of these Chef Aid bottle brushes to clean the fountain http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TEAPOT-SPOUT- ... 2ed0587c0b" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[mr_frisky]

You could try filtered water (I got one for the steam mop). Apparently it filters out most of the causes of limescale. My Catmate makes a noise if it isn't filled above the minimum line.

[MarkB]

The other thing I meant to say was, I don't bother with filters any more. Laz's one gets mucky in no time. I think it is because he often has a drink after eating + long fur - yuk. I find it easier to empty it and swill it out or give it a quick wash every 2 or 3 days - then about once every 6 - 8 weeks, a descale and run the fountain (minus the pump) through the dishwasher. I have a spare so he doesn't need to panic.

I have a spare motor minus the outer plastic bits, which I managed to trash. As descaler works faster in hot water, I tried doing it with boiling water and they went out of shape

[Kay]

I remove the blue bit using eyebrow tweezers, Mark

[MarkB]

I will give that a try. the teaspoon works well but I always think I am going to snap a paddle off.

[greenkitty]

Thank you, I managed to get it apart and give it a good clean and it's gone back to being quiet again

I wondered about the filters and how effective they are, interesting to hear you've done away with them Mark.

[MarkB]

I think I got the idea when I was reading about taking active charcoal tablets. The charcoal can only filter so much, before it probably does more harm than good?

My thinking is that even emptying it out and refilling every day only takes a minute.

They probably do catch stray hairs. I'm sure they are a good money spinner for the fountain companies


I might look into using some mesh to catch hairs - it could just be rinsed under a tap..