Petmate Replendish Automatic Gravity Waterer for Cats and Dogs - BPA-Free, No Batteries Required with Charcoal Filter - 2.5 Gallon Pet Water Dispenser for Home, Office & Travel Use

Thought this would be a nice change. We've been using an electric water fountain for couple years. It's a pain for me to clean so thought this would be easier. It is but my guys don't seem to care for it. The cats are fascinated by the fountain; one sits in front of it, sometimes even lying down, for much longer than just to get a drink. Other cat likes to try to catch the water coming down; both drink more water than average cats because of it. When first setting this up, one cat didn't drink a drop for a whole day, not good. Dogs were also hesitant. Figured it would take a day or so for all to adjust; took much longer & none of them seem to have fully adjusted after over a week. Also, for me, a 75 year old lady, 4 gallons is a bit much by itself; add the need to position properly & twist......a nightmare, also a mess. Might consider a 1 gallon or 2.5 gallon at some point but for now we're back to the fountain. All look relieved and the litter box is once again full of baseballs every morning! Think it's a good product but managing the weight needs to be considered.I like this because of the size. We were having to refill our 1 gallon every day in the summer. This goes a few days now before it needs a fill even w 3 dogs and a very hot summer.Pros:large capacity,easy to clean because your hand fits in the bottle,easier than the blue models to see the water level in the reservoir. The basin always looks empty but isn’t. (I still put a ping pong ball in the jug to easily indicate level in a glance. Ignore the water color in my picture, I add a teeth/joint supplement to the water that yellows it)Cons:the gray is 3” deep but the water only fills in less than 1” (my little dog doesn’t really like to have to stick her head down into the basin to reach the water). (Edit. Seriously… it’s so low. Why?! Look at the photo.)The lock feature definitely works, but to the extent that I have trouble getting the reservoir off. I am going to try to mark it w marker so I know which way and how far to twist to release it. It just keeps spinning and locking again.I don’t use the filter because we already use bottled water (our water is way too hard. It would be bad on their kidneys)Putting the jug back in is pretty easy but I do usually get a splash over the back edge while I’m tipping it. I attribute this to the style of the cap/holes. It doesn’t happen w the no-cap jugs with the smaller mouths. But, I prefer the large mouth for cleaning so it’s fine.I bought this based on the need to buy a new watering bowl for my dogs. First, I must say the quality is good and it's very easy to clean out. It's easy to assemble and use. The plastics used also will hold up for a long time.My only drawbacks with it have been with the lock feature and the bottle cap system. When the water level is low or empty, turning the lock often turns the whole bowl. I've had to sometimes pick up the whole thing just to get the bottle to unlock from the bowl. That leads me to my next two problems, one dealing with the bottle cap, it takes a big hand to loosen it, at least the medium-sized one is. It would be nice if they'd include a tool that works on the square end of the cap to make it easier to remove.The next issue is with it being low or empty. My dogs will push this around the kitchen without any issues. I solved that one with a rubber mat or at least I thought I did. I have Aussie Shepards and they'll push whatever they want to around and short of bolting it to the floor, I'm not sure I can keep it in one spot.Short answer - how to fix the lack of flow. There is a small 1/8" hole drilled through the side of the black cap. Put the cap on the bottle and then dill a 1/16" or smaller hole, through the clear plastic jug. The two holes need to line up. New now works like the Old, only it has a slightly higher water level. Hindsight, I would have tried drilled a new 1/8" hole in the cap, then the 1/16" hole in the bottle. I would have placed both holes about 3/8-1/2" closer to the filter, to achieve the correct water level in the bowl. Old 1/2" vs New 3/4" water level.We bought the exact same 2.5 gal set up almost 3 years ago. It's still going strong. But the addition of a 3rd medium size dog meant refilling it every other day. So we bought this one to keep from running out of water in the other one.Both old and new units are IDENTICAL in almost every way. Which is the reason I was so confused why the new didn't function like the old. I'll clear up a couple of things I'm seeing in the reviews. This is not a flawed design, it does what it's supposed to. Both unit sit with the filter/cap touch or almost touching the bottom of the bowl. This does not affect the function. I had the same problems as listed here - low level, no water in the bowl. Because I already have one that does work, I was able to compare them side by side and figure out the issue. I first tried sticking a butter knife between the filter and bottom of the bowl to create more space. Incase it was getting blocked. This made no changes to the water level in either unit. I checked the filter, rinsed, crushed it up some and tired again. Nothing. I pulled the filter out completely, still nothing. I happened to notice that when I lifted the old bottle up, water would come pouring out, as it should. But the new bottle could be held upside down and no water would come out. That's when I figured it out. The black cap on the Old fits somewhat loosely on the bottle. The New fits very tightly. Both caps have about an 1/8" hole drilled through the side of the black cap. This is by design. It's a pressure reliever. I blew into the hole on the Old and was able to pass air into the bottle and out the filter. The New fits so tightly that you can't pass air in or out of the bottle. Even if you loosen the cap a little. Think about holding you finger over the top of a straw and then taking it out of the cup. As long as you hold your finger on and don't let air get in, the liquid stays. Same thing is happening with the New unit. Air pressure is holding the liquid in the bottle.Learn from my mistakes. I first tried to enlarging the existing hole in the cap. Then I drilled another hole into the cap at the same height but a different location, to help it flow better/more but it didn't help. I then tried to make some space, where the hole is, between the cap and bottle. I only had a file and shaved down maybe 0.5mm. It allowed me to blow some air into the bottle. However, it wasn't enough space once the bottle was filled and placed on the bowl. It was still not filling the bowl. Using the concept of the straw, I drilled a small hole into the bottom of the bottle, which would be the top, while inverted. This was a mistake! I released too much pressure and the bowl filled and then overflowed. Ooops! I was able to patch it back up. I finally understood the issue. I took a small drill bit, placed the cap on the bottle and drilled a hole through the existing hole in the cap, through the clear plastic bottle. SUCCESS!! New now works like the Old, only it has a slightly higher water level. Hindsight, I would have drilled a new 1/8" hole in the cap, then the 1/16" hole in the bottle. I would have placed both holes about 3/8-1/2" closer to the filter, to achieve the correct water level in the bowl.Aside from having to figure out and fix the issue, I still like these bowls and would purchase again.I have 5 Siberian Huskys and this is definitely a game changer, makes things so much easier and its worth every penny, no mold no mildew just fresh clean water, of course it gets washed out every other day because I have so many dogs but when I wash it there is no slime buildup or anything like there would be in their older water bowls and I had to wash them 4 or 5 times a day and refill the water 8 to 10 times so this product definitely makes life easier and I do plan on purchasing moreGreat practical product. My dog drinks a lot of water and this item saves on repeat refills of a normal water bowl. Very basic concept, no mechanical moving components to fail so should therefore last for years. I previously had, and still have, a similar type, the cafe waterer, also made by Petmate but the cap started to split. Although the cafe waterer has worked well, this replendish version is far more robust with a good sturdy cap. I don't understand the need for a filter and don't use it but it doesn't affect the function in any way.The item was described as white but is actually grey (as pictured in listing), it also had white indicated on packaging. Not an issue for me but just bare that in mind if you are expecting a white bowl.I love this, love the colour, it looks far more 'decorative' than others. Works well, ideal size for a cat, I can't imagine the size I've bought would be that great for a large dog. A small dog maybe. I've added some photos as I struggled to work out size from the photos so hope I can help someone else.This is one large water dispenser. It arrived in a huge box (Amazon Style), and first impressions was it size. The water container is very large - 9lt I think and does the job perfectly.Things to note: the water container has a screw lid, easy to fit and get off with no moving parts. When off the opening to the water container is so large you can fit your hand in making cleaning a doddle. Fill with water place it on the base unit upside down and tip the whole unit the right way up and away you go.The water reservoir has a lip around its edge stopping the water spilling out with any accidental knocks. Overall brilliant product.For information this is the 3rd water dispenser we have had for the dogs, the previous two were of another make with a very weak screw thread that has broken, not with this unit! Two dogs well pleased and hydrated.This is a good reservoir for the dogs. Initially they were not sure about the taste of the filtered water but now they drink happily. Hopefully the microban will stop it going green so quickly. Plentiful supply in a good deep bowl. One ‘con’ - our garden toad thinks it is great and he can hide completely under the bottle neck. Let’s hope he gets out to pee!My dog has yet to learn to drink from it, as she gets scared of the bubbles when it refills hahaha, but otherwise very handy for when you are out and she needs to have water around ! Also my little bordercollie has a habit to knock the water bowl down when she wants water and its empty, but they are metal and make an awful noise when she knocks them, so having this alternative means she always has water and doesn't have to knock her bowl down any more!