Pet Water Fountain Picks

PetSafe Drinkwell troubleshooting

By The petwaterfountainpicks team · Updated · How we research

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. How this works.

Most PetSafe Drinkwell noise and weak-flow problems come from hair and film around the pump impeller, or a foam pre-filter full of debris. Unplug the fountain, clean the impeller and motor cavity, replace the foam filter every one to two months and the carbon filter every two to four weeks.

On this page

PetSafe's own troubleshooting guidance that we could verify comes from two product pages, the Drinkwell cleaning kit and the foam filter page, which deal with the pump area, plus the Drinkwell Everflow operating guide, which covers hose leaks and the pump clean. We have not run these fountains ourselves, so the steps below are PetSafe's guidance in our words, supplemented by the general symptom tree.

Which PetSafe fountains does this apply to?

The records cover Drinkwell fountains with a submersible pump: the 360 Stainless Steel, Platinum, Pagoda and Seascape for the impeller record, and the Pagoda, Seascape, Creekside, Seaside and 360 for the foam filter record. The HydroSphere cordless and stainless models use a wire-free pump and are not covered. For them, use the general pages on noisy pumps and the pump explainer.

Noisy or weak pump: clean the impeller

Hair and film build up around the impeller, the small white spinning part. The steps from PetSafe's cleaning page:

  1. Unplug the fountain and lift the motor out.
  2. If the motor has a faceplate cover, pop it off. A coin or fingernail works.
  3. Lift out the impeller and wash it in soapy water.
  4. Scrub the motor cavity with a small round brush or a cotton swab.
  5. Rinse, reassemble and refill.

If the pump is still noisy or weak after a thorough clean, the record treats it as the point to replace the pump.

Weak flow: check the foam filter

The foam pre-filter catches hair before the pump. When it fills, the pump starves, so flow drops and the noise rises. PetSafe's advice is to take the foam out every time you clean the fountain and look at it, and replace it roughly every one to two months, sooner in hairy households. The carbon filter is separate and runs on its own two to four week schedule. A foam filter in good shape does not excuse an old carbon filter or the reverse. Part numbers are on the PetSafe filters page.

What is not covered here

Apart from the Everflow hose connector, we have no PetSafe records for leaks, and none for low-water behavior or electrical faults. PetSafe does not state a noise figure for these models, which is why you will not see decibel numbers. For those symptoms, read the general pages: leaking, low-water light and slime and dirty water. The PetSafe brand page lists the line-up, and PetSafe's own customer care is the right contact for anything else.

Known issues and fixes

Hair and film built up around the pump impeller

  1. Unplug the fountain and lift the motor out.
  2. Pull off the faceplate cover if there is one (a coin or fingernail works) and lift out the small white impeller.
  3. Wash the impeller in soapy water to remove hair and grime.
  4. Scrub the motor cavity with a small round brush or cotton swab, rinse and reassemble.

When to replace a part: The pump is still noisy or weak after a thorough clean.

Source (support): Source · checked

Foam pre-filter full of hair and debris, starving the pump

  1. Take out the foam filter whenever you clean the fountain and check it.
  2. Replace it about every one to two months, sooner in hairy households.
  3. Change the carbon filter on its own 2 to 4 week schedule.

Source (support): Source · checked

Hose quick connector not fully seated, or an unused opening left unplugged

  1. Turn the hose off and unplug the fountain.
  2. Press the hose-side quick connector firmly onto the fountain until it clicks.
  3. If you moved the hose or float valve to the other side, fit the included plug and washer in the opening you are not using.
  4. If the float valve was removed for indoor use, plug its opening before filling, because the fountain overflows without it.

Source (manual): Source · checked

Pump needs its 2-week cleaning

  1. Unplug the fountain and take the hose off if it is outdoors.
  2. Lift off the housing, remove the foam filter and pull the pump out of the bowl.
  3. Take off the faceplate and flow dial, the stator and the magnetic impeller, then wash them with warm soapy water and a cotton swab.
  4. Reassemble, check the flow dial setting and refill.

When to replace a part: The guide says the warranty may be void if the motor is not cleaned, so clean before asking for a replacement.

Source (manual): Source · checked

PetSafe replacement parts

Official help: PetSafe support.

FAQ

How do I clean a Drinkwell pump?

Unplug it, lift out the motor, pull off the faceplate cover if present, lift out the small impeller and wash it, then scrub the motor cavity with a small round brush or cotton swab before reassembling.

How often should I replace Drinkwell filters?

PetSafe suggests the foam filter every one to two months, sooner with a lot of hair, and the carbon filter every two to four weeks. The two schedules run separately.

Does the HydroSphere work the same way?

No. The HydroSphere models have a wire-free pump and an Ion-X filter. Our PetSafe records cover the Drinkwell submersible-pump models only.

Is the Drinkwell pump replaceable?

PetSafe sells a Drinkwell Replacement Pump, part PAC00-13206, listed for the 360, Pagoda, Seascape, Creekside and Seaside. Other part numbers exist for gallon-size models.