DIY Water Fountain for Pets

Pets prefer to drink from flowing water. This is perfectly natural; even us humans aren’t too keen to drink water that’s been stagnant for too long. Why should we expect different from our furry companions?

Water fountain addresses this issue. But, instead of buying one that’s pre-made, we decided to try and make one our own.

Edgar demonstrates how he drinks from the finished build.

This build is modular, portable, and dare we say, more affordable in the long run.

Materials

• Bowls;
  • one big, where the water will be stored and pumped out of; and
  • one small, where the pets will (supposedly) drink from;
• Plate;
• Submersible pump, common for aquariums;
  • 3-Watt
  • max depth: 55 cm
  • max flow rate: 180 L/hr
  • IPX8
• Bendable plastic straw

Tools Needed

• Any drill that you can borrow; Ohio used a hand-drill;
• A drill bit (not pictured), preferably 1 cm (~½ inch); the important thing is it’s sligthly bigger than the straw, in terms of diameter.
• Non-permanent (or whiteboard) marker

Stainless Steel

Whenever possible, use stainless steel. If you have a stainless steel straw, better!

This is because it’s germ-resistant—bacteria can’t enter hard and non-porous surface. Notice how this material is also used in most, if not all, surgical equipments that surgeons use.

Assembly

1. Everything must line up first, before drilling a hole through the plate. Place the pump in the big bowl. I prefered it as far away from the center as possible, but it’s up to you.
2. Hover the plate over the bowl. Project a line from the pump’s outlet perpendicularly towards the underside of the plate, and with the marker, mark this point—this is where the hole will be.
3. Drill a hole through the plate on the marked point. Remember that the hole should be slightly bigger than the straw, in terms of diameter. This is because the hole is both where the straw will go through, and the drain.
4. Assemble! Pump goes in the big bowl. Fill the big bowl with water; about half is enough (be sure to submerge the whole pump). The straw goes through the plate’s hole, and line it up to the pump’s outlet. Finally, the small bowl is placed atop the plate, at a point where it can catch the water flowing out ouf the straw’s “spout”.

You may have to adjust some things around, like the pump’s flow rate settings, angle of the straw, etc. Have some rugs ready; it gets wet real quick.

Scope and Limitation

Due to the simplicity of this setup, it can’t be compared to the ones that are readily available off the market.

For example, to check the water level, you have to:

1. Turn off the pump
2. Remove the small bowl from the plate
3. Be sure to drain any water on the plate, and then lift the plate
4. Check the water

Conclusion

This weekend project is for your furry buddies to drink from a flowing water.

Due to the simplicity of this setup, it doesn’t contain a built-in filter. The water we put in the bowl, thus, is filtered.

Remember also to regularly (daily) change the water and wash the fountain with dishwashing soap. But most importantly, have fun!

-o)-