PetSafe Drinkwell 360 Stainless Fountain Reviews + Our Take

What is steel and what isn't

PetSafe lists the fountain at 14.3 by 14.3 by 9.3 inches with a 128-ounce (one gallon) capacity. The round steel bowl and the cone-shaped tower in the middle are the parts the water and the pets touch most, and PetSafe describes them as scratch- and rust-resistant. The bowl is wide enough that a cat and a dog can drink from opposite sides at the same time, and PetSafe says the taller tower leaves bigger dogs room for their snout.

The rest is plastic. In answers on its own product page, PetSafe confirms plastic parts that include the flow control cap, the flow control ring, the filter housing cap, the pump tube and the intake tube, and the black clips that hold the tower to the bowl are plastic too. The pump is a submersible plastic unit on a cord that runs through the water. None of this is hidden, but buyers who expect a fully steel fountain are surprised by it. Owners of other part-steel fountains report the same thing in the same threads: even with a steel bowl, the small plastic parts still get moldy.

The box holds the fountain, five spout rings, a carbon filter, a foam filter, the pump, a wall adapter and a quick start guide. PetSafe's images give the cord as five and a half feet. The spout rings let you run anywhere from one to five free-falling streams, and twisting the top changes how hard they fall, which PetSafe pitches at shy drinkers. If the power goes out, the bowl still holds water, so the pets are never left with nothing.

What the cleaning involves

PetSafe's cleaning guide for this exact fountain is specific. With one pet, clean it once a month. With several, at least every two weeks. A full clean means unplugging it, pulling off the flow control cap (straight up, because twisting it breaks the cap), unscrewing the spout and filter housing, sliding off three cord clips, lifting out the cone and pump, and then taking the pump apart into faceplate, stator and a magnetic impeller you may need a fingernail or small screwdriver to pop out. The pump parts soak for 20 minutes in half white vinegar, half water before you brush them out.

The bowl and cone go in the top rack of the dishwasher, which is where stainless pays off. The plastic is the weak link there too. PetSafe has answered owners whose flow parts deformed in hot water, and one owner who runs the plastic parts through the dishwasher says the odd piece gets ruined that way. PetSafe sells the flow adjustment parts, the plumbing kit and the tower clips separately, so a melted ring or a snapped clip is a small order rather than a new fountain.

Skip that schedule and the steel won't save you. An owner who changed the water daily and washed weekly still found heavy biofilm within a few weeks. The owners who report the longest runs describe the opposite habit: weekly rinses, monthly pump teardowns and fresh filters on a fixed schedule.

Filters and the pump: what a year costs

The fountain takes two filters. The carbon filter, which handles taste and odor, is rated for two to four weeks on PetSafe's filter page. The foam filter, which keeps hair out of the pump, is rated for one to two months on the Amazon listing's own guidance. PetSafe's cleaning guide adds that both can be rinsed and reused when they aren't heavily soiled, and changed every other cleaning.

PetSafe's 12-pack of carbon filters is $14.99, about $1.25 a filter. Its product page lists Drinkwell replacement foam filters as compatible, and Amazon sells a two-pack labeled for its ceramic and stainless fountains for $6.99. One pet on a monthly carbon change and a foam change every two months comes to about $15 plus $21, roughly $36 a year. A busy multi-pet house on the two-week end of the carbon range can double the carbon line.

The pump is the part that wears out. PetSafe's replacement pump is $20.99 and lists the stainless and 360 fountains among its fits. One owner with four cats describes replacing it once in eight years. Fountain owners in these threads also keep a spare pump, or a second fountain, so one can dry out completely while the other runs, which cuts down on slime in the pump housing.

Noise, splashing and the clips

The falling streams are the point, and they make sound. PetSafe says the design helps reduce splashing and noise, but water falling from a tower into a steel bowl is never silent. Expect to hear it in a quiet bedroom, and use fewer spout rings or a lower flow if it bothers you.

The tower clips are the part owners ask about most. One owner posted that a partner broke the clips and couldn't find replacements, and another reply pointed to PetSafe's own clip kit. A cat that plays with the fountain can unclip them too. One owner describes a cat that did exactly that and then chewed through the wires. If your cat paws at things, set the fountain where the cord isn't exposed.

Warranty and where to buy

PetSafe's customer care team states a one-year warranty in a reply on the product page. Price is the same $75.99 at PetSafe and on Amazon, and Walmart lists it at $75.99 with 4.2 stars from 141 reviews. PetSafe's own store shows 4.1 stars from 151 reviews, 77 percent recommending it, with about one in ten reviews at one star. The reviews PetSafe's store surfaces first are six-year-old reviews marked as received free, so the Walmart rating is the cleaner signal.

Who should buy it, and what to buy instead

Buy it for a multi-pet house where a cat and a dog share water, for a cat that insists on running water from above, or if you want steel where the pets drink and you're willing to keep to the cleaning schedule. It is also a sensible buy for anyone who already owns one, since nearly every part is sold separately.

Look elsewhere if you have one cat and want the cheapest steel fountain, if you want something that needs less cleaning, or if your dog is big enough to empty a gallon in a day. A smaller stainless fountain covers a single cat for under $30. A dog that drinks heavily is better served by a 2.5-gallon steel dog fountain. And if what you really want is clean water with no maintenance, owners in several of these threads say the honest answer is a couple of steel bowls changed daily.