Our Final Verdict
We give Instachew Purrflow Smart Pet Fountain a rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars.
Quality: 4.8/5
Easy to Clean: 5.0/5
Technology Function: 4.3/5
Value: 4.5/5
About Instachew
Instachew, a North American pet care company, sells the Purrflow Smart Pet Fountain. Instachew was founded in 2017 to produce products to make pet owners’ lives easier. In addition to more traditional pet care items, Instachew offers a variety of technological products, including smart feeders, litterboxes, and cameras. We had the pleasure of testing out Instachew’s pet fountain.
Purrflow Smart Pet Fountain Overview
The Instachew Purrflow Smart Pet Fountain is a water delivery device with a sleek, minimalist design and quiet motor. It’s controlled by an app that allows you to turn it on and off remotely, and it performs other functions, like program cleaning reminders, turning on the UV light, and setting times for the device to be in use.
This fountain will appeal to those invested in using technology to make their lives easier. If you already have “smart” home devices, the Purrflow Smart Pet Fountain is another step to automation. However, the fountain won’t be easily accessible to kittens and puppies or short breeds like the Munchki and Dachshund. You’ll also need Wi-Fi at home and at least a basic knowledge of smartphones and apps, which could be an issue for some pet owners.
Pricing
The Instachew Purrflow Smart Pet Fountain costs $25–$45. The fountain includes a replaceable filter to keep your pet’s water clean. You’ll need to purchase replacement filters regularly. A 5-pack of filters is available, which costs $14–$35. The Instachew Purrflow can be purchased directly from the company’s website and other online retailers, including Chewy.
Contents
In Summary
Key Features
The Instachew Purrflow Smart Pet Fountain arrived in a box with an extra pack of replacement water filters. The reservoir, lid, and water filter mount were all placed in the package separately and needed assembly. Two cards with QR codes were also included.
The QR codes take you to the assembly directions and the App Store to download the Instachew Infinity app. Once the app was installed, I logged in with my Google account to access the smart pet fountain control features.
Ease of Assembly
Putting together the two main parts of the pet fountain—the reservoir and the lid—was straightforward. The water filter mounts to the underside of the lid and slides into place.
The QR code took me quickly to the assembly directions that featured a basic diagram explaining how to put the fountain together. Once the mount is in place, installing and plugging the filter into the machine is easy.
Smart Features and the App
The Instachew app controls all aspects of your Purrflow Pet Fountain, except for physically filling it with water. You can also manage other services and subscriptions offered by Instachew.
Overall, the app works as intended. Once connected, I had no issues using the app to control the fountain, and I like that you can set reminders for cleaning and replacing the filter.
Easy to Clean
The simple setup of the Purrflow Pet Fountain makes it easy to clean. With only three major parts, removing the lid and cleaning the individual components is simple. You need to avoid getting the power cord wet when cleaning the reservoir.
Replacing the filter is also easy, and as I already mentioned, you can set the Instachew app to remind you to clean the fountain and to change the filter.
Low Water Warning
According to the website, you can get low water notifications via the app. Over time, I learned that the fountain gets louder when the water gets low. It usually runs almost silently, so any noise is noticeable.
Is the Instachew Purrflow Smart Pet Fountain a Good Value?
Overall, I found the Instachew Purrflow Smart Pet Fountain a good value. It’s easy to use and the size and shape allow it to be placed almost anywhere without getting in the way.
Unless the water level gets too low, this fountain runs almost silently, so you don’t have to worry about it keeping anyone awake if they’re light sleepers. The tilted bowl design and height make it easy for pets to drink.
FAQ
How Good Is the Warranty That Comes With This Fountain?
The Instachew Purrflow Smart Pet Fountain comes with a 1-year warranty. You also have a 30-day window to return the fountain if you aren’t satisfied.
Can You Use Any Water in This Fountain?
The instruction manual recommends using purified or mineral water in the fountain. However, the fountain uses a filter and UV light to clean the water. You may just need to replace the filter more often if you use tap water.
How Often Does the Fountain Need To Be Cleaned?
The user manual recommends cleaning the Purrflow fountain at least once a week. You should also replace the water completely at this time. Change the filter monthly or as needed if it gets dirty faster.
Our Experience With The Instachew Purrflow Smart Pet Fountain
Since my dog now thinks any crinkling mail package is for him, he was very excited when I brought in this product. When I unwrapped it, he was instantly puzzled and perplexed, wondering where the smelly treats or plush squishy toys were!
My dog, Elo, is a rescue pup, I have had to become conscious and aware of what may or may not bother him in day-to-day life. Sometimes it’s things that I would never expect, like steam coming off a pan, and sometimes more obvious things, like balloons. I knew when receiving the item that there was a pretty good chance he would be cautious of the pet fountain, if not straight-up scared of it. And I guess I’m pretty in tune with my dog because he was!
Even before I plugged in the product and turned it on, the pet fountain was suspicious and worrisome. And while it’s unfortunate that he has these fears and anxieties, I like to use them as opportunities to build his confidence and my bond with him. To overcome the concern of the fountain, I started by placing it down and letting him approach and sniff however he wanted to. I then started placing treats on the top of the dish while it was unplugged so he could interact with it without any additional stress. After a few rounds of that, I plugged in the fountain and let Elo watch and listen while remaining at a distance. We took a break from the training and just let the water fountain running become part of the room’s background noise.
When we resumed our desensitization later in the day, I continued placing treats in the top dish like I had been but with the water running. Elo peered in and seriously contemplated turning around, but he was brave and grabbed the treat out. After a few treat retrievals, he even went back for a sip of water! Due to his fears, he’s had a slow introduction to the pet fountain, but I have enjoyed taking the time to see his curiosity and confidence grow around it.
The fountain itself is quiet and is, in my opinion, quite a nice white noise water sound. The app can be easily used for setting up scheduled drinking times and can give notifications about drinking habits. What I find to be the most helpful is that the app will send reminders when the filter in the pet fountain needs to be changed. Keeping up with cleaning pet bowls is something I try to do, but it can definitely slip my mind every now and then.
Overall, my experience with the pet fountain has been great! I know my pup is getting that sweet, sweet filtered water, and I get to listen to relaxing water sounds.
Conclusion
The Instachew Purrflow Smart Pet Fountain is a quiet, easy-to-use device that makes it comfortable for your pet to drink water. Based on my experience, even the ones who’ve never used a pet fountain before should tolerate the switch, but some may need longer to get used to the idea. The “smart” part of the device functions effectively. Overall, Elo and I found the Instachew Purrflow Smart Pet Fountain to be an excellent product and a good value.
