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Frequently Asked Questions

1. When should a Glacier Point Fountain NOT be purchased?
FIRST. We STRONGLY RECOMMEND AGAINST purchasing a Glacier Point unless the prospective owner has experience with another pet fountain of some kind. After a few months, plastic fountains can exhibit problems with toxins, cleanliness of the fountain, and the refill process. Artesian ceramic fountains are available online but do not have an effective filter system, cannot safely and automatically refill the bowl and often leak.The Glacier Point fountain was designed to solve these problems and was never designed to be someone’s first fountain.

First time purchasers of a cat fountain should buy one of the cheaper and easily returnable plastic fountains available at any pet store to determine if a pet will use a fountain especially if your cat is an inside-only cat.

If you have any questions regarding when a fountain does not make sense for you, please call Barry first at 530.903.9025 and before ordering. ESPECIALLY before ordering the Perfect Pet Fountain model.

SECOND. All fountains make a humming sound. Experienced pet parents either have become accustomed to the sound or have located the fountain away from any sleeping area. Placing any fountain in a limited-space residence or in a sleeping area rarely is successful.

LASTLY, if your cat has been diagnosed with an end-of-life prognosis such as late stage kidney disease, no fountain will reverse the condition, change the outcome or make the final days more comfortable for you or your beloved cat. Ordering a Basic Fountain that will be expensive to return just does not make any sense.

2. Does every pet need a GP?
If a pet has an owner that has the time, every day, to provide a large supply of pure water at 61°F. and also provides a sterilized container (that is not made of plastic or metal) then the pet will have all the benefits that the GP provides.

3. How often must the GP be cleaned and/or sterilized?
There are many conditions that can dictate how often the unit needs to be cleaned such as number of cats, type and amount of airborne particulates, purity of the water used to fill and refill the unit, proximity to carpets, etc. The best answer is if the pump is working and little or no water is entering the basin then one or more of the filters need to be replaced. We recommend that the entire unit be sterilized at least monthly according to the sterilization instructions. The monthly sterilization should only take 10-15 minutes to complete.

4. How often do the filters need to be replaced?
There are two effective filters in every Glacier Point Fountain that has the V90 pump. A foam filter protects the pump from damaging debris and this filter can be cleaned and sterilized with 5% vinegar. The blue inline charcoal filter is the state-of-art design that removes many toxins such as chlorine, pesticides and fire retardants as well as removing contaminants such as saliva. Our fountains are the only fountains that filter every drop of water every 90 seconds.

The easy answer as to when to change one or more filters that has a V90 pump is when there is a reduction of flow of water into the basin. Usually, when the flow is slowed, the best practice is to replace the blue charcoal filter first, prior to replacing the pump filter. The blue charcoal filter should last six weeks or more. The pump filter should last more than 6 months.

The 4HF pump available with the High Capacity Fountain (Glacier Point Fountain for Dogs) has a white micro-foam filter that protects the pump and a large clear tube charcoal filter. Both of the 4HF filters will last 3 – 12 months.

5. What are the footprint dimensions of the fountains?
The Basic Fountain is 12″ x 6-½”.
The Perfect Pet Fountain is 16″ x 7-½”.

6. What is the warranty?
Every component of all three fountains is warranted for at least 12 months if the fountain is reasonably maintained and only filters made by Sierra BioScience are used as these filters are designed to protect the critical components with patent pending and trade secret technologies.

7. What is so automatic about the Glacier Point Refill system and why is that important?
All Glacier Point Fountains have a unique and patent pending refill system that utilizes all of the benefits of glass bottles and avoids all the dangers of plastics. The Basic Fountain can hold four 32 ounce glass bottles to refill the three quart basin when needed to keep the water level within 1” from the rim of the basin. Why is keeping the water level high important? We have studied the drinking habits of cats for years and have found that cats will drink the desired amount of water IF the water level is less than 1” from the rim (or the distance between their nose and their eye). When the water level is too low cats are very reluctant to drink due to their survival instincts. If anyone studies a cat drinking in nature it becomes obvious that cats are constantly vigilant for predators and are always looking around them for any possible danger. The natural fact is cats are extremely reluctant to put their head into any container that blocks their peripheral view which means the cat drinks less water and urinary and kidney problems result.

Inadequate water consumption may contribute to excess body fat, poor muscle tone, digestive problems and poor functioning of many organs. Without adequate water, humans and animals become poisoned with their own metabolic wastes.

8. The Glacier Point website has a lot of negative things to say about plastic and I notice that there are two short pieces of plastic tubing and two plastic elbows on each fountain. This seems contradictory.

Almost every product that can be made can easily be made cheaper than the best product, and plastic tubing is no different.

One of the best tubing suppliers is Tygon® by Saint Gobain Performance Plastics. Tygon® tubing is available on EBay for $2-3/ foot while cheap tubing can be found for 10 cents/foot. If anyone does a Google search about the dangers of plastics to humans and animals, be prepared for pages of hits that might scare a lot of people. It is more useful to search for tubing that does not leak any chemicals into the fluid that moves through the bore of the tubing.

Description of Tygon® – Tygon® silver antimicrobial tubing features AlphaSan® polymer compound on the I.D. surface to provide antimicrobial properties. The zirconium phosphate-based ceramic ion-exchange compound contains silver, which is safe for human contact and is known to be effective against a range of microorganisms. Translucent silver tubing has a plasticizer-free inner bore and will not discolor. Ideal for use in food and beverage, water purification, environmental, chemical, dairy, drug and lab applications. Tubing has a wall thickness of 1/16”. Compiles with FDA 21 CFR 177.1520 criteria.

The bottom line is that any tubing that complies with all FDA regulations and is certified safe by the NSF is, in fact, safe. FDA approved plastics can be implanted inside the human body.

9. When will my order be shipped?
More than 99% of all orders are shipped the same day if received by 12 noon Pacific time Monday thru Friday – holidays excluded.