My wife and I have three dogs and six cats, so keeping up with everything can be a challenge. Having a self-filling water bowl seemed like a wonderful way to worry about one less thing (don't worry, we have several water bowls, this is just the main one), so we purchased this bowl. The bowl itself is plastic, and doesn't feel particularly strong or high-quality, but it doesn't really have to be. It comes with a very long 1/4" hose as well as a brass splitter so that you can connect it to your refrigerator's water supply line. This means you have to splice into your refrigerator's existing supply line, but that part wasn't difficult. I turned off the fridge water line, snipped it in half, and attached each end to the supplied brass splitter using the compression nuts, easy peasy. Then I connected the included 1/4" water tube from the splitter to the actual bowl. I did NOT use the small brass tube inserts that come with the splitter; the installation instructions included a little note about this, something about how the included hose is thick enough not to need the small brass tube inserts. I tightened all of the compression nuts using an adjustable wrench, turned the water back on, and voila! The bowl filled itself with fresh water. Great success, very nice. The bowl does make a whooshing sound when it fills, and this initially startled two of my three dogs when they would drink, but after about three days all of the dogs were completely acclimated to it. Most of the cats drink from it as well, but they don't decrease the water level enough for it to start refilling. What I've described above is the standard installation. It wasn't difficult. I consider myself somewhat handy, and I didn't have any real trouble. Hardest part was moving the refrigerator to get at the water line. However, there is one design consideration that I was not particularly satisfied with, so I modified my installation; what follows is a description of that, but please note that this is my own modification and does not reflect the standard normal installation of this bowl. After a few days of use, I noticed the bowl got a little dirty. My cats in particular like to dip their paws in the water, so they leave a little dirt behind. Because this bowl automatically refills once the water level falls below a certain threshold, there's no good way to detach it and clean it, because the water is always on. You'd have to move your refrigerator, turn off the water supply, and then detach the bowl. Pretty big hassle for something that needs to be done (in my household) every couple of days. My solution was to purchase and install a 1/4"-to-1/4" needle valve (1st and 2nd photos) **only on the tube going directly to the bowl.** I installed it about 1 foot from the bowl. The needle valve allows me to shut off water to the bowl without having to move the fridge, so I can easily disconnect it to wash it, . This part was a bit tricky, because the particular 1/4" needle valve I purchased was designed for thinner walled tubes. I tried installing it using just the compression nuts without the brass inserts (similar to the splitter), but had leaks when I turned the water back on. What I ended up having to do - and this is a bit wonky - was take my drill with an 11/64" bit and drill into both ends of the tube on either side of the splitter so that I could actually slide in the brass inserts. By doing this and using a bit of teflon tape, I had no leaks at the needle valve. Now, I can simply turn off water to the bowl at the needle valve and disconnect the bowl to clean it. Like I said, this is not the standard or recommended installation. If you choose to do this, it is at your own risk! Photo 3 is the finished installation with needle valve. Photo 4 is of our three dogs who drink from the bowl regularly. Overall, I'm very happy with this bowl. It's great knowing our pets have a constant source of fresh water. I deducted one star because of what I perceive to be a design flaw, and because it doesn't feel quite as strong or sturdy as it should for its price. But nonetheless it fulfills a need in my household, and I'm very happy about that. Recommended.
