Pioneer Pet Pump Replacement for Smartcat Fountains

I'm surprised by all the negative reviews I see for this pump. These are very simple devices. There's only one moving part: the pump impeller. The rest of it is the AC motor winding and the housing. There's not much that *can* go wrong with them. But they will get dirty and clogged.We've kept 3 or 4 cats over the last 10 years, and we've had one of these Fountain watering bowls for most of that time... call it 7 years now. I usually clean the filter & bowl every couple of weeks. I change the filter once per quarter (3 months).Our pump has never failed, but it has lost pressure over time. You can disassemble the pump for cleaning by prying the output side loose using a small, thin-bladed screwdriver. (See the pic.)Once the pump's apart, rinse the parts and wipe them down with a cotton swab. Be sure to swab the output spout. Then re-assemble and away you go. I cleaned the original pump in our fountain this way recently and it works like a new pump now.I was going to post pix of my disassembly but I see that the maker has finally posted this advice. In our case, cleaning the pump once per year would be plenty, so once a month sounds too often to me. But your mileage may vary.

I've had the fountain for I think. Around six years and the original pump finally went out and I replaced it with a Generic universal pump. It worked fine. And it saved me Money or so I thought. I provided the picture to show you what I finally realized after buying another universal pump Around a year later. The chord is very thin and it cracks. So this time I went back to the Pioneer Pet replacement pump and the chord Is twice as thick. In the picture, you can see the difference. The one on the left is the Pioneer Pet and the one on the right is the generic.If you buy the cheaper one, the chord will eventually crack in places where it is under water. If you need anything replaced from Pioneer like the casing for the motor and Amazon does not carry it you can buy it off of Pioneer pet.com. They're customer service is top-notch. You can't beat it. It's easy to install, and the cleaning takes a second.Overall the right call this time. I believe I will actually save money because I won't have to buy a pump next year.

Does a nice job but would recommend having a backup, just in case.

Have had the fountain about four years. Bought a replacement pump before seeing the YouTube video about how to take it apart. Usually during a weekly clean I just run water through the pump to flush crud out through the spout. But if that doesn't work or it dies or flows too slowly, take the time to take the two covers off, remove the impeller, and I flush it out well. If that doesn't work, try it again. Both my pumps wouldn't work and I took each apart twice and fiddled with the cords that go into the transformer box. One pump seems to work better with one than another. Was ready to buy yet another pump but kept trying and have two pumps that squirt fine again. In short the pumps are touchy and require thorough cleaning each week. But this is a great fountain for the money. My little darling would much rather drink out of the toilet or a moldy plant saucer than a pristinely clean bowl of water on the kitchen floor. I have this fountain set up next to her bed in the living room and she loves drinking from it.Update 12/2020 Spent a frustrating night trying to get all the spare pumps I have to work. Cleaned pumps several times and switched out power blocks, nothing worked. So went ahead and bought another one. Next day out of the blue the one that was plugged in started up again. Now I have three spares! Think there might be a temperamental switch inside the power blocks? Oh well. Have had this fountain for I think close to a decade with two different cats. Has been a good value and it's what my cat will use. Again keep cleaning the pump thoroughly and try again the next day before ordering another replacement. Maybe some day will rig up a flower pot fountain or something with all the extra pump sets I have now!

Great! It replaced my original pump which was 2 years old and it runs quieter than the original

Good product for price.

This pump has a high price and in our experience it’s a hit or miss if the neck of the swan neck fountain will seal with the cord inside. Contrary to the original pump that has a narrow and thin electrical cord that allows for a good seal when you ensemble the top part of the fountain, this pump has a thick cord that makes it very difficult to obtain that seal. Yes the carbon filter fits in the front which no all the pumps do. But trying to ensemble the swan neck is very difficult. You end up with a puddle of water because the suction inside was. It obtained. Since Amazon doesn’t sell this model of fountain any more and tired of buying pumps that simple don’t work, I purchased a new fountain the same model from chewy that still sells them. They had a sale that it come with a box of extra filters and I solved the problem as my cats love the swan neck model and have rejected about 4 other models. And I do have 5 rescued cats age ranging from 15 years old to 4 years old.Hope this helps someone before you pay almost HALF the price of a new fountain for a pump with poor performance and reliability.

I like the fit of the pump(s) in the fountain, and they perform well if you keep them maintained. I disassemble the pump every second day, clean it and the fountain up with dish soap and hot water so as to keep it running smoothly and also provide my cats with the best, cleanest water. If you live in an area with hard water it really is a good way to keep things in tip top running order. I also replace the fountain filter every two weeks.Good product.