Petmate Replendish Gravity Water Dispenser Review: An Auto-Filling Dog Water Bowl For One Dog… OR Multiple Dogs!

This gravity-fed water bowl prolongs the time between when you have to refill your dog’s water bowl.

Even though I started using this water bowl when we had 3 dogs in our household, I’ve come to find out that it’s a really great water bowl for just 1 dog as well. Currently, I use it for 2 dogs.

I say that because I really like not having to refill the dog water bowl every day!!!

Initially, I thought the Replendish Gravity Water Bowl made the most sense for multi-dog households. And I definitely liked being able to provide enough water for more than one dog at a time… for days at a time.

But now I know that this is the only water bowl that I will continue to use regardless of whether I have one dog or many dogs. Because It’s just easier!

I’ve had mine for 5 years now… 3 different dogs have used it… and it still works perfectly.

In this article, I will cover:

• The things that make this dog water station unique
• Good things about it (the pros)
• Bad things about it (the cons)
• How to fill this gravity-fed dog water bowl
• One caution (I dropped it, but it still works great!)
• How to clean this Microban-treated dog water bowl

Features That Make This Auto Fill Dog Water Bowl Unique

It’s available in 3 different colors: Blue, Green, or Gray/Silver.

I like the Gray because it’s less “obvious” in the room. It’s kind of a sleek gray / pewter color (which is where they get the “silver” from) and would match just about any color of decor you have.

It comes in 4 different sizes:

• 1/2 gallon
• 1 gallon
• 2.5 gallon
• 4 gallon

I bought the 2.5 gallon size because it would provide more than enough water for just one dog… and just enough water for 2 or 3 dogs in the same house.

It has over 61,000 5-star reviews on Amazon! I don’t know about you, but I’ve come to rely on the sheer number of reviews that products have these days. Items with tens of thousands of reviews generally get my attention. And when most of those are 5-star ratings… that really says something!

The gravity-fed dog water bowl comes with a (replaceable) Petmate Replendish charcoal filter — and there’s a slot built into the black screw-top lid to hold the filter. By replacing the charcoal filter occasionally, you will get “better” (filtered) water for your dog.

Good Things / The PRO’s:

There are WAY more pros than cons to this automatic dog waterer — 10 good things to be exact!

Here’s my list:

• It’s easy to use and works really well as a dog water bowl for one or more dogs.
• You no longer have to refill your dog’s water bowl every day… or several times each day! It uses GRAVITY to automatically replenish your pet’s water supply without over-filling.
• It’s super sturdy and durable – even a large dog is not likely to overturn this water bowl! My Replendish water bowl has lasted 5+ years already — with big dogs AND medium dogs.
• The wide-mouth water container makes refilling it a breeze. I like how I can refill it underneath the bathtub faucet (which dispenses a lot more water faster) for easy, mess-free refills INSTEAD OF having to carry it to a sink and wait forever for it to fill up! (See “My Refill Tips” below.)
• It provides peace of mind if you happen to work long hours or travel. When you have to leave your dog alone for longer periods of time than they’re used to, you might wonder if they’ll have enough water. But with this type of auto-fill dog water bowl, THAT type of worry will never cross your mind again. Your dog will always have a constant supply of clean water!

• It does NOT leak! I’ve used it on my hardwood floors in the dining room, on my tile floors in the bathroom, and on my cement floors in the garage — never once had a leak.
• No batteries are required. There’s NOTHING required to make this auto-filling dog water bowl work… just gravity! The added bonus to that is the fact that there are no moving parts. Nothing to wear out. Nothing to break. This dog water bowl should literally last forever.
• It’s dishwasher safe! (The base part — the colored plastic bowl that your dog drinks from — not the clear water container part.)

• It’s made of BPA-free plastic AND it’s treated with Microban antimicrobial protection — so it’s safer for your dog, keeps your dog’s water cleaner for longer, and is easier to clean than most dog water bowls.
• Since the water container is clear (see-thru), you won’t have to wonder or “check” anything — you can easily SEE when your dog’s water gets low and needs to be refilled.

Downsides / The CON’s:

I can only think of 3 things that I could even remotely consider downsides.

One could actually be due to user error.

The other might be more of a marketing gimmick than anything else.

And the last one pertains to using this auto-filling dog water bowl outdoors.

#1 – Sometimes (very rarely), the water won’t refill the bowl as quickly as it normally does UNLESS you “bump” the bowl first.

The fact that literally bumping the bowl makes it release more water makes it clear to me that this issue is simply due to an air pocket. These can sometimes build up inside the chamber, making the bowl slower to release additional water into the bowl.

Again, this is rare. Definitely NOT all the time.

Since it’s a “gravity-fed” watering system and this happens naturally, it’s just a minor fact of life for me to realize that the bowl WILL fill slightly slower when there’s a built-up air pocket inside the chamber.

All you’ve got to do is bump the bowl and there’s no more air pocket… the water begins filling the bowl as usual.

Sometimes, the dog drinking from the bowl itself will release the air pocket. (See “One Thing I Learned The Hard Way” below… about the time I dropped this water bowl.)

#2 – I’m not 100% sold on the “water filter” option.

I actually bought an entire year’s worth of the Petmate Replenish water filters for this dog water bowl, but I stopped using them after several months.

I didn’t notice any real benefits to forcing the water to run through a carbon filter first.

Though I must admit… there are over 10,000 5-star reviews for these Petmate filters, as well!

I’m sure there are some minor health benefits to your dog drinking filtered water. However, all of my dogs have been raised on straight water from the tap – and they’ve always lived over 15 years without any health issues. So I’m content with the fact that filtered water for dogs is not a necessity for dogs.

That said, I can’t help but wonder if filtered water might make the plastic bowl that your dog drinks from even easier to clean — because I do see that a hard scale film appears after a while from the hard water that comes from our faucets. Fortunately, a Magic Eraser removes those minerals super easily each time.

So, the bottom line here is… while you can use this auto-fill dog water bowl with charcoal filters to purify the tap water that comes from your faucet, you don’t have to use the filters in order for this dog water bowl to work.

#3 – While it might seem nice to keep one of these outside for your dogs in the summer, it’s NOT practical.

The reason is sun… water… and plastic simply aren’t the best combination for a crystal clear water source.

See point #2 under “How To Clean The Replendish Dog Water Bowl” for my detailed explanation on this.

My Refill Tips: The Easiest Way To Fill This Gravity-Fed Dog Water Bowl

I think I refill the water container on this gravity-fed water bowl a little differently than most people.

Here’s how I do it:

1. First, separate the large clear water container from the base by simply turning it a little bit to the left.
2. Unscrew the black lid from the water container and set the lid aside.
3. Set the large clear water container in the bathtub, directly under the faucet, and turn the water on to refill the container almost to the top.
4. Screw the black lid back onto the water container — until it is securely closed.
5. Turn the large base (the empty bowl part that your dog drinks from) UPSIDE DOWN and then SCREW IT ON to the black lid.
6. With both of your hands on the large clear water container, lift the entire thing (now fully assembled and filled with water!) up and out of the bathtub. Once it is close to the floor where you want it (and where your dog will be drinking from it), slowly and carefully turn it over so that the base – the part your dog drinks out of – is now flat on the floor.
7. Finally, turn the slightly heavy water-filled container to the right a little bit to “lock” it into place within the bowl/base. (If you don’t do this step, the bottle will feel slightly “off” and it could possibly be pushed by a large dog out of position – causing water to spill everywhere.)

The water starts dispensing into the part your dog drinks from right away. It automatically stops filling once it reaches a certain level — it’s a little less than half of a bowl full.

You can WATCH me refill the Petmate Replendish auto-fill dog water bowl here:

I have the 2.5 gallon version of the Replendish dog water bowl, and it IS slightly awkward to “turn it over while it’s full” at first – simply because it’s a bulky item that’s slightly heavy. But the more you do it, it becomes really easy to do all in one motion! 

I can’t imagine what it would be like to fill AND position the larger 4-gallon version though. I don’t know that I would have the physical strength to do it by myself.

Fortunately, 2.5 gallons of water is plenty for my 2 medium-sized (60 lb) dogs.

I refill this dog water bowl approximately every week.

One Thing I Learned The Hard Way…

This pertains to the refilling of a Replendish gravity-fed dog waterer.

When the large clear water container is upside down after you’ve just filled it with water, make sure that you do NOT lift the entire thing from the colored base/bowl alone!

Doing that will cause the base to separate between its 2 plastic parts. It won’t make this dog waterer unusable, but it will make the “seal” between the 2 plastic parts a little weaker in my experience. (Hey… it’s easier to come apart for cleaning now!)

As a result, I now always have to double-check to make sure the 2 plastic parts are together and perfectly aligned – to enable the water to automatically fill up on its own properly using gravity alone.

I’m pretty sure this is why my bowl won’t always refill properly on its own without “bumping” it first! Because of the ONE time I lifted the filled water container by only holding onto the plastic base/bowl when it was filled with heavy water. This caused it to separate awkwardly on its own – in such a way that it now allows air bubbles during the gravity-fed refilling process sometimes.

Again, it’s not a deal-breaker… just something to be aware of.

How To Clean The Replendish Dog Water Bowl

The best way I’ve found to clean this dog water bowl is to use the soft side of a Scrub Mommy sponge.

While you could use the “scratch-free scrubby side” if necessary… it shouldn’t ever be necessary. There’s rarely anything to “scrub” clean on this gravity-fed water bowl.

Using the soft NON-scrubby side of the sponge, wipe everything clean with regular soap & water.

I use regular Dawn most times. Occasionally, I’ll use Dawn Powerwash — for the hard scale film that appears after a while from the hard water that comes from our faucets.

On the rare occasion that I feel the need to “scrub” any part of the Rependish waterer, I use a Magic Eraser instead of a scrubby sponge. (You can use ANY melamine sponge, really — they’re all the same.)

The 2 main reasons the Replendish dog bowl EVER needs to be cleaned are:

1. A dog’s saliva combined with water creates an invisible “biofilm” — and, over time, that can become a breeding ground for bacteria.
   This sounds way grosser than it is… but it’s just common sense! The more your dog’s unclean mouth interacts with clean water, the more bacteria gets introduced into the water… and that bacteria can grow on the bowl. Thankfully, the plastic that this bowl is made from (BPA-Free PET plastic) has EPA-approved Microban protection! (It’s a built-in, antimicrobial technology that inhibits the growth of bacteria, mold, and mildew – keeping your dog’s water bowl cleaner, fresher, and lasting longer. The Microban protection does not ever wash off or wear away.)
2. If you happen to keep this dog water bowl in a sunny room (like I do), then green algae may eventually begin to form inside of the large clear container.
   This is simply a fact of life — due to light exposure and the porous nature of plastic. Fortunately, green algae is harmless and NOT poisonous. It just looks gross if you let it get out of control. So the moment I start to see algae forming inside of the clear water container, I empty it and thoroughly clean the water container itself. Easy peasy! You can rest assured knowing that this is NOT a defect with the product. Nor is it a reflection of your cleaning skills. Even the purest water isn’t 100% free of living organisms or microbes! So it’s only natural that plastic water containers placed in the sun will eventually start to grow some algae. Thankfully, it wipes clean without any scrubbing!

The Bottom Line

The Replendish gravity-fed dog water bowl will likely be the last water bowl you ever have to buy.

Mine has lasted through 3 dogs and it still looks new AND works like new! 

I know that I WILL be getting another dog after my two 8-year-old dogs eventually pass. (Because that’s just what I’ve always done… I’ve never been without a dog.) But I WON’T be getting another dog water bowl — because this one serves its purpose well, looks great, and makes my life easier.

Overall, the Petmate automatic dog water bowl works really well, is easy to clean, AND it’s affordable. It’s a really good value for the money — and I like that it’s made in the USA.

The “minimalist” in me also likes how one single water bowl serves BOTH of my dogs at the same time. They have no issues drinking out of it separately… or together!

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