If you’re like most pet owners, you may already use several smart products in your home. Maybe you use a robot vacuum to keep your floors clean or an automatic litter box to simplify litter box maintenance. But have you ever considered a smart water bowl?

The Always Full pet bowl is a “set-it-and-forget-it” smart water bowl for dogs and cats. This automatic water bowl simplifies your pets’ water bowl routine with auto-refills, water filtering, self-cleaning, and hydration monitoring via an app. 

Why Try a Smart Water Bowl?

The Always Full pet bowl ensures that your pet has continuous access to clean, filtered water. It allows you to avoid the need for daily cleaning and refilling of your pets’ water bowl. 

The Always Full pet bowl stays true to its name by refilling automatically, keeping an always-full water level. The water also stays clean, because food crumbs, pet hair, and dog drool are automatically filtered out every hour. 

In addition to always staying full and clean, Always Full offers useful data about your pets’ health, via their app. It watches your pets’ daily water intake and displays this information on a chart, allowing you to see trends. A consistent increase or decrease in water intake can, in some cases, be the first indicator of a health problem. Always Full also allows you to set a range of normal daily water intake and receive an alert if your pet’s water intake falls outside of this range. 

Always Full Pet Bowl: A Closer Look

The Always Full Pet Bowl is an automatic dog water bowl with three unique features: 

• Auto-Refill with Laser Sensors: Maintains water level within 1 mm accuracy; uses 5 layers of overfill protection to prevent leaks and spills
• Self-Cleaning System: Flushes water hourly, trapping debris in triple-layer filters; requires minimal manual cleaning 
• Hydration Tracking via App: Optional app provides real-time intake notifications and health insights; subscription offers extended warranty and custom settings 

Always Full is available with two different bowl sizes: 7” or 9” diameter. The 7” bowl size is best for smaller pets. The 9” bowl size is best for larger pets and households in which multiple pets tend to drink at once.

Always Full is available with your choice of water sources: a bottle pump or a wall unit. The bottle pump is designed to attach to a 2–5 gal water jug (not included), and it can be set up within about 10 minutes. The wall unit, in contrast, connects to your home plumbing. It may require professional installation, but it removes the need for swapping out water jugs. 

Your order will include the following: 

• One bowl: 7” or 9” diameter
• Two filters: one active carbon-based, one cotton
• Stainless filter basket
• Control module for bowl cleaning and refilling
• Bottle pump or wall unit (packaged separately) 
• Instructions for setup and use

Real-World Use & Effectiveness  

I tried the Always Full on my own pets – one dog (a 25-pound Beagle mix) and two cats. Funny enough, I was offered the opportunity to review this bowl literally one day after waking up in the morning to find that my own pets’ water bowl had run empty overnight. I’d like to pretend that this is an uncommon occurrence, but the reality is that my family is busy and sometimes it happens. I was very excited to try Always Full!

Always Full arrived quickly, and it was conveniently packaged. I received one large cardboard box, with two smaller boxes inside. One of these boxes held the 9” water bowl, filters, and control module. The other box held the bottle pump that I had selected. 

Setup was relatively straightforward. I bought a refillable water jug instead of a standard, sealed water cooler jug, but I was able to attach the bottle pump with minimal modifications. The pump is designed to fit down tightly over the cap of a sealed water jug, but I used a small amount of tape to secure it to my refillable jug. An airtight seal is not needed for the pump to work, so this worked well. 

Setting up the Always Full bowl and water jug does require a bit of space. I placed the bowl in the spot where our old water bowl had been sitting, and I placed the water jug just around the corner. The tubing that connects the water jug to the bowl is several feet long and easily accommodated this arrangement. Depending on your home’s layout, you could also hide the water jug in a closet or cabinet, the water hose running out a door to the bowl

I was nervous about how my pets would acclimate to the bowl, because my dog tends to be a bit anxious. I was happy to see that Always Full comes with clear instructions on acclimating your pets to the bowl by setting it up gradually. I first set up the Always Full bowl and filled it with water, without connecting the pump or plugging it into electricity.

Once my pets were drinking from the bowl, I began gradually adding elements over the course of one week. First, I added the data cable/water line, then the water jug, and finally I plugged in the electric cable. My pets experienced a bit of a setback after seeing the bowl flush and fill for the first time, but they quickly overcame their discomfort and returned to drinking from the bowl readily.

Once the Always Full bowl was working as intended, I set up the Always full app. 

I used the app to track my pets’ water intake. I also set maintenance reminders, set a “normal” daily water intake range for my pets, and turned on selected notifications. 

The app is free of charge and included with the purchase of the Always Full Bowl. There is an OPTIONAL annual subscription to the app as well that comes with an extended warranty: You get an extended warranty on all components when you subscribe, for the life of your subscription. You also have the ability to modify the “flush” schedule.

• Flush only after filling
• Flush every 20, 40, or 60 minutes
• Sleep mode, do not flush between user-defined hours.

The annual subscription is $30 per year.

I have been impressed by how consistently and reliably this bowl works. It flushes every hour, and I have never noticed any pet hair or debris accumulation in the bowl. It stays full (refilling automatically as needed), and it has never overflowed or splashed onto my floor. I only had one bowl malfunction; the flashing light indicated “Flush Pump Not Connected: Press Bowl Controller firmly onto the Bowl and ensure it’s snapped into place.” When I checked the bowl controller, it was loose. I’m not sure whether it had been bumped by one of my pets or by my robot vacuum (which ran that morning), but I easily snapped it into place with no further problems.

The bowl flushing isn’t noisy, but it does make some sound. It kind of sounds like a quieter version of a flushing toilet. The pump also makes a bit of sound when the bowl refills. The sound isn’t a problem in our kitchen/dining room, but you might want to avoid placing the bowl in your bedroom or other areas where silence is preferred. 

When using a traditional bowl, I typically clean and refill my pets’ water bowl every day. I immediately appreciated being able to remove that chore from my daily routine! I also liked being able to check my pets’ water intake through the app. All my pets are currently healthy, but this would offer significant benefits for pets with diabetes, kidney problems, or other conditions affecting water intake. 

Safety & Considerations

Always Full keeps water clean by automatically flushing the bowl once hourly. During these flush cycles, water in the bowl is filtered through a cotton or activated charcoal filter and clean, filtered water is returned to the bowl. Multi-layer sensor safeguards prevent potential overflow. 

Always Full’s app allows you to check your pets’ water intake. A subscription can be used to unlock enhanced features. 

Installation with a bottle pump is straightforward and simple. Installation with the wall unit, however, is a bit more complex and may require a professional. Pet owners looking for a simple installation should probably opt for the bottle pump. 

Where to Buy & Pricing

You can buy the Always Full pet bowl at alwaysfull.com – the manufacturer’s direct website – or from online retailers. When you order, you will be asked to select a 7” or 9” bowl and to choose between a bottle pump or wall unit. The features you select, as well as discounts available, determine product pricing. 

Your order will come with two filters: one cotton and one activated carbon. Additional filters must be bought from Always Free. Filters last approximately 2 – 3 months, and the currently cost $1.30 – $5 each on the Always Free website (depending on whether you select cotton or activated carbon). 

Final Verdict: Is Always Full Worth It?

When assessing the value of Always Full, it’s important to consider the product’s pros and cons in the context of your unique needs.

Pros:

• Fully automated hydration: no need for daily water refills 
• Self-cleaning with filtration: no need for daily bowl cleaning
• Health insights via app, which can be especially useful for pets that have current or suspected health problems
• Bottle pump setup is simple, straightforward, and quick

Cons:

• Higher initial cost compared to basic bowls or fountains
• App subscription may incur ongoing fees
• Plumbing-based setup could require extra time or expert help

Recommendation

I recommend Always Full for owners of senior pets or pets with ongoing medical conditions. Diseases like diabetes, Cushing’s disease, hyperthyroidism, and kidney disease can affect water intake. Tracking water intake in the Always Full app can alert you to changes quickly, allowing you to work with your veterinarian to address problems. 

I also recommend Always Full for busy pet owners. Whether you forget to refill your pets’ water bowl or simply hate the task, Always Full automates this process so you don’t forget to keep your pets’ water clean and fresh. 

Finally, I recommend Always Full for any pet owner that enjoys using technology to make pet ownership easier.