I purchased this fountain to replace the sound the pool at my last home made. The sound is lovely and loud. However, this is not a fountain you can just plug in and go. It needs constant attention. I live in Arizona and although it sits in a covered, shady area, the wind will blow the water out and sometimes lower than it should go. The water also evaporates quickly. You really can't use distilled water with this fountain, or you would go broke. I replace it with about four pitchers of filtered water each morning. That being said, I still give it five stars because it does exactly what I purchased it for.