I have only had two bird baths and wasn't happy with either one of them. I saw this online and thought about attaching it to my deck outside of my kitchen so I could watch the birds in the winter. It was delivered right to my home. I unpacked it and within minutes I had it set up. I bought an electrical cord at Home Depot just for this one bird bath so no one would take it for their project! That was $25, but it was worth it. When I first put out the bird bath no birds came at all. However, I know it takes wild animals a while to start eating or coming so close to my house before eating like I expected them to. I was patient. Sure enough, within a week or so, as the weather got cooler the birds started coming. I ordered a hanging basket to feed suet also and hung it close by with a hangar made just for deck railings. I've had my hangars for years, but I bought them at a local hardware store and they are handy to use for many things! This bird bath being close to the food helped. The birds will drink or bath while waiting to eat. Sometimes the birds just sit on the side and rest. The bird suet feeder has really attracted beautiful red birds. Their colors are so bright! I highly recommend this product. It is plugged up electrically underneath simply using an extension cord. The plug is built into the bottom of the bowl. The bowl monitors itself, so you DON'T turn it off and on. Just plug it in and it does all the work, except cleaning. To clean, simply unscrew the top of the bowl from the base. Empty the water left inside in the yard. I take mine inside and wash it out with soap and water, not any strong chemicals, and replace it. Sometimes I just tip it over the edge of the deck, rinse with water using a pitcher of clean water, then, pour more clean water back in the bird bath once I get it lined back up on the deck railing. It is so easy to maintain! When there is ice outside or snow the water is just clear water. I have been really pleased with this product!