It's a lot of work with them.. But I have an idea if you want to look into it. There is a water bottle over here near our shelter that uses a different type of tip.. it's not a ball. it has a wiggle valve. You can't back wash with it.. There not very much and they do ship.. You would never have to worry about cleaning back wash again.. Oh and by the way.. You can't hardly hear them using it.. I know. I have 24 large cages in my bedroom.. what a difference it makes at bed time.. LOL... Drop by Country Boy Cages and get his number from the site. Talk to Ronnie and he can give you priceing on a bottle.. http://www.countryboycages.com . I hope this will help you out some.