Ideas neded for dog cooler

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  • pelligrini
    Veteran Member
    • Apr 2007
    • 4217
    • Fort Worth, TX
    • Craftsman 21829

    Ideas neded for dog cooler

    I've been kicking around an idea for cooling off my dogs for a while. With this big heat wave recently I need to try it out. Might call it a doggie cold plate. While I would love to let my 5 inside, my wife would have a fit and my only male would probably get dehydrated from going around marking everyting as his.

    I cool their water bowl with a swamp cooler device I made several years ago. The device is a 30 gallon galvanized tub which is also their water source. It is cooled by pumping the water with an aquarium powerhead to a spray bar (some 1/2" vinyl tube with holes drilled in it) that's sandwiched between a couple blue cut-to-fit ac filters. A 20" box fan forces air through it. The whole assembly sits over half of the reservoir. I can get a 12-27 degree temp drop on the water depending on the humidity and ambient temp. I tried reversing the fan and ducting the airflow into their doghouse, but I was only getting a 5 degree drop at best.

    I'm thinking of trying out some sort of cool pad for them by pumping the cool water through some sort of pored slab, kind of a reverse radiant heat floor. If it works, and they take to it, I might do it in their doghouse. I don't want to spend much, especially on the experiment.

    I'll probably pour a small section on the porch in front of their doghouse as a test. This area will get no direct sunlight, and it is 4' away from the edge of the porch slab. I was going to pour an inch and a half of concrete over a tubing network and pump the chilled water through it.

    I need some ideas on what to use for the tubing, and if I should thermally decouple the plate from the porch slab. Copper tube would be nice, but it's not going to happen. I haven't looked through the plumbing sections to see what all might be available.

    Hmm, I just had this thought. I might try using an old radiator core I have. It won't stand the pressure on a car anymore, but It certainly could work at the low pressure for this experiment.
    Erik
  • Russianwolf
    Veteran Member
    • Jan 2004
    • 3152
    • Martinsburg, WV, USA.
    • One of them there Toy saws

    #2
    You should be able to find the tubing that's used in heated tile floors. If it can be used for hot water, then it can definitely be used for cold.

    I have a feeling that just about any of the plastic tubings you'll find can be used. I know I picked up some 25 foot lengths of either half or three quarter inch tubing that would work perfectly with a powerhead. And if you find a small drum (I'm assuming what you are using now is like a stock tank for livestock) and insulate it pretty good, you could drop a bunch of ice in it and it should run pretty dang cold all day.
    Mike
    Lakota's Dad

    If at first you don't succeed, deny you were trying in the first place.

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    • Mr__Bill
      Veteran Member
      • May 2007
      • 2096
      • Tacoma, WA
      • BT3000

      #3
      Have you thought of a mist? A friend with an RV has a awning with a tube along the outside edge with many small holes in it. Under pressure it creates a mists curtain at the front of the awning and keeps it a lot cooler under the awning while not getting the people there wet.

      You could always just let them dig a hole in the ground to keep cool....


      Bill
      the easiest way to keep cool is to move to the Oregon Coast!

      Comment

      • Russianwolf
        Veteran Member
        • Jan 2004
        • 3152
        • Martinsburg, WV, USA.
        • One of them there Toy saws

        #4
        speaking of digging a hole. If you can make a closed loop system running deep enough in the ground, the ground temp, once you get below about 3 foot, is usually a pretty constant temp in the 60 degree range.

        Use the ground as the heat exchanger instead of the swamp cooler.
        Mike
        Lakota's Dad

        If at first you don't succeed, deny you were trying in the first place.

        Comment

        • RAFlorida
          Veteran Member
          • Apr 2008
          • 1179
          • Green Swamp in Central Florida. Gator property!
          • Ryobi BT3000

          #5
          +1 with what Mike has

          suggested. Digging down at least 3 feet will give you a constant temp that's cooler than the environmental surface temps. You can use just about any of the PVC piping since you'll be working with low psi pressures. Make a coil that will set down in the hole and a small pump to circulate the water in the concrete pad, and your family members will gather on it to stay cool! (Ah, family members being your canines)

          Comment

          • dbhost
            Slow and steady
            • Apr 2008
            • 9209
            • League City, Texas
            • Ryobi BT3100

            #6
            My neighbor has 2 yellow labs, about the same age as my mutt... He has a dog run of sorts out of a PVC frame and a silver tarp (silver I am guessing to act as a radiant barrier) in his yard. He keeps one of those big shop fans blowing toward it, and has a jury rigged mister system in one end of the dog run. It works exceptionally well, even in the humid coast. What it doesn't do is comply with our watering rules, so he has had to seek out alternate methods.

            If they are water loving dogs, you might put a kiddie pool under some shade for them to dip in. My old lab loved that.

            Not sure if you folks remember I got a new dog last year, this crazy thing is NOT a water loving dog... He sure likes to fetch though... Wonder when the neighbor will start missing that shovel that showed up the other day....
            Please like and subscribe to my YouTube channel. Please check out and subscribe to my Workshop Blog.

            Comment

            • pelligrini
              Veteran Member
              • Apr 2007
              • 4217
              • Fort Worth, TX
              • Craftsman 21829

              #7
              Good ideas. They already dig holes. That behavior is not encouraged. My ankle is still tender from a new hole that was dug near my shop. I think they really dig the holes to find more rocks to put out in the yard in order to sabotage the lawnmower.

              They don't like water, which is another reason they don't come inside much. They're all part stinky hound dog and they don't like baths.

              I've considered misters, but I've stayed away from them as I have had problems with hoses and my high pressure plumbing leaking. I also keep some wood stock on the porch at times.

              The geo-thermal option sounds intriguing. Not sure If I want to dig in my backyard too much with all the big tree roots. Getting the conduit to my shop wasn't easy at all. I'm going to have to look into that a little closer though.

              I was thinking that vinyl or PVC tube wouldn't work as well as a metal tube. Maybe it will work well enough over time to cool the concrete mass.
              Erik

              Comment

              • tommyt654
                Veteran Member
                • Nov 2008
                • 2334

                #8
                Pet Supplies, your favorite Pet Accessories, and More can be found at PetStreetMall. We offer Low Prices and Free Shipping on orders over $75!

                Comment

                • Kristofor
                  Veteran Member
                  • Jul 2004
                  • 1331
                  • Twin Cities, MN
                  • Jet JTAS10 Cabinet Saw

                  #9
                  Yes, insulate your cooling pad from the other slab or the ground. Otherwise you're loading your heat sink with a lot more energy than it would be picking up from the air or the dogs.

                  Comment

                  • sailor55330
                    Established Member
                    • Jan 2010
                    • 494

                    #10
                    The idea of cool-radiant flooring is interesting and I think it might work. When I had my shoulder operated on, they gave me an ice pack that strapped on with some sort of pathway for the water to cool. It was circulated through what looked to be a large thermos that you filled with ice & water by something similar to an aquarium pump. It would numb my shoulder in about 2 minutes and have me in full body shivers in about 5.

                    Maybe a larger version would work for the pups.

                    Comment

                    • pelligrini
                      Veteran Member
                      • Apr 2007
                      • 4217
                      • Fort Worth, TX
                      • Craftsman 21829

                      #11
                      OK, just got back from Home Depot. I picked up a couple coils of 3/8" polyethylene tubing, some 3/8" fittings and 3 50 lbs bags of fast setting concrete. While I was looking around for options & ideas I ran across some aluminium water heater pans. I spent a little more than I intended ($21) but using a 26" drain pan seems like a good idea. I don't have to make a form now. The slab is going to be thicker than I wanted and heavier.
                      Erik

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                      • cabinetman
                        Gone but not Forgotten RIP
                        • Jun 2006
                        • 15218
                        • So. Florida
                        • Delta

                        #12
                        I don't know if this will help, but the principle could be modified. When my father was in the Army, he was stationed for a while at Needles California. From his description, it was hot as heck there. What he did was set up some hay in a window opening, dripped water on the the hay with some kind of dispenser. Set up a fan on the outside to blow air inside. He said he didn't freeze to death, but it did cool down a room.

                        .

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                        • pelligrini
                          Veteran Member
                          • Apr 2007
                          • 4217
                          • Fort Worth, TX
                          • Craftsman 21829

                          #13
                          Actually, that same principal is what I'm using to cool the water down. From what I understand many original swamp coolers used reeds and other organic material for the medium.

                          I decided to fill the pan with the concrete mix before I added water. I put doen about an inch and arranged the first coil of tubing, added a bit more mix and arranged the remaining coil and put the remains of the first bag in. The tube is arranged in a couple overlaying spirals. Then I filled the pan the with the second bag. It only took two red bags of 50 lbs quickrete. I slowly poured a gallon of water onto it and troweled it some.

                          If anyone knows where I put my little giant pump and my 1/2" vinyl tubes, I'd be very appreciative...
                          Erik

                          Comment

                          • smorris
                            Senior Member
                            • Apr 2003
                            • 695
                            • Tampa, Florida, USA.

                            #14
                            FWIW, I bought one of these I use in the shop on these hot Fl summer days and it works quite well. They also make a version for dogs.

                            --
                            Any sufficiently advanced incompetence is indistinguishable from malice

                            Comment

                            • pelligrini
                              Veteran Member
                              • Apr 2007
                              • 4217
                              • Fort Worth, TX
                              • Craftsman 21829

                              #15
                              I've seen those. I have problems even keeping their collars on. They'll chew 'em off each other, especially ones with plastic catches.
                              Erik

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