Heated pet bowl question

[Tjbaudio]

I have 5 cats and 2 dogs! What I need is a watter that I can plum into the house and keep fresh water avalible at all times! I to would go to a large pet store that has lizards and reptiles and look at what they have. Most aquatium heaters I have seen look like a test tube with a plug and a knobe at the top. Other pet items to look at would include heated rocks and other terarium stuff.

As for what you have. The heated bowl is a resistive load similar to a lamp. SO you would need a dimmer or similar to reduce the out put of the heater. A fan controle works with the inductance of the moter to slow it down. Having said all that I would scrap the idea and spend some time at a large pet store.

 

[Verdeboy]

I have 5 cats and 2 dogs! What I need is a watter that I can plum into the house and keep fresh water avalible at all times!

You can do that:

Outside way (Safest): Go to the swampcooler aisle and buy a hose bib adapter that you can screw on to any hose bib. This adapter will have a fitting where you can screw in a needle valve (or qtr turn shut-off). Then run 1/4" copper line from the needle valve to a float valve (also purchased in the swamp cooler section.) Drill the correct-sized hole in the tub of your choice and mount the float valve to the tub.

Inside way: Tap into a shut-off valve under one of your sinks. You can add a 1/4" tee with needle valve. Then follow above directions.

Note: If you do the inside method, you should always turn off the water to the "bowl" before leaving the house.
Note: If you do the outside method, you must winterize the line in colder weather.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Abikerboy]

You can do that:

Outside way (Safest): Go to the swampcooler aisle and buy a hose bib adapter that you can screw on to any hose bib. This adapter will have a fitting where you can screw in a needle valve (or qtr turn shut-off). Then run 1/4" copper line from the needle valve to a float valve (also purchased in the swamp cooler section.) Drill the correct-sized hole in the tub of your choice and mount the float valve to the tub.

Inside way: Tap into a shut-off valve under one of your sinks. You can add a 1/4" tee with needle valve. Then follow above directions.

Note: If you do the inside method, you should always turn off the water to the "bowl" before leaving the house.
Note: If you do the outside method, you must winterize the line in colder weather.

You can also buy a pet watering dish that uses a 5-gallon plastic water bottle like the type that goes on a water cooler inserted upside down...works for dogs or cats...about $10 at wally world, if I remember right.

 

[Abikerboy]

Why not just use an aquarium heater?

That wont work well unless you have a deep enough water bowl. The element in a aquarium heater is at the bottom of the glass tube, while the copper t-stat is almost at the top. If the water drops much below the copper sensor, the heater keeps heating and the glass tube breaks...had that happen in an aquarium once.

 

[Abikerboy]

Suggestion we tried on kittens once...seemed to work well. They were hand fed with warm milk and an eye dropper. When we took them off the milk, they wouldnt drink water if it was cold, so we used a stainless steel bowl (a very reflective one) and placed a clip on lamp with a reflector and a 60 watt bulb about 18" above the bowl. Warm water grows things in it very fast, so change it every day, and keep the bowl wiped out good.

 

[BrianJohn]

The problem with the Variac is the bowl is thermostatically controlled, so no matter what you do to the input the thermostat will try to keep the water at the manufactures predetermined temperature.

Modifying the thermostat (bypassing it) would not be a good idea, as no matter what you did with the input voltage there is always the possibility of fire due to lack of water and it cooling effect.

Possibly replacing the thermostat?

 

[Jimbo]

Check out www.smarthome.com They have some interesting dispenser/filter devices for cat and dog bowls.

 

[Verdeboy]

The problem with the Variac is the bowl is thermostatically controlled, so no matter what you do to the input the thermostat will try to keep the water at the manufactures predetermined temperature.

Modifying the thermostat (bypassing it) would not be a good idea, as no matter what you did with the input voltage there is always the possibility of fire due to lack of water and it cooling effect.

Possibly replacing the thermostat?

What makes you think there's a thermostat involved here? But even if there is, if there's not enough voltage to raise the temp, what difference does it make if the thermostat "wants" to raise the temp? Isn't it like an A/C that has run out of freon? It can run all day and never reach the desired temp.

Fire? What exactly what will burn? The manufacturer must have taken into account the fact that the bowl would run dry, even at full voltage. So, it's hard to imagine it will burn up at low voltage when the bowl runs dry.

 

[Verdeboy]

You can also buy a pet watering dish that uses a 5-gallon plastic water bottle like the type that goes on a water cooler inserted upside down...works for dogs or cats...about $10 at wally world, if I remember right.

I thought of that, but my aching back kept me from suggesting it.

 

[Tjbaudio]

You can also buy a pet watering dish that uses a 5-gallon plastic water bottle like the type that goes on a water cooler inserted upside down...works for dogs or cats...about $10 at wally world, if I remember right.

I had one like that. One of the cats bit it while it was full and it leaked all the water out. I also tried a farm bowl with a float valve. It failed in several spots and each time I ended up with a wet floor. I have another tank type unit now and it is a PITA to fill but it is too thick to bite. I will put in a new automatic one once I have a floor drain to put it near.

 

[Mike50]

HEATED PET WATER BOWL $19.95:
http://cozywinters.com/shop/kh-2010-2020.html


you're welcome.

good luck.
Mike

 

[Frenchie]

Um, Mike?

I bought a heated pet bowl for indoor use, but it heats the water way too hot since it was intended for outdoor cold climate use.

...

 

[Mike50]

HEATED PET WATER BOWL $19.95:
http://cozywinters.com/shop/kh-2010-2020.html

Hmmm. Is this the same bowl you tried Majus..??

Mike

 

[sbrn33]

Um...could you not just go get yourself a lamp dimmer. Plug it in then plug the bowl into the dimmer. If you turn it down far enough you shouldn't need a thermostat or any other control.

I wonder if this pet bowl shouldn't be GFCI protected???

 

[Verdeboy]

Um...could you not just go get yourself a lamp dimmer. Plug it in then plug the bowl into the dimmer. If you turn it down far enough you shouldn't need a thermostat or any other control.

I wonder if this pet bowl shouldn't be GFCI protected???

The ones I looked at are all ALCI protected.

Regarding the dimmer, it is made to dim lights.
Regarding the Variac, it is often used successfully to control the temp. in heating devices. In the laboratory, it is used to control voltage in heating tape and heating mantles, etc...

http://images.google.com/imgres?img...?q=heating+mantles+variac&svnum=10&um=1&hl=en

 

[sbrn33]

Right but do you really want that contraption sitting on your kitchen floor(or wherever you keep it.
A lamp dimmer is about $4 at any hardware store

 

[Geniescience]

....pet bowl is 120V, 60Hz, 75W....

75W is too much, so you now know that to heat the amount of water the bowl contains, you need less energy than to make one incandescent light bulb shine. That is not much. If you position the bowl at the coldest corner of your house, perhaps near an outside door, it might do a good job of giving lukewarm water in January AND compensating for a cold spot in the house at the same time.

Pets are smart enough to use a switch to turn things on and off. A switch that pets can use, built into a box that is stable on the floor, is a toy at first and then a tool giving them control of their known universe. Well, almost. If and or when the water gets too hot, they can switch it off, and enjoy observing the temperature of the water go lower and lower until it's "just right." Like Goldilocks did with the porridge bowls.

At first, they will notice you turning the big switch on in the morning. Later, they will do it themselves.

Aquarium (fish tank) heaters cost very little, and all have a little thermostat. Used fish tanks can be had at garage sales. They are all big compared to a drinking bowl. That is good. The bigger the better. One side of the opening is for the heater-sensor, far from the pets, not to be toyed with. Your pets will love a big warm object containing warm water they can lap up whenever they want. BTW, I once used a mid size aquarium to warm up the coldest corner of my living room. It evened out the sensation of warmth in the room. Probably even met ASHRAE standards regarding temperature differentials across a room.

David

 

[Mike50]

Right but do you really want that contraption sitting on your kitchen floor(or wherever you keep it.
A lamp dimmer is about $4 at any hardware store

LOL
This thread reminds me of Rube Goldberg.




Personally speaking for my particular application with 2 large Pitbulls...I would just buy a cheap aquarium heater and straddle it on top of the large 2 gallon plastic utility bucket they now use inside and out.

I'm referring to the old 9-10 inch "test tube" style.
The smallest one available- used for 10 gallon tanks.

The lightbulb is also a great idea depending on the space.

M.

 

[PEW]

Here we are with a dog what want's ice cubes in it's bowl.

 

[Geniescience]

resistive load. Not inductive load.

a light dimmer should work, since a heater is a resistive load, and a dimmer is made for resistive loads (light bulbs). Unless there is more to know.

I know that fan motors are inductive loads, so their power factor puts them off by a half cycle, and AC "dimmed" doesn't work unless the power factor is corrected, and that is the main reason why "dimmers" don't work on anything other than lights.

So the friend who said not to use a dimmer was probably thinking of that, but he wasn't thinking that resistive heaters are just resistive loads, like light bulbs are. You don't need a "varable speed controller" here since it's not a motor.

It's a toaster.

David
p.s. it's an expression. "It's a toaster", a way of saying, "it's a resistive load" and "it does nothing but suck power and give you heat" -- Works well when the device in question was designed for high tech purposes, and all it does is generate heat. Not as funny here. Oh well...
-d