I'm going to make a dog bed that stays cool

hunterisgreat · 12-04-2012, 01:56 PM

B/c Jäger would love it. So call this a bit of a brainstorming thread. He is a dog that always finds the shady cold tile or concrete in the garage to lay on b/c he likes to coolness. They make "water" dog beds, but that water will just heat up in no time... I want something that stays cool.

Stay with me here... My thought was to circulate cool water through an aluminum plate. The plate isn't all that comfortable, no more comfortable than a tile floor, so I'd like to have something with give to it.. my thought is that memory foam while dense enough to cut thin, will block most of the cooling. So I got to thinking, what could still be a good conductor of heat. Sand comes to mind as a candidate. But then I came across steel & aluminum shot or cut wire shot... typically used to shot peen and clean metal. a few inches of fine aluminum shot I bet would be reasonably comfortable and give on the pressure points, while retaining very high heat transfer. So I'd have a typical dog bed (fabric) filled with the shot, laying on top of the cooled plate. Thoughts? Any alternate ideas?

Jax08 · 12-04-2012, 02:10 PM

How are you going to circulate the water thru the plate? The pump would need to be small enough to be portable. How are you going to make an aluminum plate "bed" be portable? How are you going to keep the water cold? As the water circulates through the pump and plate, it will build heat from friction, so how would you keep it cool?

Personally, if I were going to do something like this, I would use Pex tubing set up under the crate pan in a "sub floor" compartment (assuming it were to be fairly stationary) and rig it to circulate water through a cooler that would be manually filled and have ice packs of some kind in it. The issue would be finding a pump small enough to do the job. Set it up like a radiant floor heating system only using cold water.

hunterisgreat · 12-04-2012, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jax08

How are you going to circulate the water thru the plate? The pump would need to be small enough to be portable. How are you going to make an aluminum plate "bed" be portable? How are you going to keep the water cold? As the water circulates through the pump and plate, it will build heat from friction, so how would you keep it cool?

Personally, if I were going to do something like this, I would use Pex tubing set up under the crate pan in a "sub floor" compartment (assuming it were to be fairly stationary) and rig it to circulate water through a cooler that would be manually filled and have ice packs of some kind in it. The issue would be finding a pump small enough to do the job. Set it up like a radiant floor heating system only using cold water.

That parts easy. It would be with a computer watercooling setup, and a thermoelectric coupler.

**jocoyn** · 12-04-2012, 02:19 PM

Lets assume a crazy dog may tear up the fabric and scatter alumiminum shot everywhere? LOL I have been thinking of ideas for the truck and someone suggested ice packs under a perforated plywood but I worry about a nail getting caught...

hunterisgreat · 12-04-2012, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jocoyn

Lets assume a crazy dog may tear up the fabric and scatter alumiminum shot everywhere? LOL I have been thinking of ideas for the truck and someone suggested ice packs under a perforated plywood but I worry about a nail getting caught...

Well, non of my dogs typically get crazy like that lol.. but I'd be using the toughest material I could get my hands on. Better than the water dog beds that would scatter water

hunterisgreat · 12-04-2012, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jocoyn

Lets assume a crazy dog may tear up the fabric and scatter alumiminum shot everywhere? LOL I have been thinking of ideas for the truck and someone suggested ice packs under a perforated plywood but I worry about a nail getting caught...

plus wood will block most of the heat transfer.

hunterisgreat · 12-04-2012, 02:25 PM

My initial idea was to use stainless steel fine mesh chain mail... but upon checking the prices, that crap is $$$$$$$.

msvette2u · 12-04-2012, 02:30 PM

Why reinvent the wheel?

Coolaroo.

Polar cooling pads and crate pads have multiple uses to prevent heat stress! - crate pads, pet beds, canine cool pads, pet pads, show dogs, "Chillows", cool pillow, massage, chiropracters, classic cars, camping, wheelchairs Polar-Products.com

hunterisgreat · 12-04-2012, 02:50 PM

I've had a number of those mesh suspension types and they all fail rather quickly.. also, it cannot cool any better than ambient air... I'm talking the next level here. Active cooling

Jax08 · 12-04-2012, 02:52 PM

If you could manufacturer something like this that is lightweight, portable and easy to use...at a reasonable price...you could HIT a market!

12-04-2012, 01:56 PM	#1 (permalink)
hunterisgreat Knighted Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Charleston, SC Posts: 2,383	I'm going to make a dog bed that stays cool B/c Jäger would love it. So call this a bit of a brainstorming thread. He is a dog that always finds the shady cold tile or concrete in the garage to lay on b/c he likes to coolness. They make "water" dog beds, but that water will just heat up in no time... I want something that stays cool. Stay with me here... My thought was to circulate cool water through an aluminum plate. The plate isn't all that comfortable, no more comfortable than a tile floor, so I'd like to have something with give to it.. my thought is that memory foam while dense enough to cut thin, will block most of the cooling. So I got to thinking, what could still be a good conductor of heat. Sand comes to mind as a candidate. But then I came across steel & aluminum shot or cut wire shot... typically used to shot peen and clean metal. a few inches of fine aluminum shot I bet would be reasonably comfortable and give on the pressure points, while retaining very high heat transfer. So I'd have a typical dog bed (fabric) filled with the shot, laying on top of the cooled plate. Thoughts? Any alternate ideas? __________________ Hunter, USA trial helper, Charleston Working Dog Club Training Helper Beschützer des Jägers v. Sportwaffen, HOT, IPO1, AD, CGC Katya v. Hügelblick, HOT, IPO2, CGC SG Aska v. Ketscher Wald, 2 x SchH3, Kkl 1

12-04-2012, 02:10 PM	#2 (permalink)
Jax08 Crowned Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NNE PA Posts: 19,237	How are you going to circulate the water thru the plate? The pump would need to be small enough to be portable. How are you going to make an aluminum plate "bed" be portable? How are you going to keep the water cold? As the water circulates through the pump and plate, it will build heat from friction, so how would you keep it cool? Personally, if I were going to do something like this, I would use Pex tubing set up under the crate pan in a "sub floor" compartment (assuming it were to be fairly stationary) and rig it to circulate water through a cooler that would be manually filled and have ice packs of some kind in it. The issue would be finding a pump small enough to do the job. Set it up like a radiant floor heating system only using cold water. __________________ Michelle _________________________________________ Jax Von Monkeybutt, CGC Queen Banshee Boo Sierra the Undecided Cracker, The Great Shedder Rich N Handsome, "Red"

12-04-2012, 02:19 PM	#4 (permalink)
jocoyn Zombie Queen Moderator Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: South Carolina Posts: 12,075	Lets assume a crazy dog may tear up the fabric and scatter alumiminum shot everywhere? LOL I have been thinking of ideas for the truck and someone suggested ice packs under a perforated plywood but I worry about a nail getting caught... __________________ Nancy www.scsarda.org Beau -NAPWDA Certified Cadaver Dog Waiting at the Bridge (italics=GSDs) (hemangiosarcoma=blue):Grim , Cyra, Toby, Rainbow, Linus, Oscar, Arlo & Waggles

12-04-2012, 02:25 PM	#7 (permalink)
hunterisgreat Knighted Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Charleston, SC Posts: 2,383	My initial idea was to use stainless steel fine mesh chain mail... but upon checking the prices, that crap is $$$$$$$. __________________ Hunter, USA trial helper, Charleston Working Dog Club Training Helper Beschützer des Jägers v. Sportwaffen, HOT, IPO1, AD, CGC Katya v. Hügelblick, HOT, IPO2, CGC SG Aska v. Ketscher Wald, 2 x SchH3, Kkl 1

12-04-2012, 02:50 PM	#9 (permalink)
hunterisgreat Knighted Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Charleston, SC Posts: 2,383	I've had a number of those mesh suspension types and they all fail rather quickly.. also, it cannot cool any better than ambient air... I'm talking the next level here. Active cooling __________________ Hunter, USA trial helper, Charleston Working Dog Club Training Helper Beschützer des Jägers v. Sportwaffen, HOT, IPO1, AD, CGC Katya v. Hügelblick, HOT, IPO2, CGC SG Aska v. Ketscher Wald, 2 x SchH3, Kkl 1

12-04-2012, 02:30 PM	#8 (permalink)
msvette2u Banned Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Beautiful Pacific NW Posts: 11,005	Why reinvent the wheel? Coolaroo. Polar cooling pads and crate pads have multiple uses to prevent heat stress! - crate pads, pet beds, canine cool pads, pet pads, show dogs, "Chillows", cool pillow, massage, chiropracters, classic cars, camping, wheelchairs Polar-Products.com

12-04-2012, 02:52 PM	#10 (permalink)
Jax08 Crowned Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NNE PA Posts: 19,237	If you could manufacturer something like this that is lightweight, portable and easy to use...at a reasonable price...you could HIT a market! __________________ Michelle _________________________________________ Jax Von Monkeybutt, CGC Queen Banshee Boo Sierra the Undecided Cracker, The Great Shedder Rich N Handsome, "Red"

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