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OT Heat tape and pets

H

Heyseed

Member
I'm making a doghouse of sorts for my outdoor cats. I had a thought of using some heat tape I have (the low temp stuff used to keep pipes from freezing) to wrap under the sleeping area. Anyone ever use it for anything like this. Is there a fire hazard with it?
Thanks, not wedded to the idea, but thought it may make them a bit happier when it is below freezing and snowy.
 
My son built a dog house and used the heat tape under the floor. He had no problems with it but it is not recommended that the tape touch a combustible material.

The second doghouse he built, a layer of metal (tin)was placed above the heat tape and the plywood floor above that. No problems that way either.
 
They make heated mats to put down for dogs and cats. I just hang a couple of heat lamps about twenty four to thirty inches off the floor in the shop and put their bed under it for the cats.
 

get you a hog pad (think that's what they are called)... Proly not much difference in price and easier... If they don't like your house, you can move it to where they tell you to also :roll:
 
I have one that's new in the box. It says on the box to not plug it in unless it's wrapped around a pipe. It could get too hot. I'd go with one of those heated mats specifically for pets.
 
Get 1 of those pet mats!! While they are kind of pricey you will recover the cost as they turn off when the pet is not laying on it. You will find your cats "glued" to it when temperatures are extremely low!!
 
I had heat tape around an exposed pipe in the barn. The underground pipe to it sprung a leak, so I just turned off the water supply but forgot to turn off the heat tape, so it was on an empty pipe. It got brittle, and broke when I tried to take it off the pipe. I suspect it would do the same thing under the Bowser matt. I'd stick with the commercial pet beds.
 
Four or 5 bales of straw or hay work great, too. Stack them up like a house, and them cats will keep toasty warm - and it won't cost anything in electricity.
 
Just make a heater out of a coffee can and a 25 watt light bulb. Put a few holes in the can and fasten a light fixture in it and fasten it to the ceiling and turn the light on and it heats up the inside of the can and the heat radiates down through the holes. I use to use that when I had a litter of pups in the winter. Cheap and it works.

Bob
 
(quoted from post at 23:00:20 12/23/11) I'm making a doghouse of sorts for my outdoor cats. I had a thought of using some heat tape I have (the low temp stuff used to keep pipes from freezing) to wrap under the sleeping area. Anyone ever use it for anything like this. Is there a fire hazard with it?

OK - so you have heat tape and want to use it. Heat tape is typically around 3 watts per foot and has a thermostat to turn it off above freezing. A 10 foot length would be 30 watts total which sounds about right for the job. These are all great features and besides you already have it however, it tends to overheat unless it is wrapped around a metal pipe or whatever to carry the heat away. The fire hazard is a result of not carrying away the heat.

It should be possible to use the tape to electrically heat the floor of your cat house. The process assumes a plywood base and would be something like as follows:

- Use 1/2 to 1 inch ridgid foam insulation board to prevent heat loss to ground.
- Apply 1/2 layer of plaster of paris and allow to set up.
- Lay the heat tape on top of the plaster of paris in a pattern such that the heat tape does not cross each other or otherwise touch. Maintain a spacing of approximately two inches between wires.
- Apply another 1/2 layer of plaster of paris to completely encase the heat tape.
- Place Puddy's favorite blanket on top of the plaster of paris and your done.

Note: I have not actually done this so you will want to proceed with caution. The key is to carry the heat away from the tape and distribute it - which is the function of the plaster of paris. Concrete or loose sand would also work however with loose sand you will need a way to maintain the position and spacing of the heat tape. Sand would be a good method to test the concept and then use something more permanent for the final version. For tempertature control; you could also use a diode (Radio Shack 276-1143) or incandescent light dimmer control to reduce the heat output if required. And of course, always turn it off in warm weather.

Good luck
Click to expand...
 
FrostX would work (self regulating along the length) but not conventional tape. Animals tear up everything to make a better bed. I would not do it. Jim
 
I made a heating system for my dog's house with 2 haymow lighting fixtures (heavy glass domes on metal bases) and connected them with emt conduit. With the two fixtures wired in series and 60 watt bulbs in them, the well insulated dog house feels warm by radiant heat in the coldest weather. I first tried it with the fixtures wired in parallel, but the bulbs would go out too fast and the dog would get cold. Since I wired them in series about 5 years ago, I am still on the same pair of bulbs.

Before I got my current Border Collie, I had a 100 lb Boxer in the same house. Neither dog has ever bothered the light fixtures mounted to the ceiling of the doghouse and they sure seem to like the radiant heat they get from the system.
 
If your pet does not have a chip, it is good that it has some information re owner. It can be your address or telephone number. Or any other contact information like email. If you state your address, do not forget to give your correct postal code. Have a peek at this web-site to recheck if you remember it. Such details will keep your pet from being lost. Small care can prevent bigger issues.
 
I see you're in Virginia. Have never been there, but doesn't seem like it would be as cool as it gets here.

Our last cat lasted 15+ years and was inside very little. She simply didn't like being so confined. Temps have gotten to -50F one time, but have had many nights in the -40's. She had a protected area to go out of the wind, and could burrow into a partial large bale of straw. She was a survivor, and even made it through one Winter by herself, as we were stranded the entire Winter about 1,100 miles away.

Now we have new "kids". I think they can handle down to about -30, but they don't mind being inside during those times. Keep in mind though, the more your pet has access to a warmer area, the less able it will be able to handle extreme cold without that warm area. That's why I don't like to let the animals in ANY time.

Mother Nature will provide, and they will grow good, winter coats that will keep them warm -- or at least keep them from freezing. Keep an eye out for the tips of their ears, as that is likely the first sign that your cat/animal has experienced too much cold too fast.

In Texas, I could handle the heat. I was in it every day. Now? Not a chance! Same thing with animals - they get used to life where they are. We humans spend much time indoors, so we never really acclimate to the extreme cold unless we are in it all the time.

So, think twice about how much "comfort" you want your cats to have. If it rarely gets below -10F there, then maybe set up a pet house with a raised floor that has enough room for a heat lamp or something, and only turn that on if temps will get "colder than normal" for your area, then turn the heat off again once back into the "normal" range.
 
(quoted from post at 05:34:42 12/24/11) Just make a heater out of a coffee can and a 25 watt light bulb. Put a few holes in the can and fasten a light fixture in it and fasten it to the ceiling and turn the light on and it heats up the inside of the can and the heat radiates down through the holes. I use to use that when I had a litter of pups in the winter. Cheap and it works.

Bob
Click to expand...

This works. Want more heat? Just put a higher wattage bulb in. Might get too hot in there, though.
 
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