110v relay Dog Fan switch

Use a 110v relay and a floor mat to create switch your dog can use to turn a fan on/off at their own desire/need.

Our dog breed of preference is the Alaskan Malamute. When we lived in Seattle our Malamutes loved the weather so we seldom had need for "extra cooling" for them. Then a job change later, we moved to Texas! Here in Austin we have a bit more temperate weather than DFW or Houston, but it's Tejas still! So, we realized that while being inside in the Air Conditioning and having a dog door was a requirement for the dogs, we also realized that they might want/need more cooling... so, we found a big powerful fan that moves a LOT of air! This fan sits on the ground which will allow the dog to lay in front of it and cool down more. Problem is, the dogs want to be where you are, and the fan is NOISY! Having it run 24/7 isn't an option. So we were having to turn the fan on/off/on/off/on/off (any dog owners who have upgraded to a dog door know JUST how demanding a dog can be once they learn how to operate you as their remove control!) got old FAST!

After far too long/eventually I realized, this problem has been solved! I just need to adapt it to our needs! So, I ordered a 110v relay, picked up some supplies at the hardware and art supplies store, rummaged around through my electronics, and built a floor mat 110v relay powered Dog Fan switch!

Step 1: Gather the Supplies

Supplies you will need:

Control Box:

• 110v AC / 12v DC Relay

        Examples:
            http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2049721&CAWELAID=37889620
            http://www.mcmaster.com/#69585K87

• 12v DC Wall Wart
• 6 or 7" (or larger) Electrical Junction Box (large enough to hold old work box(es), wall wart, and relay)
• 1-Gang "old work" switch/outlet box
• One 15A 110v Power Outlet
• One 1-Gang Outlet Cover
• 110v Power Pigtail
• 10' of "Light Cord" power cord
• Soldering Iron / Solder (and Flux)

Optional additions to enable bypass control:

• One or Two light switches to disable floor mat and/or relay bypass
• One 1-Gang Light Switch Cover
• Second 1-Gang "old work" switch/outlet box if you wish to add light switches to enable control of power outlet to bypass or disable the floor mat

Floor Mat:

• 2 pieces of 2' square (minimum) cardboard mount board or some other stiff and non-conductive material.
• Aluminum Tape
• Foam Door Gasket
• Packing Tape

Comments

[ghaom]

I live in the Mojave desert North of Edwards AFB and I had a siberian husky named Opal. In the summer it would get 110F+ and in the winter it would get 10F- with winds that would blow 30 to 50 knots on a bad day. Every spring I would take Opal to town for her annual check up and haircut. They left the tail and face alone. By the time it got cold again the fur would be full and fluffy again and she would be right back in her favorite sleeping depression all winter night with out any damage. The shorter fur made it a little more comfy for her in the summer because I had an exhaust fan blowing out the air under the home toward her and we would confine our bike/runs on the dirt roads for early AM or late afternoon, depending upon my work schedule. It also solved the "blowout" everywhere problem.

[Boost]

Cool project. Hope the heat is not too hard on what looks to be a breed ment for snow. Maybe in the summer add a copper coil of running icewater on the fan for even more cooling.

[Das_Wookie]

Malamutes do surprisingly well in the Tejas heat so long as they have shade and fresh water. Their coats insulate both ways for heat and cold, so the same reason they do OK at -50f is the same reason they do OK at +110f. Still, they prefer to be inside in the AC with access via a dog door. We've tried other cooling devices for different prospects of providing additional cooling (Most Malamutes would pretty much prefer it to -ALWAYS- be -27f and buried to their chests in snow) but a big fan on the floor where they can lay in front of it and let the air blow up their fur the "wrong way" seems to have worked out best. Cool mats (or cold tile) do work tho, so if you can put on fan on a cool surface that would likely be the best option... well, again, short of burying them in snow. :)