Comments on: How To Insulate a Plastic Dog House

By: Ben Team

Ben Team — Fri, 18 Jun 2021 17:23:34 +0000

Hey there, Vondi.
Thanks for sharing your experiences and advice, but it’s important to remember that different dogs and owners live in different locations and experience differing temperature and humidity levels.
Plastic works quite well for many owners, but you’re right, wood is a better choice in some circumstances.
Thanks!

By: Vondi Howe

Vondi Howe — Fri, 18 Jun 2021 16:23:21 +0000

Do NOT use plastic material for your pet house!! I did this and moisture from the cats breath condensed on the cold plastic and when the sun hit the plastic the condensed moisture collected in the bedding.
I wondered why my outdoor cats stopped using their cozy house. When I checked, the bedding was frosted and actually FROZEN in places. This was only from condensation. There was no way it was from blown snow. It was cold and clear: ie. no snow to blow in. Use WOOD for your pets house. It allows the moisture to dissipate.
Call me ‘Learned from Hard Experience’

By: Ben Team

Ben Team — Thu, 09 Jul 2020 19:51:37 +0000

In reply to Les O.

That’s quite the DIY plan, Les! Kudos for your ingenuity and the effort you’re going to for your pets.

If I could offer one tiny bit of caution: I’d be careful using cheap thermostats. If they fail in the “off” position, they shouldn’t cause much of a problem, but if they fail in the “on” position, the house could get quite hot.
You can hook two thermostats up in series, with the second one (the “safety” backup thermostat) set a few degrees higher than the primary thermostat. This way, if the primary thermostat fails in the “on” position, the second one should step in and cut the power once its set-point temperature is reached.

As long as your pets can leave the house whenever they like, it shouldn’t be a huge problem anyway. But, given the lengths you were going to, I figured I’d mention it.

(I battled thermostats for years while working with cold-blooded critters, and experienced more than one failure that caused serious problems).

Best of luck!

By: Les O

Les O — Thu, 09 Jul 2020 18:29:21 +0000

So after a long story I find myself in central Mexico where nothing is available for the cold and if it is, the people at USA big-chain hardware stores don’t get paid enough to think outside of the box. I’ve constructed a metal frame and cut 1 1/2″ polystyrene panels for all sides. I’ve glued plastic panels that are a bunch of essentially square ‘straws’ all around the inside and outside. Since I can’t find that wonderful 2 layer aluminized bubble wrap insulation I’m going to glue aluminum foil to the inside and then glue a layer of tiny bubbles wrap over that, then aluminum foil, more bubble wrap and another final layer of aluminum foil. I will glue laminated wood (1/8″ thick) all over the inside to protect and strengthen the layers of aluminum foil and bubble wrap so I can use contact glue to cover the inside with carpet. On the floor is an incubator heater pad and for backup protection against excessive thermal conditions, I will plug the power cord (which is protected against chewing by a wire wrap covering the length) into a programmable thermostat ($8 on that eBa?.com online auction store). There are 3 layer insulated pet doors that telescope to handle the thick walls. There is another programmable thermostat that will operate a computer fan (32 cu/ft/min flow) and both of the exterior cords will be run through electrical flex tubing to the wall plug. I’ll have to change the plugs out for one with built-in GFCI or if I can find one for our circuit box, a GFCI breaker to replace the one there. The roof will be removable just in case and for summer sun there will be 2″X2″ blocks on the roof to provide an air gap covered by corrugated galvanized steel. The whole exterior will be covered with white fiberglass (under the steel and with a lip to keep water ingress). There will be a piece that can pop out so a 6″x6″ ceramic cube heater can fit. This house is 34″W x 28D” x 29″H and will go inside of a plastic tool shed. The house is for my 2 cats and has 2 floors. There is 1/16″ thick UV resistant plexiglass in 2 layers siliconed in place under the exterior fiberglass and interior carpet so in the summer when I pull it outside they have a view with an air-gap for insulation. This same design was used when I converted a school bus into an RV. I was freezing and after the insulation it was 126F inside.

By: Ben Team

Ben Team — Mon, 28 Oct 2019 13:59:51 +0000

In reply to Deb. Great tip, Deb! Pool noodles are certainly an affordable type of insulation, and they're easy to work with!