heat lamps

[activeviii]

trying to find info on heat lamps.

 

im trying to find out how close to combustible material i can put one. i want to put two in a kennel but i need to know how close so i can make the roof to suit. at the moment i only have 3 foot high but can change that but i cant change the walls. i have 5foot x 3foot in the kennel area.

 

i have a dog and bitch so need to split the run and kennel area when shes in season so the kennel area will need to be cut down to 2.5 foot x 3 foot. and the run will be 2.5x7

 

only really want for drying the dogs off in winter and if i end up leaving them in there at night, not to sure on this bit yet.

 

what one do i go for that doesnt cost the earth to run and will work in a wooden kennel in a small area.

 

thanks for your help again people.

 

kind regards

 

Phil.

[Paul T]

Hi Phil

 

We use ceramic heat bulbs - 150w and 250w to heat our catteries and these are connected to a reptile type Microclimate B2 Pulse thermostat which will trickle feed the bulbs once they are up to temp.

 

The 250w heat bulbs heat an area of 3 x 3 x 3 up to 20 deg no probs, even when its -5 outside so I would think they'd be fine for your area. The bulbs MUST be mounted in a ceramic bulb holder and connected with HEAT PROOF cable. Ours are screwed to a piece of chipboard together with a wire guard around the bulb and then the whole assembly is screwed direct to the timber ceiling. Take the cable through the chipboard rather than across the face for a bit of added shielding. The ceiling does get hot, but it's never enough to scorch, even when the lamps are on full belt. The only problem is trial and error finding a good place to mount the thermostat sensor because they aren't really designed to go to lower temps. We bought the whole lot off Ebay and have run 6 catteries for 3 years with no real probs.

 

Don't use the bulbs without a stat or you'll be in for a shock when the electric bill arrives. One of our stats packed up and we had to run for a week without - boy, that makes the meter spin !

 

Insulate the walls and ceiling because it makes a big difference to how hard the bulbs work - again we found this out ourselves .

 

Always towel your dogs down first before you kennel them and don't rely on the bulbs to dry them out from sopping wet. My gundog insists on being dried the second he gets in the kitchen, but he's still a bit damp when he goes to bed next to the radiator - Ah, the smell of wet dog !

 

Hope this helps

 

cheers

[activeviii]

thanks for the info. my one cocker hates the towel and hates being clean, typical boy i guess. hence the reason i wanted a bit of help with the drying with the aid of the lamp.

 

i wish i had the room for the pair to bed down in the kitchen but its not possible.

 

 

right i need to go look into one of those things.

 

 

thanks again

Phil.