DIY Auto Dog Dish: Simple Build & Refill Ideas

[GiTS]

Have you ever seen those dog watering bowls that automatically refill using an inverted water tank? The vacuum keeps the water in the tank even though the tank water level is higher than the dish. But when the dog drinks the water, the water empties out and the net force keeping the water in the tank changes and so water leaves the tank and goes into the dish.

I want to make something like this but with an open top so it can be easily refilled or other water tanks added.

I want to keep the design simple, no electricity or expensive pieces of equipment. The build should also be relatively simple. Any suggestions?

 

[Bobbywhy]

I think that if you opened the top all the water in the storage bottle would gush out the bottom!

 

[BishopUser]

Maybe a sliding lid for the bowl portion so that when you open the top it doesn't come gushing out? Could develop a mechanism that required you to lock a lid in place on the bowl before the top would open.

 

[turbo]

My dog has an automatic water bowl. The inlet is threaded so that you can use any soda bottle. We don't use the auto-feed function because I'm here with Duke every day and never leave him alone for long. Still, why reinvent the wheel? Soda bottles are ubiquitous and can be replaced easily. No need for a custom "tank".

 

[256bits]

I want to keep the design simple, no electricity or expensive pieces of equipment. The build should also be relatively simple. Any suggestions?

A system designed as you suggest is anything but simple. You will have to a valve at the bottom for a cutoff when re-filling so the water does not gush out, and for the top opening a seal that will never leak, or in other words always hold the vacuum of air after refill and closing - can you be sure?

The little watering bottle with the tube for guinea pigs work on the same principle of the inverted water bottle, as does other small animal watering systems.
And don't forget the untrasonic humidifier - you fill the container and invert for placement.

 

[GiTS]

I apologize, my original post was confusing. I want to make a system that keeps the level of the bowl constant. That is all.

The outflow from the bowl is not constant.
The outflow is boiling water going to a heat exchanger. Therefore, there must be some way of keeping the boiling water from escaping into the atmosphere or going into the feed.

It is for a project wherein water is purified through distillation (charcoal or wood). The water comes from a well, river, buckets, etc. The outflow goes to a heat exchanger to preheat the inflow. For efficient heat exchange, the distillation must be continuous.

Thank you.

 

[S_Happens]

You can only keep the level constant if you are able to vary the incoming water just as much as the outflow is varying.

To do something like that you would need two tanks and a float/valve mechanism. The tank that feeds the distillation process has a float in it that operates a valve that feeds water to it from a higher tank. The higher tank could then be open and filled as convenient. The valve needs to be able to pass as much water as what the process takes, at considerably low volume in the higher supply tank. This means potentially placing the tank quite high, or making sure that the level is maintained.

Think toilet (and gravity fed), which is really just another type of dog watering bowl.

 

[turbo]

Think toilet (and gravity fed), which is really just another type of dog watering bowl.

Literally, in some cases. Duke has not had to resort to that because I always take care of his food/water supplies.

 

[S_Happens]

I was pretty pleased at how it circled back around to the original topic.