Aircon options to keep dogs cool

[maingate]

I bet you wish now that you had never asked the question Arnold.

I rarely ask for advice on forums, I prefer to search online and miss out the stuff that you get on forums (as in your case).

 

[Fisherman]

I have a very different take on this I’d leave the kids at home so me and the dog can have a nice quiet weekend away.

If you had left me and my two sisters at home whilst walking the dog, you would have been lucky to come back to a home Annie, we would have wrecked the joint.

 

[alcam]

Sorry, that is a justification for your actions. A van is a totally different environment to a house.

Justification for my actions !
My van and house are secure and well ventilated . The dog has food , water nice comfy bed in van and house
Utter nonsense has now stepped up a notch or three .

 

[Robmac]

I think maybe what should be considered here is that there are vans and there are vans!

Every owner knows their own van and what it is like inside on a hot day. A large bearing on this is where it is parked - is it under trees or in the shade of something else, is it likely to remain in the shade as the sun moves overhead?

A van is not like a car in that it is not surrounded by glass on all sides and it has insulation, some more than others. Our Boxer Ruby used to love to climb into the front and lie in the sun on a nice day, if she got too warm she would go into the shade in the back and drink some water.

What I am trying to say is that owners know their own vans and their own dogs and (probably) only they can know whether their dog will be comfortable or not so maybe we shouldn't be too quick to judge.

There are some appalling stories of dogs suffering in vehicles due to careless owners, but most owners love their dogs and most act responsibly.

 

[Fisherman]

I think maybe what should be considered here is that there are vans and there are vans!

Every owner knows their own van and what it is like inside on a hot day. A large bearing on this is where it is parked - is it under trees or in the shade of something else, is it likely to remain in the shade as the sun moves overhead?

A van is not like a car in that it is not surrounded by glass on all sides and it has insulation, some more than others. Our Boxer Ruby used to love to climb into the front and lie in the sun on a nice day, if she got too warm she would go into the shade in the back and drink some water.

What I am trying to say is that owners know their own vans and their own dogs and (probably) only they can know whether their dog will be comfortable or not so maybe we shouldn't be too quick to judge.

There are some appalling stories of dogs suffering in vehicles due to careless owners, but most owners love their dogs and most act responsibly.

I reckon that’s spot on Rob.
Arnold’s vehicle being a camper would not be suitable.
Hence Arnold’s concerns.
My current van conversion gets warm inside, I would not leave a dog in there.
But my last van being white which reflects more heat away, and larger inside, would have been ok with the skylights and a window ajar.
Another consideration is the type of dog, and its size.
Some breeds having breathing issues I would be worried if I had say a French bulldog.
But bottom line, a van is not a house where you could leave a Great Dane with no issues. Common sense and simply being carefull should suffice.
If you have WiFi in your van maybe consider one of the many WiFi thermometers that are available. They are cheap as chips, and would allow you to check the temperature remotely. We all love out four legged friends, and would hate anything to happen to them .

 

[alcam]

I reckon that’s spot on Rob.
Arnold’s vehicle being a camper would not be suitable.
My current van conversion gets warm inside, I would not leave a dog in there.
But my last van being white which reflects more heat away, and larger inside, would have been ok with the skylights and a window ajar.
Another consideration is the type of dog, and its size.
Some breeds having breathing issues I would be worried if I had say a French bulldog.
But bottom line, a van is not a house where you could leave a Great Dane with no issues. Common sense and simply being carefull should suffice.
If you have WiFi in your van maybe consider one of the many WiFi thermometers that are available. They are cheap as chips, and would allow you to check the temperature remotely. We all love out four legged friends, and would hate anything to happen to them .

I have a camper , my dog is left there when I am sure it is safe .
Frankly your posts (and others) are downright offensive to myself and many other dog owners .

 

[Fisherman]

I have a camper , my dog is left there when I am sure it is safe .
Frankly your posts (and others) are downright offensive to myself and many other dog owners .

I really am sorry that you find my posts offensive, I can assure you that was never my intention. We are all entitled to our views. My only concern is the welfare of the dogs, and I would not have left my Labrador any length of time in my current PVC. Again if you find that offensive in any way please accept my humble apology.
I have no doubt you are a good dog owner, and love your dog the way I loved mine.
But a house is not the same as a van.

 

[Fazerloz]

I have a black car and today it is an oven. I have a white van and today I have been working in it all day with the blinds down and it has been fine. I really can't believe some of the responses on this thread. Some are just ridiculous.

 

[campervanannie]

I think maybe what should be considered here is that there are vans and there are vans!

Every owner knows their own van and what it is like inside on a hot day. A large bearing on this is where it is parked - is it under trees or in the shade of something else, is it likely to remain in the shade as the sun moves overhead?

A van is not like a car in that it is not surrounded by glass on all sides and it has insulation, some more than others. Our Boxer Ruby used to love to climb into the front and lie in the sun on a nice day, if she got too warm she would go into the shade in the back and drink some water.

What I am trying to say is that owners know their own vans and their own dogs and (probably) only they can know whether their dog will be comfortable or not so maybe we shouldn't be too quick to judge.

There are some appalling stories of dogs suffering in vehicles due to careless owners, but most owners love their dogs and most act responsibly.

A VW transporter is basically a converted car just hope Arnold doesn’t have a St Bernard in there.

 

[Robmac]

A VW transporter is basically a converted car just hope Arnold doesn’t have a St Bernard in there.

Dunno Annie, my daughters T5 just had 2 sliding side windows and a small back window and with the pop top up it had about 7 ft headroom with a fully vented mesh panel with the canvas zipped out at one end.

 

[alcam]

I really am sorry that you find my posts offensive, I can assure you that was never my intention. We are all entitled to our views. My only concern is the welfare of the dogs, and I would not have left my Labrador any length of time in my current PVC. Again if you find that offensive in any way please accept my humble apology.
I have no doubt you are a good dog owner, and love your dog the way I loved mine.
But a house is not the same as a van.

Well from your previous posts I don't care for my dog's welfare .
When I'm not in the house the dog sleeps . When I'm not in the van the dog sleeps.
When travelling my van is my house , just smaller. Which makes absolutely no difference to the dog .
Anyway enough of this I'm off to give the bitch a good kicking

 

[Bigshug]

The best option I can offer is to fit a Maxfan to yourcamper. This , together with blinds closed on the sunny side of the van can help to keep the temperature a wee bit cooler. There is not an easy way to stop heat building up inside any big metal box. I do not think for a minute that you would put your dogs welfare at risk.

 

[maingate]

Well from your previous posts I don't care for my dog's welfare .
When I'm not in the house the dog sleeps . When I'm not in the van the dog sleeps.
When travelling my van is my house , just smaller. Which makes absolutely no difference to the dog .
Anyway enough of this I'm off to give the bitch a good kicking

Are you taking the dog with you?

 

[Fisherman]

Well from your previous posts I don't care for my dog's welfare .
When I'm not in the house the dog sleeps . When I'm not in the van the dog sleeps.
When travelling my van is my house , just smaller. Which makes absolutely no difference to the dog .
Anyway enough of this I'm off to give the bitch a good kicking

Honestly I was not saying you don’t care for your dog.

You obviously care more for your dog, than the bitch getting a good kicking

 

[TeamRienza]

The indication that the poster is prepared to spend large sums of money on an air conditioner seems to indicate that they care for their animal. A few too many righteous people posting on this thread.

Davy

 

[Arnold]

The best option I can offer is to fit a Maxfan to yourcamper. This , together with blinds closed on the sunny side of the van can help to keep the temperature a wee bit cooler. There is not an easy way to stop heat building up inside any big metal box. I do not think for a minute that you would put your dogs welfare at risk.

Do you know if its possible to fit one to a pop top please?

 

[Fisherman]

Do you know if its possible to fit one to a pop top please?

Fans don’t lower the temperature inside a room.
They may assist with venting though.

But in actual fact, fans don't cool down your room in the way that an air conditioning unit can. They do relieve some of the struggles of living in high temperatures, circulating air and making you feel cooler, but even the best modern fans won't actually lower the temperature of your room by themselves.


You really are looking at some form of aircon Arnold.

 

[mistericeman]

Fans don’t lower the temperature inside a room.
They may assist with venting though.

But in actual fact, fans don't cool down your room in the way that an air conditioning unit can. They do relieve some of the struggles of living in high temperatures, circulating air and making you feel cooler, but even the best modern fans won't actually lower the temperature of your room by themselves.


You really are looking at some form of aircon Arnold.

Indeed ....
And IF you are extracting air then you will also need to allow air back in and
Although most vehicles have bleed vents in them
You will only be drawing in ambient air from outside which will probably be close to as warm as the inside air you are extracting ....

The heat gains through glass and the vehicle bodywork (especially if it's dark coloured) on a hot day are unbelievable ...

And glass (side windows etc ) make that problem even worse ...

Internal blinds won't help much as the heat has already got to the glass ....and in some cases the silver on internal screens will actually reflect back onto the inside of the glass .

Evaporative coolers are nigh on useless in the UK's usually humid climate ...

A refrigerant based system would be the ONLY effective method of cooling (it's why car makers fit refrigerant based systems NOT a £13.99 JML Evaporative cooler)

BUT youd need power for that and whilst there are 12v powered systems out there ...they are pretty power hungry ...

And frankly I wouldn't trust my dogs life to a fuse blowing etc ...

 

[Fisherman]

Indeed ....
And IF you are extracting air then you will also need to allow air back in and
Although most vehicles have bleed vents in them
You will only be drawing in ambient air from outside which will probably be close to as warm as the inside air you are extracting ....

The heat gains through glass and the vehicle bodywork (especially if it's dark coloured) on a hot day are unbelievable ...

And glass (side windows etc ) make that problem even worse ...

Internal blinds won't help much as the heat has already got to the glass ....and in some cases the silver on internal screens will actually reflect back onto the inside of the glass .

Evaporative coolers are nigh on useless in the UK's usually humid climate ...

A refrigerant based system would be the ONLY effective method of cooling (it's why car makers fit refrigerant based systems NOT a £13.99 JML Evaporative cooler)

BUT youd need power for that and whilst there are 12v powered systems out there ...they are pretty power hungry ...

And frankly I wouldn't trust my dogs life to a fuse blowing etc ...

Yes I fully agree hence my post.
It’s also worth noting that dogs struggle with heat a lot more than we do.
We are designed to keep our bodies cooler by sweating, which apart from their paws dogs don’t do the same way we do. They try to keep themselves cool through salivation, but this is not as effective as our sweating.
Arnold is obviously very concerned for his dog, I hope he finds a solution, but in warmer months it must include some form of aircon.
Also as you say these portable units will be heavy on 12v, and small campers tend to have only one battery. Arnold may need to improve his battery capacity, and even look at Lifepo4 instead of lead acid, if he has not already done so.

And like you I would not trust my dogs life to possible electrical failures.
But I don’t want to anger or upset anyone with my solution.
It may be deemed to be righteous, which it is not meant to be.

 

[mistericeman]

Some utter nonsense on here . When I leave my dog in the house (not all that often) she has ventilation and water .
When I travel my van is my house .
Absolutely no difference

Are you seriously saying the heat gains and thermal loadings are the same between a vehicle and a house ...
?