If you are anything like me your pets are part of the family and you try and make life as good for them as you do for yourself.  This is why I created this automatic pet cold water feeder.  Summers in Australia can get really hot so they need more water than they do in the winter.  I have tried putting out another bowl of water but they will not drink it.  I would come home from work and their water bowl would be drier than Gandi’s flip flop. It was heartbreaking not knowing how long they had no water for. I had tried a few different bowls but nothing worked. (Spoilt Brats) 

How to make a pet water auto feeder

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So I looked into the auto water feeders on the internet and realised that they were just bottles of water turned upside down which released water as the dogs drink it. The other issue that I wanted to resolve was that the water gets really hot.  Here in Australia, our summer temperatures can go as high as 45+ degrees Celsius.  Which made the water really warm.  So I had this idea that if I insulated the box I could freeze bottles of water for the box.  And in the morning when I go to work I can put a new frozen bottle of water in and as they drink and the ice starts to melt my fur babies will have nice cold water. (Spoilt or what!!)

Build the box

I like to make all my projects from recycled materials. For this project, I used a 750ml pump bottle and a nozzle that you use to auto feed plants. They are very easy to get and they are less than a dollar.   Below is the simple set up that is inside the box.

Add insulation

The size of the box would depend on the water bottle that you will be using and also the thickness of the styrofoam.  The styrofoam was my insulation.  It was packing that was around a pot that I bought.  I will not add my dimensions because I did not have enough of the same wood to make a proper square.  But I did a MacGyver and used what I had.  For those who do not know who MacGyver was, he was someone who could always make what he needed out of bits lying around.

Make your box big enough to accommodate the bottle and the styrofoam. Next, I cut my styrofoam to fit around the inside of the box.  I used contact glue to hold the styrofoam in place.

And it was at this point that I realized that I did not have enough wood to make the back of my box. It was 3cm too small.  I was not going to start again, so in came MacGyver again lol.  I cut away some of the insulation from each side for the back to slot in, but it did mean my box was only insulated on 3 sides.

This is how my box looked after I had put it together, So make sure you measure, re-measure and then cut.  Mine looks messy inside because it is recycled and the draw handle holes were filled with Wood Filler.

Add the auto feeder

I needed a hole in the bottom of the box so the water bottle and nozzle will fit through and sit in the water.  I found the centre of my base and use a hole saw to cut a hole out.  The size of the hole will again depend on the size of the neck of your bottle.

Because the lid would be taken on and off often, I had to find a simple way to remove and replace the lid.  I bought some hook and eye latches which did a great job. One goes in the top and one in the base to secure the lid. 

Once my box was complete I used a wood router to remove all the sharp edges. I added  2 coats of clear varnish for protection.  On the front I was also short a centimetre or two of wood, so the drawer design at the top offered extra decoration.  This is one of the downsides of building with recycled materials.  But it is still free or cheap.

This is what the bottom of the box looked like with the hole cut out.  My bottle sits perfect (about the only thing that worked out perfectly in this project.  The plant feeder spike was the right fit for the bottle, maybe they are standard sizes.

This was the inside of the box before I realised my back piece of wood was too small and would have to fit inside now and not on the outside as planned.

Add the photos

Nobody wants an ugly box hanging on the wall, so I wanted to make it fun and unique to me.  I used waterslide paper to transfer the images.  I have never used this method before but it was very simple to use.  Because it is for my Furbabies I thought I would put their pictures on the box.  Once you have found the images that you want, print them out on your waterslide paper using an inkjet printer,  there is no need to reverse the images with this method. Another image transfer method that is so simple and perfect each time is to use temporary tattoo paper.

Once the ink is dry you need to add 3 coats of acrylic spray.   Once the acrylic spray is dry, which will take about 15 minutes for each coat.  Cut your picture to the size you want for your project.  Next, you need a small amount of water in your sink and add the paper. Mine curled up straight away when I put it in the water picture facing up.  It is better to have it facing down because you can tell if it is ready to slide.

Transfer the image

Put your picture in the water for about 15 seconds then let it sit for 15 seconds to completely absorb all the water. Then it is as simple as positioning the picture and pulling the paper out.  The image below should show you how easy it is.

 Use a soft cloth and remove any air bubble, creases and water.  The waterslide paper is clear so you can still see the wood grain through the image.  I did have some issues with the graphic on the lid, it started to lift off.  I googled it and it said this happens when it stays in the water for too long.  That is why I recommend for 15 seconds.

The picture below is on the sides of the box to make it more fun.  It is like she is laughing because she agrees that she is spoilt.  I know this box is over the top, but It works great and looks pretty cute too and I do it because I can.  I did add another 2 coats of varnish to seal the pictures on the box because it was going to be outside.

Hang the box

To mount the box on the wall I used interlocking hinges.  One goes on the box and one on the wall and they just hook into each other.  Make sure you measure the correct height that is needed for the nozzle to be under the surface so as they drink the bowl gets topped up.

This is the other side view. 

More great projects

How cute will your dogs look with a novelty bandanna? 

Memorial plaque for a beloved pet that has past.  

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