I have a self-filling, self-cleaning water bowl for my dogs. With two Great Danes, keeping the water bowl clean and full is a chore.
Right now it uses a digital timer and does an empty/fill cycle 16 times per day using those capacitive water sensors for the level setting and overflow detection. In a future iteration I plan on incorporating MQTT via WiFi for alerts and manual control.
It is a DIY setup. Basically is a sink bowl with the logic of a sump pump with high/low floats (couple of relays and sensors), a fountain pump to drain to a nearby sink, and a valve to fill. The timer drains the water every hour and the fill part is essentially a cheap shower head aimed at an angle so when it is draining and filling at the same time the water is swirling, making it (mostly) self-cleaning. I wipe the inside and outside every week or so just to make sure it is working and isn’t growing anything.
Biggest worry since it is DIY is that something will fail and flood my house. I have a separate high level sensor that closes the valve, starts the pump, and sounds an alarm to help with that, and one of those cheap, warbling 9v water sensors nearby just in case.
Sounds pretty cool, thanks for the details! Any chance of some pictures?
My worry would be the same, I don’t know if I trust myself not to flood the house lol
I did think about using a mechanical float like in the back of a toilet, and an overflow drain in case it never stops filling
(image from Wikimedia)
I have a self-filling, self-cleaning water bowl for my dogs. With two Great Danes, keeping the water bowl clean and full is a chore.
Right now it uses a digital timer and does an empty/fill cycle 16 times per day using those capacitive water sensors for the level setting and overflow detection. In a future iteration I plan on incorporating MQTT via WiFi for alerts and manual control.
Self cleaning? Is it something you made or what’s the name is it? I’d be interested in details either way
I really want a fancier water fountain for my cats but never found a self cleaning one :(
It is a DIY setup. Basically is a sink bowl with the logic of a sump pump with high/low floats (couple of relays and sensors), a fountain pump to drain to a nearby sink, and a valve to fill. The timer drains the water every hour and the fill part is essentially a cheap shower head aimed at an angle so when it is draining and filling at the same time the water is swirling, making it (mostly) self-cleaning. I wipe the inside and outside every week or so just to make sure it is working and isn’t growing anything.
Biggest worry since it is DIY is that something will fail and flood my house. I have a separate high level sensor that closes the valve, starts the pump, and sounds an alarm to help with that, and one of those cheap, warbling 9v water sensors nearby just in case.
Sounds pretty cool, thanks for the details! Any chance of some pictures? My worry would be the same, I don’t know if I trust myself not to flood the house lol
I did think about using a mechanical float like in the back of a toilet, and an overflow drain in case it never stops filling