Gun Dog Forum

I am looking to build a new kennel. It'll be wood frame (insulated) on a slab and approximately 20' x 40' structure.

I was initially thinking about setting the tubing in the slab and going with the in-floor heat pumped via a boiler to keep the slab warm and have the heat rise.

So then, after a public meeting tonight, a fella who knows we are building the kennel tells me he can get me a 90% eficiency 60,000 btu furnace in excellent shape (he is a HVAC guy - it is from a job he is doing) for cheap and he will set it up in the kennel for us for nothing...yes, it is like Mayberry up here and we take care of one another from time to time.

So...I'd be interested in what other folks with indoor kennels use for heat. I really want to oblige the fella because I appreciate the help, but I want to make sure I am not planning something outside the norm.

TIA...Tanker

That's a big unit (btu wise) for that size space. I heat my garage of about 600sq ft with a 30,000 btu unit and it doesn't work hard.

I'd try to find some efficiency and cost comparisons for the floor heat vs forced air. Perhaps instead of a boiler, a hot water heater with a circulator would do it?

I like the idea of the heated floor. Once warmed up it should be cheap heat and the pups will be sooooo comfy on it.

My parents have an indoor/outdoor kennel and they opted for an infrared heater they got online for a great price. They only have 4 runs so the kennel isn't huge. As far as cost they tell me it is much better than a normal spce heater. The kennel is insulated very well so that helps. As far as the concrete being cold my father built wood platforms to raise the beds off the floor.

You can get 5KW boiler(maybe smaller) that hangs On the wall,to heat the floor. About 16" X 16" and 4" deep. It takes no room works very well and just needs a pump and a thermostat. If you insulate under the slab the cost of operating electric heat will be half the cost of a oversized gas furnace. Some power companies have special rates for heating. Might be best to tell them it is a shop. You will have to use a window AC or a dehumidifier in the summer.
Floor heat makes cleaning kennels a bit more difficult, but well worth it.
I still used raised beds to get the dogs off the concrete. 1 1/4 PVC and 5/8 cattle stall pads cut 2x3 Cj

I have radiant heat in my house, with a Munchkin boiler. When you're dealing with a slab, it would be the best way to go IMO. Regardless of which way you decide to go now, for the size of the building and the cost of the tubing, at least put the tubes in the floor. Not only will it give you future options, but if you ever sell, it may be very attractive to a buyer as well.

I know a few kennel owners that wish they had heat option for outside runs.

i've put miles of infloor tubing and alot of boiler systems in, but never in a kennel when i pour a slab for a kennel it will have infloor heat! that force air furnace would heat your kennel but as said above it alot bigger than you need but it would be the cheapest up front. now your kennel is 20x40= 800 sq ft at 35 btus per square foot(which is a good average) so 800 sq ft x 35btus per sq ft = 28000 btus needed if you use electric -28000btus / 3414btus per kw =8.20 or a 9 kw boiler,would work just fine. you will roughly need 800 ft of tubing broken up in aleast three loops of tubing i takes about 1ft of tubing per square ft . boilers systems are quiet and don't blow dust around.

I have a 25' X 35' uninsulated barn/kennel with 5 runs. I have 55gal barrels elevated off the concret floor with infared heat lamps hung over each barrel. They are on a timer that kicks on at 3AM and off at 8AM when night time temps drop into the 20's.

Oh yeah, I also use straw. Thanks for reminding me.

heat? what is that? straw and a good shelter is all you need.

Thanks for the replies.

I am an hvac/r mech by trade.I would not use a high efficiency furnace in a kennel.The furnace would rust quickly,and its life would be much shorter than normal.
High eff furnaces need to be ran at 60 deg or above or they condense in the primary's and rust them out.
A boiler with a hot water side car would be ideal if the boiler was in a room separate from the kennel,you are looking at from 3 to 5 thousand for a boiler,plus install.
Boderus makes a great cast iron boiler,while triangle tube makes a great high end boiler.I would avoid the munchkin.
a cheap and easy way is to install a unit heater,around 500 bucks for the heater and it can run colder without worry.
most radiant tube heaters have a 4 foot clearance,which can be an issue,they do throw great heat.

[quote="larue"]
while triangle tube makes a great high end boiler.I would avoid the munchkin +1.