normspanners
Member
- Messages
- 8,853
We have two patio doors from the kitchen through into the the conservatory then out to the back yard which is the dogs toilet and during the day the two doors are left just slid open enough for the dogs to get through and i have an ally plate for the dogs to jump over but stops mice etc, but at night we close the doors to save the heat and rain, now when it is blowing a gale I had a piece of ply stood up outside to stop the draft a little but mainly to stop the rain blowing in, but the cold air just gushed in, and the heat out.
For years we have had to get up from the sitting room and walk to the kitchen wait for the dogs etc then when one got back the other would think 'oh I better go' and so on.
I obviously could not fit a dog flap in the patio doors so came up with the idea of making a piece that fits from top to bottom out of tri wall clear sheeting reinforced with ally angle that slips into the ally door frame about 20" wide then at the bottom I still have the ally plate and a flap arrangement above for the dogs, I then slid the door against the triwall sealing the doorway. Then if I need to go out ( coz the wife doesnt let me use the toilet) all I had to do was open the patio door wider leaving the triwall standing in the rest of the doorway, had a bit of a think about hinges etc coz the dogs have to go out and come back in.
I thought of all kinds of ways to hinge it, an outer frame to go out with one set of hinges and an inner door to come back in etc. etc .etc then came up with what I thought was a brilliant plan of two strips of rubber innertube fastened to the flap but one on either side of the tri wall at the top of the flap, to form the hinge, it totally seals the top and with the two pulling against each other would hold the door as it hangs in the neutral point, because of pressure from both sides, even with a wind.BUT was pushable without to much force,
So I made it, and it works a treat tested it by hand, fine right I thought time to teach old dogs new tricks.
SO I got them there paying attention, giving them a demonstration of the flap working etc, then with the enticement of a doggy bone I held the flap open for them to go out, simples I thought.
Now an enticement to come in so I showed them a treat through the window. 'Ice' the older dog looked at the contraption looked at the treat and jumped up stood on his back legs, I thought stupid thing WHAT ARE YOU DOING??, he put one paw on the wall and the other on the handle of the patio door and slid it open!! walked in and got his treat !! WHAT could I say?? all that making and he already knew how to open the door!! but he couldnt close it well I say that, he probably thought 'why'? I'll want to go back out in a bit.
So then it was back to the drawing board how to jamb the door.
I should have known coz he already knows how to open the front door with the lever handle and the bitch knows how to work the handle sideways to open the double glazed windows.
For years we have had to get up from the sitting room and walk to the kitchen wait for the dogs etc then when one got back the other would think 'oh I better go' and so on.
I obviously could not fit a dog flap in the patio doors so came up with the idea of making a piece that fits from top to bottom out of tri wall clear sheeting reinforced with ally angle that slips into the ally door frame about 20" wide then at the bottom I still have the ally plate and a flap arrangement above for the dogs, I then slid the door against the triwall sealing the doorway. Then if I need to go out ( coz the wife doesnt let me use the toilet) all I had to do was open the patio door wider leaving the triwall standing in the rest of the doorway, had a bit of a think about hinges etc coz the dogs have to go out and come back in.
I thought of all kinds of ways to hinge it, an outer frame to go out with one set of hinges and an inner door to come back in etc. etc .etc then came up with what I thought was a brilliant plan of two strips of rubber innertube fastened to the flap but one on either side of the tri wall at the top of the flap, to form the hinge, it totally seals the top and with the two pulling against each other would hold the door as it hangs in the neutral point, because of pressure from both sides, even with a wind.BUT was pushable without to much force,
So I made it, and it works a treat tested it by hand, fine right I thought time to teach old dogs new tricks.
SO I got them there paying attention, giving them a demonstration of the flap working etc, then with the enticement of a doggy bone I held the flap open for them to go out, simples I thought.
Now an enticement to come in so I showed them a treat through the window. 'Ice' the older dog looked at the contraption looked at the treat and jumped up stood on his back legs, I thought stupid thing WHAT ARE YOU DOING??, he put one paw on the wall and the other on the handle of the patio door and slid it open!! walked in and got his treat !! WHAT could I say?? all that making and he already knew how to open the door!! but he couldnt close it well I say that, he probably thought 'why'? I'll want to go back out in a bit.
So then it was back to the drawing board how to jamb the door.
I should have known coz he already knows how to open the front door with the lever handle and the bitch knows how to work the handle sideways to open the double glazed windows.
. As soon as we fitted a flap, they soon lost the interest in going out every 20mins
I think red bull read this forum!!
