Am I going to poison my dogs?

[Jonathan Kozolchyk]

Hi Folks,

I made a simple water fountain for my dogs using a small fountain pump and "utility grade" copper tubing (3/8" OD) that I bought from Lowes. Is Utility Grade copper tubing safe for potable water? I didn't solder anything, just bent the pipe to get it out of the way and put a fitting on it to keep the sharp ends out of puppy reach.

Here's a picture of the fountain (don't laugh at the bends! it gets the job done!):



Thanks!

[Chad Schloss]

poison? no. electrocute or kill them if the pump should fail? possibly. i would have the plump plugged into a GFCI outlet to be safe, if not just abandon the idea. Why is it needed?

[Jonathan Kozolchyk]

Thanks Chad! I have the pump plugged into a GFCI outlet. I don't know why, but the dogs like moving water. There are many similar fountains on the market, but they're all a pain to clean. My home made one is a lot easier to maintain.

[hj]

Copper is copper, the difference in grades refers to the wall thickness of the tubing, NOT the material it is made of.

[Tom Sawyer]

My dog drinks out of the toilet whether the water is moving or not

[kreemoweet]

quote; "refrigeration" grade where the tubing is
cleaned, filled with moisture-free gas, and plugged, so as to avoid contamination of the refrigerant used in A/C&Refrig. machinery.

It is also to prevent oxidation inside the tubing which could damage the components.

[hj]

quote; My dog drinks out of the toilet

ANd he doesn't complain about you sitting on his water fountain?

[Tom Sawyer]

Nah, he's old and senile