Hi All

Anyone know how many amps a typical 2 cup 12v mini kettle draws?
Am thinking of the $20 ones from super cheap auto - but i think my multimeter only goes up to 10amps so not sure if want to measure one myself.

My dog has decided he doesnt want to come inside to sleep this winter - so i am going to make him a small heater. I thought about those electric blankets for dog kennels you can buy on trademe, but they are only 15 watts and i dont want to run 240 volts outside to it.

I figure if a single bed electric blanket is 60 watts, then for his kennel i would want around 25 watts over half the area.

Temperature outside as i write this is 7 degrees and going to drop to 2 degrees, so it needs to do more than what an indoor electric blanket typically does.

Hes getting old, and shivering when i go to try and get him to come inside so i have been taking out some hot water bottles for him each night but they wont be lasting very long. He also likes to chew on things, so even though i thickly wrap the bottles, he will eventually burst one any night now.

So my idea:

An electric oil heater concept but on its side

I am going to make a wooden box to sit on the floor of the kennel with some foam insulation on the bottom - polystyrene and that expanding filler foam in a bottle that you spray into walls.

Also inside the box will be a closed metal container of water with an element from a 12v electric jug, connected to a 40 or 50 degree thermo switch - so it doesnt do any boiling. It just keeps the water warm.

With a bunch of blankets on top it should be nice and cosy for him to sleep on.

Your thoughts?
If the 12v kettle element uses less than 10 amps then i am happy to run 12v out to it using tps house wire.