Light bulb to keep water from freezing

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eagle227

eagle227

In the Brooder
5 Years
Jul 11, 2014
22
0
22
What watt bulb should I use to keep water freezing in coop, coop size 12x16, 25 chickens, five gallon water. I have a 60 watt bulb in it now and this morning it had some ice in it. I took a #10 metal bucket and put the bulb in it and the put a plastic milk grate upside down over it and set the water on top of that.
 
I think your bucket heater would work better if it was making DIRECT contact, with the water fount. The plastic milk crate is messing up the heat transfer. I use one of those cookie tin heaters. with a 40W bulb. The water fount sits directly on the cookie tin.
 
I would be scared to death of a set up like that. Water could drip down into the bucket with the bulb. Do a thread search for "cookie tin water heater". At least in this application, the bulb is enclosed.
 
Another approach would be to place water in a black bowl than is placed on a dark surface. Then suspend very securely a heatlamp 18 to 24 inches above bowl. Also make so bowl surrounded by walls on three sides to funnel additional light from bulb onto bowl. In all likelihood your current bulb will not get done if temperatures extremely low. Birds may bust bulb so make certain it is properly grounded.
 
Keep in mind that hot air (and water) rises. It would be more effective to have the heat source below the waterer and focus the heat to the waterer. The metal bucket is actually conducting good portion of heat to the surrounding environment rather than the waterer. The milk crate further disperses heat through convection into surrounding atmosphere because of the space between the waterer and the bucket.

I use a 6ft heating cable inside a wood stand. The stand has an opening on top where warm air rises thru and a 1 gal waterer sits. The system is only warm to the touch and water never froze. It also comes with a thermostat to automatically turning it on and off.
 
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