Cookie Tin water heater

[Hooligans7]

The company I work for mailed me a cookie tin for my birthday. I have Celiac's so couldn't eat the cookies but instead made an awesome water heater for my chickens. The cookie tin has my firm's logo on it which I found humorous. I shared a pic of the finished product with my boss. He thought it was great, although is not planning on adding a chicken water heater to our promotional gifts. A free gift and an old busted lamp I found in our storage room. I'm not out a penny on this project!

Good story! Let's see a photo of it.

BTW, I think it's only fair if your company gets you a birthday gift that you can eat, wear, or spend — after all, how many water heaters can you use? Ha!

 

[Hooligans7]

I meant to add that I plugged the new heater into the second outlet of the same ThermoCube used for the heater in the coop. Love my ThermoCubes!

 

[goingloopy]

If you live in an area with Menards home centers, they have a cookie tin (11.5 x 3.25) on sale this weekend for 3.99. Sugar cookies and a great size tin for a waterer.

 

[Tina88]

I saw this idea last night and knew I HAD to have one! So I went to or local thrift store and bought me lamp and a cookie tin(had the light bulb). It cost me $2.50 and a loving hubby to get mine done. Here it is and it will be in use tonight!

 

[neiowa]

My modification to the "cookie tin" heater.

Used 10 bulb section of an old Christmas light string. The type with screw in 5w C8 bulbs (and LED string may save you $ but not going to heat anything). This allows you to adjust the heat output as required for temp by loosing/tighting bulbs. Work well for 0 temp this winter.

Obviously could further adjust heat output by increasing or decreasing the length of light string you use.

 

[FlyWheel]

This may have been asked already, but do I have to use a metal waterer with this or is plastic OK? And if a plastic waterer can be used are there any special precautions needed?

 

[azygous]

Plastic is safe. You don't want to use anything over a 40 watt bulb in the metal cookie tin, though. And never let an empty waterer sit on the warmer.

You will still want to bring the waterer in at night, though. Left outside all night in below freezing temps, the warmer is no match for those temps for that duration. The cookie tin warmer is great for keeping the water in the basin from freezing during the day so your chickens will have unfrozen water to drink.

 

[Daloorashens]

In my experience a plastic waterer does work but the heater definitely needs to be metal. A metal watered works better because it will continue to conduct the heat & keep the water from freezing. I have one I made (link in my signature line) that has worked through -20F winters. It does need a 100w bulb to work at those Temps, however.

 

[FlyWheel]

Plastic is safe. You don't want to use anything over a 40 watt bulb in the metal cookie tin, though. And never let an empty waterer sit on the warmer.

You will still want to bring the waterer in at night, though. Left outside all night in below freezing temps, the warmer is no match for those temps for that duration. The cookie tin warmer is great for keeping the water in the basin from freezing during the day so your chickens will have unfrozen water to drink.

In my experience a plastic waterer does work but the heater definitely needs to be metal. A metal watered works better because it will continue to conduct the heat & keep the water from freezing. I have one I made (link in my signature line) that has worked through -20F winters. It does need a 100w bulb to work at those Temps, however.

I know the heating tin has to be metal, it was just the waterer I was worried about. I already have a three gallon 'Sparklets style' plastic one now, I was just wondering if I would have to buy a metal one to use with the heater. I know a metal waterer would conduct heat from the tin to the water better, but wouldn't that same metal conduct heat OUT of the waterer into the colder air better too? And the surface area exposed to the cold would be much larger. At least with any waterer large enough for a dozen birds.

South Carolina rarely gets super cold, at least not here in the piedmont. Certainly nothing like Montana, Maine or North Dakota! While freezing temps are somewhat common, +20F (-3C) is rare enough to be considered really cold. And even then it usually get's above freezing during the day; although not always enough to thaw out frozen water.

 

[Hooligans7]

Personally, I prefer a metal water container over plastic. Unless you're absolutely sure of the plastic material, you could be leaching harmful hormone-disrupting chemicals into the water, whether it is heated or not. Overly softened water can leach out such chemicals as well. Chemical concentrations can rise to measurable levels within hours. The chemicals may be BPAs, phthalates, and other chemicals used as "plasticisers" to keep the vessel pliable or prevent it from becoming brittle. Beyond those issues, in my experience plastics are less able to withstand the rigors of extreme temperature variations, rough handling, and constant use.

The question of whether heat is conducted (lost) through the sides of a metal container more than a plastic one, I don't think that's the issue; however, metal is a superior heat conductor where is counts — on the bottom. A natural convection current occurs that keeps the water circulating within the container. Assuming the use of a single incandescent bulb in the middle of the heater, warmer water rises up through the middle of the container where the heat is more concentrated, and cooler water sinks along the sides returning to the bottom where it is reheated in a continuous cycle. I leave my heaters and bowls out over night in winter, even during snowstorms and ice storms and never had a freeze-up.