Cookie Tin water heater

[twopeas]

I love this idea! I was going to order a $45 heater this coming week!

 

[Felony]

This post is awesome, what a good idea! do you guys think it would be ok to somehow bolt the cookie thin under a hanging waterer, so that I could have a heated hanging waterer? (less wood shavings in the water)

 

[Ivywoods]

Quote:
If you can figure out how to do it, I don't know why it wouldn't work. I'm not sure how you would go about bolting one to the bottom of the waterer, though.

 

[Carolyn252]

Quote:
I have a hanging waterer. Plastic. I told DH that I wanted some way to attach a little shelf underneath it. With a couple of inches of space between the shelf and the bottom of the waterer.

He quickly made one for me out of some leftover wood scraps and glued it to the outside bottom of the plastic waterer. Then I took the electric mug warmer (looks like an electrified saucer; see photo below) and slid it onto the shelf. The wire goes straight up in the air and out the roof of the little henhouse coop and plugs into the outdoor extension cord that's hanging from the enclosed run's ceiling.

I haven't plugged it in yet; our local weather is setting some hot November records and it was 70 degrees yesterday. Will take some pictures of the setup tomorrow and will post them.
(It's 4am now.)

 

[Felony]

Quote:
If you can figure out how to do it, I don't know why it wouldn't work. I'm not sure how you would go about bolting one to the bottom of the waterer, though.

I'll try to figure it out, and post it here...some kind of rubberized bolts so the water doesn't leak i guess...or bungee cords going trough a loop bolt under then cookie thin than attached to the waterer hanger...

I just wonder if the heat is going to get lost in the air, but i think the heat should still be enough to keep the water unfrozen

 

[Felony]

Quote:
I have a hanging waterer. Plastic. I told DH that I wanted some way to attach a little shelf underneath it. With a couple of inches of space between the shelf and the bottom of the waterer.

He quickly made one for me out of some leftover wood scraps and glued it to the outside bottom of the plastic waterer. Then I took the electric mug warmer (looks like an electrified saucer; see photo below) and slid it onto the shelf. The wire goes straight up in the air and out the roof of the little henhouse coop and plugs into the outdoor extension cord that's hanging from the enclosed run's ceiling.

I haven't plugged it in yet; our local weather is setting some hot November records and it was 70 degrees yesterday. Will take some pictures of the setup tomorrow and will post them.
(It's 4am now.)
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/23588_slmw5dt.jpg

Glue is a good idea too!! thanks! I would like it better if it was removable though, so i can still use my waterer in summer without the cookie thin under it...

 

[Carolyn252]

No cookie tin used at all. I just slide the mug warmer onto the shelf. When I need to refill the waterer, I slide the mug warmer out of the shelf and let it dangle for the few minutes it takes to refill the waterer. Then I slide the mug warmer back onto the shelf. When summer arrives, I'll just slide the mug warmer off the shelf and store it away in the garage until next winter.

 

[Felony]

Quote:
good idea!!

 

[flyingtnh]

Just made the cookie tin heater for $4.50 in parts.

http://flyingtnh.wordpress.com/2011/11/30/waterheater/

A lot better than $40-50!

 

[hinkjc]

Quote:
I turn ours on at dusk when I am going to close the coops, when I know temps will drop below 26 at night. Otherwise, the waters don't seem to freeze due to the coops being closed up and holding enough heat on their own. We then turn them off during the day on days it is going to get above freezing. For days where it stays below freezing all day, we do leave it on all day.

to those who have successfully made the cookie tin heaters. I know how much they have helped us here.