Hot composting with chicken bedding and garden waste

[scottcaddy]

I like the cable, can you send a link to it?
Thanks for your time!!
Scott

 

[vehve]

Scott, I think frost guard would be closest to what I can think of as a translation. Here are some links, but they're all in Finnish, and the cables themselves use the European style of plug and 220V.

http://www.nettimyynti.fi/tuote/sulanapitokaapeli-2-16-m/6438168088341/?keywords=sulanapitokaapeli
http://www.motonet.fi/fi/kategoria/1384/383825/Sulanapitokaapelit
http://www.ltt24h.fi/tuotteet/työkalut/rakennuslämmittimet/sulanapitokaapelit/52103/
https://www.karkkainen.com/verkkokauppa/axxel-2m-itsesäätyvä-sulanapitokaapeli

Best bet for finding one? Call a Minnesotan or Alaskan plumbing and electrics company and ask them what they would call it. Then you might find something similar Stateside.

What I like about this type of cable compared to heat tape, is that this can be submerged in the waterer.

 

[aart]

Oh, that's right!! Now I remember!
There was some doubt about the vertical nipples staying thawed.

 

[scottcaddy]

Scott, I think frost guard would be closest to what I can think of as a translation. Here are some links, but they're all in Finnish, and the cables themselves use the European style of plug and 220V.

http://www.nettimyynti.fi/tuote/sulanapitokaapeli-2-16-m/6438168088341/?keywords=sulanapitokaapeli
http://www.motonet.fi/fi/kategoria/1384/383825/Sulanapitokaapelit
http://www.ltt24h.fi/tuotteet/työkalut/rakennuslämmittimet/sulanapitokaapelit/52103/
https://www.karkkainen.com/verkkokauppa/axxel-2m-itsesäätyvä-sulanapitokaapeli

Best bet for finding one? Call a Minnesotan or Alaskan plumbing and electrics company and ask them what they would call it. Then you might find something similar Stateside.

What I like about this type of cable compared to heat tape, is that this can be submerged in the waterer.

I use Chrome and it will offer to translate the rest of the world into my limited language. I am hoping to find stateside equals.
Thanks for the links, and yes I can read most of the pages!
Scott

 

[ChristieB]

Forever grateful for living where it doesn't freeze, we might scorch in the summer but atleast we don't have to worry about frostbite on bunny ears and chicken wattles!!
Not that I can have a rabbit in qld, but still greatful for mild winters

 

[Amberjem]

I have a heater cable designed for keeping water lines from freezing inside the waterer. At first I just put it in a uninsulated waterer, but that didn't work too well. Later I made an insulated waterer, it worked better, but we had a pretty warm winter so I didn't get to test it properly.







The heater cable plugs right in, and it's self regulating. The insulation between the two buckets is PU foam, the inner bucket has a layer of space blanket wrapped around it. The top insulation is aluminium coated PU foam board, the bottom only has a layer of space blanket, and three nipples screwed in.

*Edit* This was more of a proof of concept model. The cable in it is only 20W, I'd go with a 40W or 60W version on the next model. I'd also use a prettier outer bucket and make sure that the space between the two buckets on the bottom is tighter.

you have to have a pretty bucket

 

[aart]

Forever grateful for living where it doesn't freeze, we might scorch in the summer but atleast we don't have to worry about frostbite on bunny ears and chicken wattles!!
Not that I can have a rabbit in qld, but still greatful for mild winters

I would rather deal with cold than heat anyday......but then I have a furnace but no airconditioning.

 

[vehve]

Yup, I prefer cold over heat too. Spent a week in Italy last summer, we managed to hit a week when it was between 33C and 37C (90-100F) all the time in the day, in the night it dropped to about 25C (~75F). I don't think I've ever sweated as much. Luckily we mostly drove around, so the AC in the car kept me a bit cooler. I don't think I even gained any weight on that trip, even though I ate like a, well, like a tourist in Italy.

The only problem in winter is keeping water from freezing, but that's manageable too. I might feel differently if I lived in the northern parts of our country though. They get some proper cold weather there, I've never experienced anything below -40 myself. But in some parts it get's to about -50C sometimes too.

In compost news, the temp in the box was 35C this morning (95F), so the right side is getting properly hot now. I should probably take some core temperatures soon. I'm guessing it's close to 50C (122F).

 

[ChristieB]

Oh yeah I prefer the cold over the heat, it never gets below freezing here, just cold enough for a wood fire, I'd love to visit the snow at least once in my life but I'm glad I don't live in it!

 

[lazy gardener]

I don't do heat either. When other folks are just comfortable, I'm checking to see how many layers I can go down without causing a social horror show.