And I have fat raccoons LOL - Same problems here, though they only raid the feeders at night. I had to use the inserts from IBC totes to completely cover the feeders at night.I meant fattest squirrels
I don't know how this helps in your situation, though. All I can think of is enclosing your run so completely that squirrels can't get in.
As for the water, I *think* if you use white PVC pipe, most of the heat will be reflected and won't heat the pipe itself. There won't be any solar heating of the water if the light can't penetrate the pipe. So, that means the water inside should only be as warm as the air temperature.
For someone who's creative and engineering minded, I'd love to see a setup that circulates water through a closed system. When the water returns to whatever holding device, it's cooled - perhaps even burying a tank in the ground and using a recirculator like what people attach to their water heating systems in the house to keep hot water instantly at the tap at all times. I imagine you could hook up a solar panel to that recirculator, so it runs only when needed and runs without an electricity source. Doesn't really sound like it would be all that hard to put together. Well, I can dream anyway.
