Vertical (gravity) vs. horizontal (spring loaded) watering nipples

[TheGeekySheep]

This morning I looked up an article for a friend on how to make a cookie tin water heater (the kind that goes under the metal or plastic fountain-style waterers) and I wondered: has anyone tried setting a bucket with horizontal nipples on one of those to keep it from freezing?

I suppose it wouldn't cost much to try, and it would save me from having to buy a pricey stock tank deicer and put stuff in the water.

 

[iwiw60]

This morning I looked up an article for a friend on how to make a cookie tin water heater (the kind that goes under the metal or plastic fountain-style waterers) and I wondered: has anyone tried setting a bucket with horizontal nipples on one of those to keep it from freezing?

I suppose it wouldn't cost much to try, and it would save me from having to buy a pricey stock tank deicer and put stuff in the water.

NOoooo!!!! You can't use a plastic waterer on top of those cookie tin heaters...it'll melt it, if not right away, eventually for sure!

 

[jessthemess]

I have horizontal watering nipples screwed into a 3" PVC pipe in which I have put a aquarium tank heater. I had one nipple ice up on the outside in our recent -10 oC weather and only the top nipple worked (it was directly across from the heater) I am now adding a infared lught bulb beside the waterer to keep the outside a bit warmer. I have both the aquarium heater and the light bulb plugged into a thermocube. Hope it works for the next chilly weather that comes out way.

 

[pdirt]

Quote:
I have read of folks successfully using a cookie tin heater on a plastic bucket or waterer. I would think it might work if the heat source was not too hot. Different people in different climates, different coop set-ups, different cookie tin heater designs, different wattages of light bulbs...all way too many factors to sift through to know if your setup is going to work or melt your bucket and/or burn your coop down. I personally wouldn't do it, it just sounds too risky.

The cookie tin heaters have never seemed like a good idea to me. A hot light bulb resting on dry bedding separated only by a thin sheet of metal?! Perhaps I don't fully understand the design, but all the designs I have seen look rather dangerous to me. I know lots of people on BYC use them and I am all for DYI, but I don't trust this one.

The nice thing about the stock tank de-icer is they are *designed* to be used around animals AND to be used outdoors. After just one season having used both the aquarium heater and the stock tank deicer, I can already see that the deicer is going to be longer lasting and safer.

 

[TheGeekySheep]

NOoooo!!!! You can't use a plastic waterer on top of those cookie tin heaters...it'll melt it, if not right away, eventually for sure!

Really? Someone needs to tell this person that:

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2011/11/make-cookie-tin-waterer-heater-under-10.html

 

[aart]

Quote: I knew I had seen plastic waterers on cookie tin heaters somewhere!

I would be leary of it tho, would take some extensive testing of all variables before I'd be comfortable.

Quote:

I have read of folks successfully using a cookie tin heater on a plastic bucket or waterer. I would think it might work if the heat source was not too hot. Different people in different climates, different coop set-ups, different cookie tin heater designs, different wattages of light bulbs...all way too many factors to sift through to know if your setup is going to work or melt your bucket and/or burn your coop down. I personally wouldn't do it, it just sounds too risky.

The cookie tin heaters have never seemed like a good idea to me. A hot light bulb resting on dry bedding separated only by a thin sheet of metal?! Perhaps I don't fully understand the design, but all the designs I have seen look rather dangerous to me. I know lots of people on BYC use them and I am all for DYI, but I don't trust this one.

The nice thing about the stock tank de-icer is they are *designed* to be used around animals AND to be used outdoors. After just one season having used both the aquarium heater and the stock tank deicer, I can already see that the deicer is going to be longer lasting and safer.
Ditto Dat^^^

......Tho I am trying out another AQ heater, a better one this time..... if that fails, I'll break down a go with stock tank heater and 5 gallon bucket.

 

[iwiw60]

Ditto Dat^^^

......Tho I am trying out another AQ heater, a better one this time..... if that fails, I'll break down a go with stock tank heater and 5 gallon bucket.

That is why my setup is like this:




Have had no problems at all...thank goodness!

 

[rfreedlund]

My horizontal nipple system seems to be working very well with the aquarium heaters I put in them. The nipples have not frozen, even when it got down to 5 degrees recently.

However, while it doesn't appear to me that my chickens haven't been getting enough water, I am surprised at how little they seem to be drinking compared to my standard waterer they were using before. They seemed to go through about 2 1/2 gallons per day with their previous system. I now have two 5 gallon buckets set up with the horizontal system and after two days, the waterers are still more than 3/4 full. Some ice build-up has formed on the bricks that are supporting the buckets under the nipples, but I am still surprised and perhaps a bit concerned with what appears to be much less water consumption.

Has anyone else experienced this when switching to a nipple system?

 

[DaveOmak]

The only thing I can tell you is my 7 chickens have drank about 1 gallon per day, for the last 4 months I have had them... hot or cold weather... So, that's about 1 pint each...

You may have been losing more water with the old system... dripping on the ground... hard to say for sure...

 

[aart]

......

You may have been losing more water with the old system... dripping on the ground... hard to say for sure...

This^^ ......and evaporation also.

I see some ice buildup, some are more efficient at drinking from them some dribble and splash a bit.

Mine used less water with the nipples also, at least as far as I could tell by monitoring the addition of water each day...but it's really hard to answer the questions 'why'.
It does take them some time to learn to use them.
How long have they been on the nipples?
Did you do any 'training' and spend any time observing?