Water Tower in Winter?

[4boyz]

I am planning on using a water tower to feed my chickens. (Poultry nipple attached to the bottom of a pvc pipe, suspended from the ceiling.) Just wanted to ask those who use one. How do you keep it from freezing in the winter?

Thanks!

 

[MakNugget]

I didn't bother since it seemed too difficult to make it work. The problem with PVC lines is that the PVC and tubing are so thin, it's the first thing to freeze over. Insulation is possible but becomes somewhat impractical the longer it is.

I chose to keep it up until freezing weather approaches and I decommission it and use standard waterers during below freezing weather. Those take longer to freeze and can just swap them throughout the day as needed.

 

[sixty7x]

my waterer is a 6" pvc tube with a cap glued to one side(bottom) and another cap for the top(not glued). I cut a slot through the side of the cap and in the winter I stick a bird bath/pail heater inside. It automatically turns on at 35F and shuts off at 45F. Keeps water completely free of ice through the winter. On the really cold nights (0 and under) the water would remain unfrozen, but the nipple would freeze on the outside. Usually by late morning all is good. I keep my waterer inside the coop in the winter to keep it out of the wind and snow. I live in Rhode Island and we only see those temps a couple days out of the winter. 10F and higher there was no issue.

 

[BellevueOmlet]

If you have a waterer connected to a bucket that is all enclosed in the coop, you can add a water heater to keep it from freezing.

 

[4boyz]

Thank you for your suggestions!