We live in SW Washington and have a few times each winter the chicken water freezes. We have Little Giant waterers that hang in the run. In previous winters, I wrapped a 6' heat tape around the water container. It kept the container from freezing solid but not the tray. I usually have to refresh the water daily when the temp stays below 32 degrees.
This year I decided to try something different. I cut a piece of 3/4" plywood the size of the tray and routed a groove for the heat tape. The outer track is a 1/4" outside the clamps to heat the tray and the inner spiral should heat the container. It's hard to see in the picture but I left the tape sticking up about 1/8" so it would contact the bottom of the tray. I did not want to drill or cut the tray so I used scrap "jack chain" (yes, I had to look up the name on Amazon) to make hooks and mason's line to hold it against the bottom.
I'll report back when we do get some freezing weather on how well it keeps the water liquid.
This year I decided to try something different. I cut a piece of 3/4" plywood the size of the tray and routed a groove for the heat tape. The outer track is a 1/4" outside the clamps to heat the tray and the inner spiral should heat the container. It's hard to see in the picture but I left the tape sticking up about 1/8" so it would contact the bottom of the tray. I did not want to drill or cut the tray so I used scrap "jack chain" (yes, I had to look up the name on Amazon) to make hooks and mason's line to hold it against the bottom.
I'll report back when we do get some freezing weather on how well it keeps the water liquid.
