Aqurium Water Heater????

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Can you use one? Yes. Should you use one? Given the high failure rate and electrocution hazard, I would strongly advise against it. I (and others) have had them fail catastrophically when being used properly in a fish tank. I can bet that they will do the same when used improperly in a chicken waterer.
 
Great for fish, TERRIBLE for much else, have used them in turtle tanks, and they have been broken several times. The turtles were fine, but, when I reached in the tank, WOW!!!!!!!
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:barnie Please do not use these for animals that can break them!!! I finally invested in heated buckets and poultry fountains this winter, one of the best things I've done..they work great, the money is well worth it!!
 
I have three running right now. Second year I have used them. They work great.
The brand I use does not shatter, shuts off when you take it out of water .
I use them in a bucket with nipples. The animals never touch them.

As with all water heaters they must be plugged into a GFI outlet.
 
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Then suggest you go buy a few lottery tickets because you've been lucky. Aside from the comments made above--and in a thread I did back a couple of months ago against using them https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=389587&p=1 --you have to remember they are not built to be used in subfreezing temperatures. Even if they don't shatter and don't electrocute you they will fail under these circumstances. Maybe yours haven't yet, but they will. I did a lot of work with them back in the '80's, including testing several top models for a national aquarium magazine, so I have a fairly good background in their use. Besides, if you're going to spend the money for a top aquarium heater you'd be better off buy a heater designed specifically for chicken waterers. I guess I can't understand why people want to cut corners or use things for which they are not designed when, for the same money, you can buy something specifically made to fit the job.
 
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Just because something is not designed for a particular use, does not mean preclude it from that use. It does not mean that it will not work well or with longevity. We see this every day. People take a product that was designed for one use and prove that it will work as something else.

I live where I have to have a heater running running in all my outside waterer's from October to May. They all fail at some point or another. The 18.00 aquarium heater that has lasted me two seasons and only used 25 watts of power is an excellent cost effective use of my money. I have tried the dog water bowls, they fail quite often in our constant sub zero temps and constant use.

I never worry about any contact with bedding or dust for a fire hazard. It is made for contact with water as many of the jury rigged cookie tin heaters etc. are not. It shuts off when there is no water in the bucket so there is no fire hazard. My aquarium heater is doing nothing more than what it was designed for heating water. It just works harder than most for part of the year.
 
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jmagill wrote:
I have three running right now. Second year I have used them. They work great.
The brand I use does not shatter, shuts off when you take it out of water .
I use them in a bucket with nipples. The animals never touch them.

As with all water heaters they must be plugged into a GFI outlet.

Quote:
X2
I fully 200% agree with you.. jmagill............
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Yep very cold climate here too... I use a custom nipple water set up. (3" PVC pipe in an L shape with a large capacity so it does not run dry.) My outlets are GFI and on the ceiling of the coop, the birds can not come in contact with the cord or the aquarium heater. Clean water, and no turtles swimming in it..

2 years running on a cheap Walmart special, low watt aquarium heaters... I have already saved enough in electricity to buy 3 more cheap aquarium heaters when this one fails...

My opinion is IF you use a NIPPLE watering system I see no other good option! By the way nipples ROCK! Huge time and labor savers..
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So what I am seeing is people in cold climates who use nipples have good success with cheap low watt aquarium heaters........... People who use open water systems in more mild climates seem to have the aquarium heaters fail?

Woodmort, I did consider your thoughts from your old thread, before I plugged it back in this fall.... However, I see ZERO downside and few options in a nipple water system.
Again two years running and the cheap aquarium heater is working great...

ON​
 
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read all post I also agree with jmagill. I kept africans and all types of heaters over those twenty years. been lots of posts on this subject but rest assurred they will work as people on here have proven
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