ARGH!!!!!! Overflowing waterers

[Timothy Menezes]

The bleach probably finished off your rubber gasket. They only last a few years anyways. Just pop a new one on an you should be good to go.

 

[Sue Gremlin]

There is no rubber gasket on this one, it's a regular metal waterer.

 

[Timothy Menezes]

Really? Well I never used that type of waterer but my understanding was they used a rubber seal between the 2 pieces.

If you do locate a seal, I have coated rubber gaskets with petroleum jelly to help them seal up until I had a chance to order a new seal off of Amazon.

Now this was a totally different application as it was a canister fish tank filter, but believe it would work as it's the same principal.

 

[GC-Raptor]

There is no rubber gasket on this one, it's a regular metal waterer.

The rubber washer is on the inside. It's about the size of a nickel. GC

 

[debid]

Thanks for the suggestions!

I think I will try this and lower an aquarium heater into it. I'll let you guys know how it works in the coldest part of the winter.

I wouldn't suggest an aquarium heater. They're fragile and don't have a setting below about 70F so they'll never get to cycle off and they weren't designed for an always-on application. You can get a 250W bucket de-icer that only heats the water to about 40F for $30. And they last for years and years.

 

[debid]

OK, I purchased the above nipple type waterer. I don't think my chickens have a clue that they are supposed to drink out of those hangy things. I let their pan waterer go dry, thinking they'd be motivated to look around for water. I pushed the water tips in front of them and got water to drip out. They pecked at the water on the floor instead of the tips.

Will they eventually figure it out?

Yes, they will. They all do.

 

[chicksandchores]

I used a galvanized metal waterer and it went bad with less than a year of use. The glue/seal around the bottom of the inside of the waterer came loose and it started overflowing like mad. I swapped to a nipple waterer and the girls adjusted quickly, the only problem o ran into is yes the vertical nipples freeze even in early March in middle Tennessee. I’ll probably look into a de-icer for this winter

 

[debid]

I used a galvanized metal waterer and it went bad with less than a year of use. The glue/seal around the bottom of the inside of the waterer came loose and it started overflowing like mad. I swapped to a nipple waterer and the girls adjusted quickly, the only problem o ran into is yes the vertical nipples freeze even in early March in middle Tennessee. I’ll probably look into a de-icer for this winter

I have this one. No issues with freezing, I bought it my first winter with chickens and it's still kicking 8 years later.
https://www.farmandfleet.com/produc...rYnSgYdFZL_W7Gllf8bT-kUIvex39zXAaAqfLEALw_wcB

 

[Chicken linda]

Hello chicken folks,

I need help! I am about to purchase my third waterer because of overflow. I am reluctant to use a nipple water system because the waterer is outside and we are in Michigan, where it can get really cold.

When I started my flock in January, I bought this waterer (Farm-Tuff Top-fill, 5 gallon)

and it never worked. It overflowed no matter how I adjusted it. I Googled the model and found nothing but similar complaints, so I returned it.

Then I got this model (Harris Farms Easy-Fill 5 gallon)

and it worked. At $40, it should. I liked it a lot, it was easy to fill and clean. For a few months anyway. Then it started to overflow for no apparent reason. I Googled this one and found an instructional video that someone posted here about disassembling and cleaning it. Which I did. It didn't really change anything. The cup still fills too much, but it was ok for a short time, barely containing the water. Well this morning I found an empty drinker and a muddy pen AGAIN. ARGH. It is on a perfectly level surface.

I need to get a heater unit anyway, so was thinking of buying or making a heated base for it, but now that it is overflowing, I need another solution. Does anyone have one of these? I can't find any adjustments. I just want a reliable waterer!

How are these metal drinkers? Thoughts?


Thank you for any help!!!!!

Mine is always flowing out. Suppose to water them for a week. Lasts 2 days. I am thinking I need to drill a hole on top to release pressure. That is why I am here. I should not have to do that

 

[lbevis]

Hello chicken folks,

I need help! I am about to purchase my third waterer because of overflow. I am reluctant to use a nipple water system because the waterer is outside and we are in Michigan, where it can get really cold.

When I started my flock in January, I bought this waterer (Farm-Tuff Top-fill, 5 gallon)

and it never worked. It overflowed no matter how I adjusted it. I Googled the model and found nothing but similar complaints, so I returned it.

Then I got this model (Harris Farms Easy-Fill 5 gallon)

and it worked. At $40, it should. I liked it a lot, it was easy to fill and clean. For a few months anyway. Then it started to overflow for no apparent reason. I Googled this one and found an instructional video that someone posted here about disassembling and cleaning it. Which I did. It didn't really change anything. The cup still fills too much, but it was ok for a short time, barely containing the water. Well this morning I found an empty drinker and a muddy pen AGAIN. ARGH. It is on a perfectly level surface.

I need to get a heater unit anyway, so was thinking of buying or making a heated base for it, but now that it is overflowing, I need another solution. Does anyone have one of these? I can't find any adjustments. I just want a reliable waterer!

How are these metal drinkers? Thoughts?


Thank you for any help!!!!!

The metal drinkers aren't only pricey ($54.00 at Tractor Supply) but are UNRELIABLE. I have two, one works fine, the other leaks. The problem seems to be the seal inside combined with a weak trigger and the locking design. I have tried tweaking the trigger, but it hasn't worked. Harris Farms could improve the design by using a heavier gage aluminum for the trigger, increasing the size of the rubber stopper and including a heavier gage aluminum outer patch over the locking slot. The rim at that location is too easily bent inadvertently by simply placing the lid back on. I hope Harris Farms can read these posts and takes note of them.