BriteTap nipple waterer

[beyandle]

I just wanted to share my experience with this system, since I found very few reviews on it when I was researching it. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this system. We have 8 pullets and bought two BriteTaps- one 5 gallon cooler set up in their run and a 2 gallon set up in the coop.

PROS:

-INSULATED! Keeps water super cool in the heat of the summer, unlike any other system I could find- including homemade nipple waterers.
-I only have to refill water once or twice a week now instead of daily.
-Keeps water clean and fresh.
-It stays dry, very minimal leaking (once you get it to the correct height- the ladies get messy with it if you have it set up too low).
-You don't have to figure out how to rig up your own PVC or bucket nipple system, you just assemble this as instructed, super easy.
-It can sit flat, unlike homemade bucket nipple waterers, so refilling is a lot easier.


CONS:

-The price is slightly high, but we just purchased the nipple part from the supplier and then bought coolers at Home Depot, which saved us about $50.


We have not used this through the winter yet, but am anxious to see how well the cooler insulates in winter. We may need to add a heater. Will update when the times comes, as that was another point I found no reviews on.

Hope this is helpful to some. I highly recommend trying this system over a bell waterer or homemade system. You will fall in love immediately.

 

[mamadawn]

So I found a fix... We've been below 0 for a week already here in Utah and no frozen water. My setup is such that I have to have my water station in my covered run not coop. I love my Brite Tap really wanted to use it.
I know this is NOT recommended by Brite Tap or Easy Tape but it's working like a charm! I wrapped a 3ft length of heat tape around the front box secured it with zip ties. It kicks on at Aprox 38' there is a built in thermostat that needs to be placed against a pipe- so I provided a piece of pipe. It's not pretty but the girls don't seem to bother it.
It doesn't get hot just warm and keeps the water and nipples from freezing. Been using it for a week, so far so good! Tonight it will be in the teens we'll see how it goes.

 

[MaineChix]

Hi! We've been using the britetap for about 3.5 years and it's been great for most of the time. The girls use that as their only source of water and are still happy and healthy. We got 6 babies this spring and they all figured it out within a few days (I kept a traditional waterer out until I saw everyone figure out how to get water from the nipples). We have 9 girls (and for a while 1 boy too, but to my neighbors' delight, he has gone to live in the country where the crowing won't bother anyone!) who share the waterer with no problems. I like it because it keeps the water clean and cooler on hot days. The one drawback is during cold weather. We haven't figured out a good way to keep the water from freezing during the coldest months so I got a few horizontal nipples and installed those on a 5gallon bucket. We just stick a flexible aquarium heater in it (I hook it to a thermocube so it's only heating when needed) and we've been able to get the girls the same fresh water for the winter too. Once it gets warmer, we just switch back to the britetap which does a better job of keeping the water clean and cold. All in all, I recommend the britetap

 

[mamadawn]

I'm also using the BriteTap system. I have two, 2.5 gal units... Where do you live? I'm in Utah. I'm gearing up to start winterizing as we are already getting cold here at night... I know my waterer will freeze solid if I do nothing. I'm looking at a bucket heater or birdbath heater or aquarium heater inside the cooler threaded through the vent hole.
I haven't come up with a good solution to keep the front reservoir and nipples from freezing. I really don't want to haul water at 5:00am and throughout the day
My set-up is such that I have my water and feed in the run not the coop. Any ideas?

 

[beyandle]

We are in Colorado- and just this week, it has started to get cold at night. Utah probably gets a little colder I would think, than it does here. We are on the front range, so we rarely hit subzero, but it lingers in the single digits sometimes. This is our first year with chickens, so I don't really have any advice based in experience. But I can tell you our plan, haha. I have done some research, and talked with neighbors etc... Here is a link to a site where I have read about using the Brite Tap in the winter.

http://blog.chickenwaterer.com/2012/11/chicken-waterers-winter-freezing.html

We have a waterer in our coop and in our run. My first approach is going to be to put tepid water in the coolers each morning (approx 70 degrees)- it is supposed to be able to stay liquid for approx 12 hours at subzero temps in the insulated cooler. I will also probably bring the one from the run into the garage at night and leave the one in the coop. I would like to experiment with what temp the one in the coop can withstand overnight before freezing. We keep cases of bottled water in our garage, and even in the most bitter of winters, they barely even start to ice up. So I'm thinking a Brite Tap in the coop would be just fine... If you have a big enough coop, you could just toss the waterer in the coop at night and bring it back to the run in the mornings? I have also thought of using an aquarium heater in the cooler, but I'm not sure we'll need it. It might be useful if you are leaving yours outside overnight though.

As far as keeping the clear exterior box and nipples themselves from freezing... I still have some research to do. This is obviously going to be the biggest obstacle. I have read about people using some sort of insulated tape, etc- but that seems like it could get messy and ugly upon removal in the summer. I am thinking of having my husband buy some foam sheet insulation and creating a little box to fit over the clear box... Just a thought. I have also heard of people floating golf balls in bell waterers, as the movement keeps the water from freezing- maybe putting a marble in the clear box would be enough? As you can see, I have many ideas, but until tested, who knows what will work... And if all else fails, I will probably do what other people do who use nipple waterers... Retire the nipple system in the winter and use a bell waterer with a heater.

The last resource I have to explore is the Brite Tap company. I have actually contacted them twice with questions and they are super easy to work with and are very responsive. I can update this post after I talk to them and let you know what they say. Also, let me know if you find a good fix!

 

[mamadawn]

Thought I'd add that the heat tape plug has a light built in so you know when it's on... And I got the heat tape at Ace Hardware for about $22.00. I looked on line too but it was cheeper at Ace. They can cut you a piece of pipe too if ya need it

 

[amynrichie]

So I found a fix... We've been below 0 for a week already here in Utah and no frozen water. My setup is such that I have to have my water station in my covered run not coop. I love my Brite Tap really wanted to use it.
I know this is NOT recommended by Brite Tap or Easy Tape but it's working like a charm! I wrapped a 3ft length of heat tape around the front box secured it with zip ties. It kicks on at Aprox 38' there is a built in thermostat that needs to be placed against a pipe- so I provided a piece of pipe. It's not pretty but the girls don't seem to bother it.
It doesn't get hot just warm and keeps the water and nipples from freezing. Been using it for a week, so far so good! Tonight it will be in the teens we'll see how it goes.

BRILLIANT! That is so much easier than my idea- which, by the way, I'm glad I didn't order the parts for!

 

[beyandle]

Thank you so much for sharing this... We had concerns about this method- especially after having the nipples themselves freeze so quickly (they froze within minutes of putting it in the coop). You have certainly inspired us to try it now though!

 

[MaineChix]

Mamadawn - awesome idea!! And, so much easier than building a new waterer!

 

[beyandle]

We tested this method, and WOW! Have had negative temps (down to -11) and this thing works amazingly! Although, we do have ours in the coop so it stays warmer than outside temp. So glad I didn't have to haul water!