After reading in another section of the BYC forum about people who were using both vertical and horizontal nipples, and after seeing on the interweb that there are both push-in and screw-in nipples, I started looking around.
Now I'm not the laziest guy in the world, but I would love to be him. So, I'm looking for a "down and dirty" way to build an automatic waterer. Stay with me; there's a question at the end of this post.
I stopped by either Ace or Lowe's the other day and found a device that is made for a rain collection barrel called a "Bulkhead union connector." Basically what the connector does is allow one to connect a soaker hose to the barrel. It goes in the bulkhead (wall for non-swabbies) of the barrel and provides a seal and a 3/4" hose connector. For those who are looking for one it is a Watts PL-1872.
My thinking is to put it through the lid of a 6 1/2 gallon bucket and instead of using it to drain a barrel, use it to fill a watering bucket. So now we simply attach the nipples to the bottom of the bucket and suspend it from a strap or chain. Alternatively, I suppose we could place the nipples in the side of the bucket near the bottom.
Here is the question: When using an arrangement like this, how important would it be to spend a few extra dollars and use a food grade bucket? Yeah, I know that using a fountain they will even foul their own water. But neither do I want to introduce lead, arsenic, or the like. Any experience along this line would be greatly appreciated.
Now I'm not the laziest guy in the world, but I would love to be him. So, I'm looking for a "down and dirty" way to build an automatic waterer. Stay with me; there's a question at the end of this post.
I stopped by either Ace or Lowe's the other day and found a device that is made for a rain collection barrel called a "Bulkhead union connector." Basically what the connector does is allow one to connect a soaker hose to the barrel. It goes in the bulkhead (wall for non-swabbies) of the barrel and provides a seal and a 3/4" hose connector. For those who are looking for one it is a Watts PL-1872.
My thinking is to put it through the lid of a 6 1/2 gallon bucket and instead of using it to drain a barrel, use it to fill a watering bucket. So now we simply attach the nipples to the bottom of the bucket and suspend it from a strap or chain. Alternatively, I suppose we could place the nipples in the side of the bucket near the bottom.
Here is the question: When using an arrangement like this, how important would it be to spend a few extra dollars and use a food grade bucket? Yeah, I know that using a fountain they will even foul their own water. But neither do I want to introduce lead, arsenic, or the like. Any experience along this line would be greatly appreciated.
