My regular waterer keeps getting soiled with shavings and poop so I was thinking about a nipple watering system. We are in northern NJ and I do not plan to heat the coop, so the waterer must be heated. Can nipple systems be heated to function in winters where it might occasionally get below 0 on a few of the coldest nights of the year? Thanks!
If you're using a bucket to dispense the water, either directly to nipples or to a PVC pile with nipples, you can put one of those electric "don't freeze the birdbath" kinda things in it. I did find this online, designed for buckets, but it's awfully pricey: http://www.pet-dog-cat-supply-store.com/shop/index.php?page=shop-flypage-41802
Even if I heat the reservoir, I am afraid the nipples will freeze up. Any ideas for keeping the nipples flowing? Maybe I could design it so that the nipple is right on the reservoir so the heat from the reservoir will not have to travel far down a pipe to the nipples?
Depending on if you are using PVC piping with the nipples or bucket. The PVC could be kept open I would think with heat tape wrapped around the pipe and the bucket could be kept open with a tank heater. Neither will heat up the water till hot or anything just to the point it does not freeze. Here in CO we use a dog water heater from Walmart off the ground.
you could use something like an aquarium heater in the resivoir if you set it around the 60f mark its unlikely the nipple would freeze unless you sustained temps probally below -5c wich is unlikely unless the whole thing is outside the coup then with windchill i spose it might freeze......... if its inside the coup i would be tempted to just lag it with a radiator jacket or something like that
Heat tape, Same stuff used for exposed water pipes anywhere. you then cover the pipe and the tape with insulation. if pecking is a problem for the insulation you can wrap the whole package in tape. they actual make a tape for pipe (Gas Lines) so it should not be to expensive.
I used nipples in a 2 gallon bucket and dropped a 25 watt aquarium heater ( about $20.00) for about half this winter here in Wyoming. Temps down close to zero and no problems. I will be using the same again this winter.
