electric water bowl still freezes

[san415]

I live in Michigan and it's in the low 20s and the teens at night. I have replaced the heated dog bowl twice. I have the bowl outside on the ground. Am I getting bad bowl after bad bowl? Or do I need to add more heat, or just have my husband buikd an insulated wood box to put the bowl in? My coop is to small to put the bowl inside of it. Any ideas anyone.
Thanks Sandra

 

[ams3651]

I dont think those bowls are ment to be out in the weather. I have mine inside the coop and still it sometimes forms a thin ice layer on top when its in the teens. As long as they get fresh water a couple times a day they will be fine.

 

[rcentner]

I would try elevating the bowl on some wood (something with insulative value) before building all sorts of contraptions. Does it work during the day? If so, I would just unlpug at night and refill in the morning.

 

[san415]

ok I will try to get it up off the ground and some protection from the wind. I am not worried about when I am home, I just take warm water out to them when I open the door to let them in the yard. When I get home from work its dark and they are inside for the night so I just lock them in and dont worry about the water. But I will be gone for 2 weeks vacation in January. A nephew will be taking our dogs to his house and checking on the chickens a few times a week. They can stay in the coop and pen area while we are gone rather than have access to the yard too. But I am worried about the water, I would feel better if all he had to do was make sure the food container was ok and add some water to the water bowl.

Sandra

 

[farmin'chick]

Someone posted the other day about sticking the waterers on top of your compost pile -- the decomposition generates enough heat that it will keep the water thawed.

 

[Akane]

My 2 gallon heated livestock buckets in the coop still sometimes freeze in January. A bowl with much less volume and much smaller heating coils is not going to stay liquid all winter in about the same latitude as me. It will only buy you time unless you provide it more heat.

 

[DeGriz]

I picked up one of these from Fleet Farm for $19.99

Been using it for about three weeks now. Works perfectly, have had temps down to minus 10 (minus 24 windchill) and I can still see steam rising from the bowl.

I have it sitting outside on top of a couple concrete blocks, this keeps it from getting wet underneath.

Zero freeze up, Works perfectly.

http://www.alliedprecision.com/petbowl.html


Just a thought but...Are you sure you have full power coming from that outlet?


ETA; I bought the plastic one.