Galvanized Water Can...HELP!

[BantyRooster]

I have a new 5 gal Galvanized doublewall drinker. When it's refilled and the top is replaced the water flows out into the bottom pan like it's supposed to and stops before over flowing.

After the birds drink from it the water level in the pan gets lower...and lower...and lower... until it's dry. This is what you would expect to happen, except for one thing...the can is still full.

I understand that the can works on a vaccuum. What I dont understand is why it wont refill itself as the water level goes below the opening, which should allow more water to fill the pan.

Has anyone else had this problem and if so what did you do, if anything, to fix it?

I would think it's pretty easy, but I can't seem to come up with a solution.

Any help or advice would be appreciated, as I paid $30 for this can (for my son's b day, whick his mother thought was a really sorry bday present, until my sons got all excited and said WOW this is a GREAT present..what can I say, he's a little warped, he's a chicken guy like his dad...

Thanks in advance..

Mike

I should add: the can sits on blocks and isn't hanging, and it is level.

 

[bigredfeather]

I would try hanging it. That may be the problem. I have one identical to that, and have always hung it. If that doesn't work, I say return it as defective.

 

[CoyoteMagic]

It's because of the weight of the water. It causes a tight seal with the vaccum. Hanging it is the only way to get it to work properly. Unless you go and lift it up on occassion to allow the water to flow out.

 

[Chicken Ninja]

Posting a picture might help...

Sounds like you're covering up the hole the water comes out of?

Here's a picture of my waterer:

Cost me less then $5 and it works fine.
Basically it's a 5 gallon bucket w/ about a 2 inch hole drilled in the lid. Where I wanted the level of the water to rise to, I drilled about a 1/4 inch hole in the side of the bucket. You don't have to raise it up if you drill a hole in the side: the water will rise to that level and stop.

Hope that helps.

 

[cutlass1972]

if it is the one that TSC sells, it says on the paperwork that comes with it to never pick it up or hang it by the handle on the outside jacket.

Mine is very temperamental, if I fill it up and put the outside jacket on then pull it up to its extreme travel allowed by the pin that locks the outside jacket on it will sit there and overflow until it is empty. However if I push the outside jacket down to its lowermost extreme it overflows for a little while then stops and acts like it should (I think I am loosing about a gallon of water at this point).

Either way, this is the second 5 gallon waterer I have gotten that I am not entirely happy with so I am going to build my own with a toilet valve and a 55 gallon drum.

 

[BantyRooster]

Yes, it's the one TSC sells. As you said, the directions say never to lift it by the handle(which makes me wonder why they put a handle there to begin with) and not to hang it. Since it doesn't work anyway, I may as well try to hang it and see what happens. What's the worst thing that will happen-it'll not work???

I've fiddled with the outter jacket, from all the way down to up as far as the pin will allow and it does the same as I described in my original post.

I've got some plastic heated drinkers on order. I didn't want to use them for non-winter use.

I'm thinking the home made 5 gallon bucket & hog pan is what I'm going to use. I've made them before for new chicks with Mason jars and pie pans, same principle, I guess, just on a larger scale.

Anyone wanna buy a slighty used(mostly useless) Galvanized Drinker?

Thanks for your replies.

 

[cutlass1972]

I would take it back and ask for a different one. I got mine when I returned the big plastic one with the screw off top. That one would not hold the vacuum pressure and would sit there and over flow until it was empty, I returned it and got the galvanized one.

 

[BantyRooster]

This morning I changed the water and when I replaced the top I didn't lock it on to the pin. So far it has yet to run dry. Perhaps I've solved the problem...

We'll see...

<<yawn>>

 

[packmomma]

Hi, I know its been a few days late writing this but I have that waterer too. when I put it in the coop I lift it as high as it will go locked and it seems to be ok. I've had to unlock it and set it on the lock before. It sucks. I like that its stainless steel but I can never get the lid off to put in clean water. Mine lets water out at a fast rate when I fill it so I have to make sure I do it outside and then dump the extra once I have the lid on. I would rather the food one look like the water one and the water one look like the food. My chickens like to jump inside my food container because it has no top.

 

[rnoyster]

I've got one of these as well and I have had nothing but problems with it. I am going to return it for something else. Everytime that I fill it and put the lid on it, it continues to drain and overflow until the water is all gone. I have done everything that I can think of to make it work properly to no avail.