Heated base for waterer: your thoughts on this product?

[texsuze]

My old 'cookie tin + small watt light bulb' has served me well for years as a heated base for keeping water in my metal water fount from freezing. However it has seen better days and I'm a bit worried about the rusty parts on the tin and its functional integrity. I do have an unused tin I can use, but being newer, the metal is so much thinner than my old standby cookie tin.

I'm considering this product since it has a thermostat and an on/off temperature range: https://lilclucker.com/products/chicken-waterer-heated-base-orange
Question: being powder-coated metal, is this likely to "off-gas" paint fumes when heating? My plan would be to set this base on a Pavestone I use inside the coop, then put the metal water fount on top. Your thoughts and pros/cons are appreciated.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I think it is a good choice. I wouldn't worry about off gassing. The powder coat is baked on and cured at over 300F and probably for at least a half hour, maybe several hours. The temperature it will operate at is much lower.

 

[Debbie292d]

I was a little concerned at first, seeing no reviews on it and a lot of pop-ups on their site, but found the same one on Amazon with a lot of great reviews.

It's got a thermostat and never gets hot enough to burn anything.

 

[texsuze]

Thanks, all, for your input.

 

[MROO]

How's it working out for you? I have a different brand, but the same style. I've had it for three winters, now and I LOVE it!

 

[progressivehomesteader]

Bump! Want hear how it’s going

 

[texsuze]

Weather has been so "spring-like" that I haven't even installed it yet ! I tested it and it fired right up, so to speak. Will probably put it into my coop within a week or so, along with the metal waterer on top, just so girls can get used to seeing the entire setup before we get a surprise big freeze. I'll use a Pavestone to set it on.

 

[MROO]

Weather has been so "spring-like" that I haven't even installed it yet ! I tested it and it fired right up, so to speak. Will probably put it into my coop within a week or so, along with the metal waterer on top, just so girls can get used to seeing the entire setup before we get a surprise big freeze. I'll use a Pavestone to set it on.

Mine's on a pave stone, too. Great minds think alike, I guess! One issue I have with that is the low height. I use pine shavings as bedding, so the low tray fills with debris pretty quickly. I may need another paver --- but those buggers are heavy!

 

[texsuze]

My Pavestone is actually sitting on a 2" thick small concrete brick, so not as bulky/heavy as the Pavestone but gives just the extra added height to keep my pine shavings out of the water fount.

Installed the Lil' Clucker heated base day before yesterday. Night temps in the 30's with a windchill, but not cold enough in the coop or in the metal water fount to activate the heater yet. I covered the two little indicator lights on the unit with electrical tape--didn't want to scare the girls or keep inside of coop lighted.

I like this unit, but it is 125W--gets a bit hot. In my old cookie tin setup I used a 40W appliance light bulb and it performed just fine, but it had no thermostat, so unit was always ON unless I unplugged it each morning. Remains to be seen if/when the Lil' Clucker base turns on. Will be good for really cold locations.

 

[texsuze]

UPDATE: (didn't know how to update the title). Last night temps were in the 20's. Got to the coop this a.m. and the Lil' Clucker heated base had apparently activated at some point overnight, still slightly warm but no longer "on". I'll take it as good news, as I wasn't certain exactly how the thermostat worked once the unit began heating. It does have a temperature range for being on. Giving it a thumbs up so far