Heated Drinker Waterer Base

[Lady Chicken Keeper]

After using the heated plastic bowl for years, I'm getting tired of our chickens perching on it an pooping in it. The water also evaporates when it's very cold so I purchased the little giant double wall waterer intending to place it in the coop on top of blocks with a heated drinker base. After checking reviews on the heated base I found that the instructions say "no extension cord" What would the concern be? I use a commercial grade extension cord and have had no problems using it for the bowl and lamps? Is there a safety issue or fire hazard?

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

I think they have to put it there so if something happened they wouldn't get sued for it. A lot of coops don't have built-in power, so how would a lot of people run it? I have a base that I've been using for a couple of years now and I use an extension cord. Just ensure your cord doesn’t have any cuts or live wires showing and you should be fine. (I also bury my cord during the winter so the chickens don't play with it and the shovel doesn't cut it.)

Onmyy base, I use one of those 3.5 gallon plastic waterers too, and haven't had any issues with it melting it or anything. After using that base, I'll never use anything different as it keeps the whole waterer unthawed and only once during a polar vortex did I ever get any ice on the waterer.

 

[Luna Mesa]

Here’s my setup:
-22 °F is the coldest it’s ever been here on my ranch in southern Colorado. That’s my Farm Innovators 125 W Heated Base Coop Heater—going on its fourth or fifth winter.

And no, you don’t need a metal waterer.

I’ve run a 3-gallon Little Giant plastic waterer on it for years with zero warping or softening.

A few facts:

The base only energizes when temps drop below about 35 °F.

Surface temperature, when energized, stays around 110–130 °F — you can rest your hand on it for several seconds.

HDPE, the plastic used in most waterers, softens near 180 °F and melts around 250 °F.

The water in the fount typically holds 40–50 °F, even in sub-zero weather.

So while the manufacturer says “metal founts only,” in real-world use the base just keeps water above freezing. It never gets anywhere near hot enough to harm plastic. If you’re still uneasy, slip a thin metal pizza pan or tile between the base and the waterer to spread the heat evenly.

 

[Luna Mesa]

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After using the heated plastic bowl for years, I'm getting tired of our chickens perching on it an pooping in it. The water also evaporates when it's very cold so I purchased the little giant double wall waterer intending to place it in the coop on top of blocks with a heated drinker base. After checking reviews on the heated base I found that the instructions say "no extension cord" What would the concern be? I use a commercial grade extension cord and have had no problems using it for the bowl and lamps? Is there a safety issue or fire hazard?

The problem with those stupid metal waterer is filling them up. Use a 10 gauge extension cord and you will be fine. Make sure it is 10 gauge not just commercial grade. There could be a safety issue if you use to light of gauge of extension cord.