Heated Waterer.... anyone using this product?

[audioguy]

Quote:
Thsi is the setup I have sans the heated wire so it froze. I have bought the heat tape now and am about to install it. What is insulated tape? Can you point me to a picture of it?

The foam insulated tape was found in Home Depot by all the other insulating products. Its was $4 a roll and I needed almost 3 to cover the entire thing. The heated wire I found on Ebay for half what it sells for in HD. Its really not a tape but a flat wire with a sensor by the plug that needs to be secured to something metal, like the hose bib so it knows when its cold.

 

[fiddlebanshee]

Thanks! I have the heat tape but didn't know what the insulation tape was.

 

[daddy_roo]

I have one of these heated waterers. Mine works great. It says that you can hang it or set it on a flat surface. I tried hanging it, but hey wasted a lot of water. So I sat it on a flat surface and it has worked great ever since. The area it is in has gotten down to 14 degrees F and the water is still water. It is kind of cool water, but no ice. When I first bought it I thought it would make the water warm. This is not the case. It simply prevents it from freezing.

 

[clairabean]

I just bought that waterer (in the OP). It works good so far. -15*C (5*F) and it has not froze up. What I did not like is it says not to hang. I thought I may get away with hanging it, but it would never stand up to it. It is attached very flimsy.

 

[daddy_roo]

Oh one more note on this waterer You can take the plastic "bucket" off the top and put your water in that way. But it is a lot easier to turn it over and use the little drain hole. It has a rubber stopper in it, and all you have to do is remove that plug, and pour your water in. But both ways will work. I bought mine from TSC for about 35 bucks.

 

[RattlesnakeRidgeWV]

I have the one like CMOM posted on page 5 and it works great. It has to sit on the base and not hang. It is not cheap and the heater alone is around $40 but it works. The top twists off and you just pour water into the inside pail. The plastic one I had sucked!

 

[TruGritCkn]

I just started using a new waterer like the one in the original post. The base does not lock into place with the top unit very well. It is so loose that the white water tank part rotated loose on me during transport and I got wet feet and legs. I fill the waterer and then carry it out the coop upside down. Then I flip it over and set it inside the coop on bricks next to the wall. This is a critical moment that takes skill but I can get it now without too much trouble.

I think I got a bunk unit and maybe another base and water tank unit would fit together better. If I were to buy that waterer again I would make certain the two pieces fit together tightly. It was so cold the water that dripped from the chickens beaks froze on the bricks but the water in the unit was open.

 

[M.sue]

Quote:
Your method & refill procedure is like mine and it does take some skill to get the routine down smoothly. I don't think you have a faulty one....mine does the same as you described. I just think that is how they all are made. Next waterer I will definitely try a different brand/make/style. For now I need to get my moneys worth!

 

[goldies99]

i read many BAD reviews on that waterer and decided NOT to get that one and went with the heated dog bowl.....havent tried that yet either....but i think i should have, the other night
the water had an ice layer on it!!!

 

[audioguy]

We have tried at least 4 different water systems and all fail for the simple reason that the chicks foul the water every time they dip into it. For that reason alone it was not the way to go. I spent way too much time cleaning and refilling the waterer. The nipple system is very low maintenance and as long as the water stays water, its great. The chicks have to reach up to get the water and it flows easily using just gravity.
I also add OXINE to the water to prevent any pathogens from getting into the water as it sits in the hose. It also prevents algae from forming in the PVC too!