Is my chicken waterer going to catch fire?

[aart]

Remind me again, why do so many people seem to prefer the lightbulb over the significantly more efficient, less dangerous, aquarium/watering trough/water heater element based designs?

You can buy a good trough heater for $25, and it's going to use less electricity, and it's not going to start a fire.

Most the stock tank heaters I've seen are at least $35 bucks...cookie tin heater can cost nothing if you have the parts around.

 

[matt44644]

My observation based upon the options that were give-nth to me at the time


water bowl $20 50watts. $5.76/month x6 =$34.56+20=$54.56 has a thermostat so electric usage maybe lower
tin can $15 75watts $8.64/month x6 = $51.84 +15 =$66.84
Based on $.16 a KWPH rate

 

[CrazyTalk]

TractorSupply (and several other resellers) all have models for under $30. Tractor supply even sells a waterer with a heater built in, with armored cable for less than $30. It has a thermostat, and is designed to shut off if it gets too hot.


Or you can buy an aquarium heater for $10 - which is about the same cost as a lightbulb, socket, lamp cord, etc.

 

[RonP]

Perhaps foolish, but I fear putting anything electrical in water.

I don't even like thinking about it....just me....

, and I don't see how it could possibly be less dangerous, nor more efficient as suggested.

Tin heater stays in place permanently, inexpensive, and bulbs easily replaced when necessary.

Waterer easily cleaned, scrubbed, and filled from household, no unplugging anything.

 

[aart]

Lots of ways to do it......everyone just uses what works for them and what they're most comfortable with using.

Different devices can't really be analyzed by their wattage output alone, most have thermostats so ambient temps came into play as does insulation and placement of vessel.

I've got my water heater plugged into a thermocube and a kill a watt meter and am tracking the power usage.

 

[CrazyTalk]

Different devices can't really be analyzed by their wattage output alone, most have thermostats so ambient temps came into play as does insulation and placement of vessel.

Everything we're talking about is a purely resistive load - it's really easy to compare efficiency.

In-water heaters have higher efficiency because they have 100% heat transfer - they're sitting in the medium they're trying to warm. There's no energy lost through light bouncing out, no energy lost heating a cinder block, etc.

You can insulate an in-water device almost perfectly - you can't do that with an out of water device because you still need an interface to transfer the heat to the medium - which means the light bulb needs to be inside the insulative envelope, which is a huge fire hazard, or you need to have a large area of the container uninsulated, which is an efficiency issue.

Either will work, but the lightbulb method is going to cost you more in both electricity and replacement parts, and is significantly more likely to cause a fire.

 

[RonP]

Either will work, but the lightbulb method is going to cost you more in both electricity and replacement parts, and is significantly more likely to cause a fire.

As a point for reference, the surface of a 60 watt incandescent bulb will reach about 250F at 70F ambient.

The filament will be dangerously hot, but will burn out instantly once exposed to oxygen.

The fixture (cookie tin) will be much, much, cooler.

Cellulose (wood, paper, etc.) requires 451F to smoke, way more to ignite.

As usual, use common sense and safe measures when operating any electrical device.

It seems like I've written about 10 post on threads concerning heating waterers using these with the simple warning: do not use. So I'll make a single thread and hope those with the same questions will read it.

I spent 30 year in the aquarium hobby not only as a hobbyist/breeder but I used to write consumer testing reports for a national magazine on a variety of aquarium products, including heaters. In that time I used and checked not only the simple, hang-on-the back of the tank heaters but submersible types made of glass, metal, even heating pad types. Most had the thermostat inside the same tube as the heater but for some units the two were separate. All were designed to heat water from interior room temperature to a maximum of 85 degrees and most weren't total reliable. (Over the years I probably lost more fish from failed heaters--either too hot or too cold--than any other single cause.) The thermostats of most were bi-metal ones that would either stick open or fail to close--just adjusting them often took several days. Additionally, if the water level fell below the heating element when the temperature was below the set one, the heater would not shut off until it either burned out or, in those cases where the tube was glass, shattered the tube. Often when the latter happened the electrical circuit remained open pumping power through the water. In short, they are not made for nor do you want these things in the waterer that is in your chicken coop! There are heaters designed for this thing, either submersible birdbath heaters which are probably okay in areas where the temperatures aren't extreme to specific chicken waterer devices. Don't try elaborate schemes to save a couple of bucks by using an aquarium heater, go with a device designed for the correct job. Chances are you'll end up with one eventually anyway.

As I referenced, even a 60 watt bulb does not generate enough heat to cause a fire (this is a fact, not an opinion), much less an electrocution, read the above quote!

If I used a 40 watt bulb 24/7 for 3 months it would cost me less than $10/ year.

My best guess is it costs me around $5, since I use a thermo cube and we have some warmer days during the cold season.

A bulb is about $2, lasts over a season.

Cost to build the tin was under $6.

Filling and cleaning of the water can remains the same all year.

So for a $6 initial expenditure, it costs me $7 per year to keep my flock watered during the cold season.

This works very well for me!

 

[matt44644]

40 watts x 24 hrs =960 watts x 90 days=86,400 watts divided by 1000=86.4 x $.16 =$13.83

 

[RonP]

40 watts x 24 hrs =960 watts x 90 days=86,400 watts divided by 1000=86.4 x $.16 =$13.83

I NJ my current rate is under $.12

86.4 x $.12 = $10.36, otherwise, your math is exactly like mine

.

 

[matt44644]

When i left Texas in 2006 i was paying $.23