Keeping your water from freezing

[tamtbell]

Hi all,
I am from North Pole Alaska and we're starting to approach winter.
Does anyone have any safe, tried and true ways to keep their water from freezing during the winter months? We have sustained temps in the winter around 20 degrees down to -50 from about Nov-March/April.

 

[Grammieshens]

Hi all,
I am from North Pole Alaska and we're starting to approach winter.
Does anyone have any safe, tried and true ways to keep their water from freezing during the winter months? We have sustained temps in the winter around 20 degrees down to -50 from about Nov-March/April.

I don't know if this idea will work in your cold temps, but I am going to try it since I am not able to run electric out to my chicken coop. Here is the link to check out:

 

[tamtbell]

We actually do have electric at our coop! I'll have to watch this tonight though. Thanks!

 

[wamtazlady]

I use a plastic 10 gallon tote, horizontal nipples, and a stock tank deicer that is rated to use in plastic. It has kept my water thawed down to -22 F. You get lots colder than that.

I have thought about a way to mostly insulate the tote. It could stay thawed to a lower temperature. I thought about buying a larger tote. Make holes (they could be rather larger than needed) in that tote that correspond to the front facing horizontal nipples in the smaller tote. Make those new holes a bit higher so that you leave room for the next step. Put spray foam insulation on the bottom of the larger tote and then place the smaller tote inside so that the fronts of both totes are against each other. The nipples should come through the holes on the large tote. This is the area where there will be no insulation. Then add spray foam around the back and sides of the small tote. Will need a piece of that rigid insulation to put over the top of the small tote. Styrofoam might work for that. Put a hole in the back of the large tote near the top to allow for the electrical cord. Put the large lid on the totes and you've got an insulated heated waterer.

Many people who use horizontal nipples use 5 gallon buckets. The idea is the same but I use a tote instead of a bucket. I use a tote because it holds more water so the girls only need new water once a week in winter. I can also see if they need water at a glance since the tote is semi clear. I remember someone else who used horizontal nipples and a bucket. Sometimes their nipples froze during the night when it was really cold. They'd just thaw the nipples out in the morning and the chickens using the nipples would keep them thawed all day.

 

[blackdog043]

@Alaskan (I think) might be one to help you with ideas, with those temps.

If I remember correctly, someone else had horizontal nipples that froze, they made a new one so the deicer was below the nipples and it worked fine.

 

[wamtazlady]

@Alaskan (I think) might be one to help you with ideas, with those temps.

If I remember correctly, someone else had horizontal nipples that froze, they made a new one so the deicer was below the nipples and it worked fine.

I remember something about that now. My nipples are a 2 or 3 inches above the stock tank deicer.

 

[Farmgirl1878]

I use a plastic 10 gallon tote, horizontal nipples, and a stock tank deicer that is rated to use in plastic. It has kept my water thawed down to -22 F. You get lots colder than that.

I have thought about a way to mostly insulate the tote. It could stay thawed to a lower temperature. I thought about buying a larger tote. Make holes (they could be rather larger than needed) in that tote that correspond to the front facing horizontal nipples in the smaller tote. Make those new holes a bit higher so that you leave room for the next step. Put spray foam insulation on the bottom of the larger tote and then place the smaller tote inside so that the fronts of both totes are against each other. The nipples should come through the holes on the large tote. This is the area where there will be no insulation. Then add spray foam around the back and sides of the small tote. Will need a piece of that rigid insulation to put over the top of the small tote. Styrofoam might work for that. Put a hole in the back of the large tote near the top to allow for the electrical cord. Put the large lid on the totes and you've got an insulated heated waterer.

Many people who use horizontal nipples use 5 gallon buckets. The idea is the same but I use a tote instead of a bucket. I use a tote because it holds more water so the girls only need new water once a week in winter. I can also see if they need water at a glance since the tote is semi clear. I remember someone else who used horizontal nipples and a bucket. Sometimes their nipples froze during the night when it was really cold. They'd just thaw the nipples out in the morning and the chickens using the nipples would keep them thawed all day.

Why not just use a regular cooler with an extension for the nipple?

 

[wamtazlady]

Why not just use a regular cooler with an extension for the nipple?

I have never sawed a cooler in half but would assume that there is some sort of insulation in between the layers. I'd be afraid the chickens could get to that insulation. I've tried to picture the extension you have mentioned. I am picturing a piece of pvc pipe that runs from the inside of the cooler to the outside layer and would have a cap on the end of it. Then you'd put a hole in the cap for the nipple. That might work. Might also make a dead place where water doesn't circulate with the heated water and freezes sooner than the main body of water. Like I said, might work very well. Maybe you can build one to experiment with.

In my example I was just taking a waterer that i know for sure works to a fairly low temperature and trying to figure out how to make that same waterer work for an even lower temperature. Your idea for the cooler might solve my summer waterer issue. My winter waterer doesn't work in summer as it's semi clear and difficult to keep algae from growing in it. A cooler wouldn't allow any sunlight and therefore limit the algae growth.

 

[blackdog043]

@wamtazlady, you can buy the extensions on Amazon, to use nipples in a cooler.

 

[wamtazlady]

I haven't seen that before. Will look into it.