Plans for DIY Water System - Heated, 5 Gallons

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Ted Brown

Ted Brown

Crowing
Premium Feather Member
5 Years
Dec 12, 2018
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near Shawville Quebec Canada
My Coop
My Coop
I started to look but figured someone could point me to a DIY plan that WORKS!:
  1. year round (-30 to +30C)
  2. multi-station (I have three separate adjacent locations)
  3. cheap, repairable
I am thinking PVC, 5 gallon bucket, in-bucket heater, heated cable for lines/nipples.

I have purchased nipples online but so far they leak (either my installation OR poor nipple design/construction TBD).

Thank you!!

@aart @jthornton
 
My winter bucket system has been tested in free air down to -20°C. I have a submersible heater in the bottom of the bucket for heat. It's 250 watts Farm Innovators Model H-49. Looks like they are ripping people off along with everyone else, they used to be $30. A floating heater does not work. I cut a circle of closed cell foam with holes that the nipple will just fit through. I cut the bottom from a second identical bucket and have holes for nipples and slide it up until just the metal trigger rod sticks through and the nipple is flush.

As for leaks over the last 5 years I have had every bucket split at the threads so I stopped threading the bucket and drilled a snug fit hole so I can just push the nipple through. Then I take a piece of delrin or similar material and drill and tap that and use that like a nut to pull the nipple up tight. Never had another leak since doing that.

For the Cinnamon Queens I simply used a large heated dog bowl in the winter. It's outside in the run but I do have a small PVC pipe water station inside and put a small wattage aquarium heater in there with a cup that covers the nipple so only the metal rod is sticking out.

If it's above freezing the 4 year old Rhode Island Red hens have a dog bowl out in the yard in addition to the bucket nipple feeder in the run.

JT
 
jthornton said:
As for leaks over the last 5 years I have had every bucket split at the threads so I stopped threading the bucket and drilled a snug fit hole so I can just push the nipple through. Then I take a piece of delrin or similar material and drill and tap that and use that like a nut to pull the nipple up tight. Never had another leak since doing that.
Click to expand...
You're using vertical nipples, correct?
No article?
 

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