Plastic or Metal water heater?

[Sandrachx]

in desperation one year to keep water from freezing for a neighbor's outside cats (they were out of town), i came up with this: deep square cookie can + $7 clamp light from Lowe's + 40 watt bulb. it worked so well i have now used it for 2 years as my chicken waterer base. very affordable and


easily repaired. hope this idea works for others as well as it did for me.

 

[ECBW]

I call my device water "warmer". You can touch with bare hand, yet enough to keep water from freezing and not waste energy. Thermostatically controlled heat tracing cable ($25) from Home Depot. This is used in the coop. No sense heating the great outdoor.

For outside, I use a shallow plastic pan. Sometimes, it only needs a hammer to crack the ice on top. Sometime, dump and fresh water when it is frozen solid.

 

[Sandrachx]

i use a rubber livestock bowl for outside water. if/when it freezes, i bang the sidewall against the ground and it breaks up the ice. and never cracks (!). the heater i've posted with the cookie tin is used inside the ckn house for those days when it's too cold or snow's too deep and they won't/cannot go outside.

 

[Tanwera]

Did you ever get the answer to this? I'm wondering the same and don't see anywhere if someone has actually done it?