Seasonal power cord through 1/2in HWC

[DonyaQuick]

I can literally lock mine, while it's in use, but I certainly understand the concern.

Ok I clearly need to look through more of those if there are lockable ones; all I was seeing were gravity-based and snap-type ones. I'll take another look. Makes sense that there would be locking ones now I think about it, because if I had something like that in a more urban area I wouldn't want someone else sneaking usage of it while I was out, etc.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Taymac mm420c cover.

 

[DonyaQuick]

Taymac mm420c cover.

That looks pretty much like the one I have on my house...but with an actual place to put a lock. I got the one that's on my house locally; I guess nobody locks stuff out here lol. Actually, I might be able to just put one of those on each side of the hole through the HWC, and skip the outlet wiring. I could just bolt the coverings together, and the the hole that the cord goes through on each side would be too small to let the plug be pulled through either way.

 

[aart]

I was thinking something like this design-wise. If I use bolts with wing nuts then I can easily take it off, remove the cable in the spring, and put the wood pieces back on. If I make the hole for the cord tight fitting enough, then maybe I can just leave the little round hole...probably barely different in diameter from the 1/2in HWC holes. Anything strong or clever enough to pull away the panels or undo the wing nuts is surely not going to fit through something like a 1.5-2" hole in the HWC. If I find a suitable other device, the hole will already be there and perhaps something else could be slotted in.

That is excellent.....great illustration too!

 

[mowin]

I'd drill a hole in the coop itself up high, and use expendable foam to close it up.

 

[Ted Brown]

There are a number of outdoor weatherproof plugs that have a cover that "locks" (an example in the link below). Perhaps might work?

https://www.amazon.com/BN-LINK-Outd...69468443&sprefix=outdoor+plugs,aps,147&sr=8-4

 

[sdm111]

2 6" squares of plywood with a hole the size of the cord drilled in the middle then cut in half and sandwich the hardware cloth between and screwed together

 

[aart]

2 6" squares of plywood with a hole the size of the cord drilled in the middle then cut in half and sandwich the hardware cloth between and screwed together

Kinda like what the OP posted in post #8?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/seasonal-power-cord-through-1-2in-hwc.1555972/post-26344461

 

[sdm111]

Kinda like what the OP posted in post #8?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/seasonal-power-cord-through-1-2in-hwc.1555972/post-26344461

May be I just don't have the time available to read each post

 

[DonyaQuick]

Ok, a year later...I've got two different solutions in place for comparison.

First up, the wooden solution I had planned out (well, almost - it has 2x the bolts and washers of my original design for stability). Works well, easy to make sure the bolts go eactly where they need to through the HWC, it's sturdy, easy to install, and predator proof...just kinda ugly. I opted for wood on the inside to keep sharp HWC bits away from the chickens.

And then, on a different coop, a recessed male outlet I just installed this afternoon on the run of my other coop. This required a bigger hole in the HWC than the wooden solution did, but for this coop my placement options were pretty limited and I actually kind of needed the extra cord length this provided on the inside.

I was originally not sure I wanted the cord connection happening inside the chicken area, but I now have some weatherproof cord connection protector that are very stiff to open even for me, so no chicken is going to be strong enough to open it. When not in use, I will need to cover the female end with something to protect it from dirt/mosture and perhaps should tie it up out of reach. I probably also need a piece of wood around this for better stability when putting in or removing the extension cord, but it's on there pretty good as-is.

There are some other square-plate similar recessed outlets that might have been easier to install with more room for washers without needing a wooden plate. I liked the compactness of this one though and the fact that I could rotate the flap cover independently of the rest of the outlet.

The heated water bases are pretty low power consumption. Both are currently going into one of these outdoor-safe wifi controllers. I have them programmed to turn off after the chickens are roosting and turn on again about an hour before auto-doors open. That gives time to get the water thawed.