So far, so good with my setup to prevent drinking water from freezing

[LamarshFish]

Hey guys, just wanted to give some feedback on what I did to get my pigeons through the winter without freezing drinking water. The method of changing their water a few times a day is not an option for me since I am sometimes gone for more than a day, and I want my pigeons to have nonstop access to water.

I bought a drinker heater for about $35, and connected it to a "thermal cube" outlet ($18) using a 12 gauge extension cord, and the thermal cube is plugged into a GFCI outlet (just in case). The thermal cube is supposed to turn the heater on when the temp is below 35, but I notice it on even when it's around 40, which is fine by me. It does not heat the water up too warm at all, such that bacteria builds up, which was something that I was concerned about, but appears to not be an issue. The heater is used with a galvanized 1.5 liter drinker.

I have this same set up for both my homing pigeons and chukars, and it has been working great so far. No frozen water, and no water that is too warm.

Here are links to the products I'm using:

https://www.foyspigeonsupplies.com/heaters/3461-heavy-duty-plastic-heater

https://www.foyspigeonsupplies.com/heaters/2190-thermo-cube

 

[cavemanrich]

Your thermo cube turns off at 45 Degrees. There needs to be that span in temperature range . 35 -45. If you wanted to control your water temperature more closely , you can opt for this. Digital STC-1000 All-Purpose Temperature Controller Thermostat With Sensor. They are available everywhere from $10 to $20,
I utilize a Crockpot to do my Winter Water Needs. Currently using 4 small ones inside my Winter Housing. I also have medium size, but not currently needing. I have a dimmer switch wired into circuit to provide just enough heat to keep water above freezing. It was trial and error, and arriver at about 35 volts to maintain my desired level of water temp.
The porcelain insert pots are easy to take out and clean. I have used them for many seasons and they are still working fine.

 

[LamarshFish]

UPDATE: While this setup is still working fine in single digit temps (F) inside my pigeon loft, the exact same setup is not working so well in the outdoor run portion of my chicken coop. For that purpose, I think I am going to have to relocate it to the indoor portion of the coop.