Vertical (gravity) vs. horizontal (spring loaded) watering nipples

[pdirt]

Hi All,

I'd love to try the horizontal nipples, but, being in the Great Southern Land, ie. Australia, makes it difficult. Does anybody know where I can get them? All the local farm/pet/poultry suppliers have never even heard of them. And Amazon won't ship to Australia.

You might try contacting Soloway (I think they're based out of the UK) and see if they will ship. I don't know if they do small orders or just wholesale, but it might be worth a try. Or perhaps Rich on eBay will ship you some. I imagine you'll pay more for shipping than the cost of the nipples though.

Water nipples only work under low pressure ( 5.5 psi or less ). Do not conect directly to a garden
hose ( house water pressure is around 30 to 75 psi ). If you want to have it connected directly to
a garden hose then a water pressure reguator is required.

conversely, if the bucket has only 3 or 4" of water in it, the pressure "may not" be sufficient to seal the nipples.... they may leak...

the spring loaded nipples probably will not leak at low water levels....

The horizontal nipples won't leak at low water levels. A spring keeps them closed. Not sure about high pressure, though.

The manufacturer may recommend using an 11/32 drill bit, but Rich, who sells the nipples on eBay, said to use a 3/8" drill bit or you're asking for probs with leaks.

It sounds like there may be different mfr's of the horizontal nipples out there. I've only purchased ones from Rich (the Soloway brand) and he said to use a 3/8" bit. He actually said, the bit size wasn't super important, because the threads are tapered...you just screw it in until snug and it will self-seal. I think it would be possible to over-tighten and that might cause a leak. I only hand tightened in a 3/8" hole and have never had a leak. Both in ex-foodservice buckets and quart yogurt tubs.

Does Rich sell the horizontal nipples..... or a different brand..... just curious.... so we are all on the same page....

I tried a 3/8 drill and the holes was a little small and the nipple leaked... went to an 11/32 drill and it worked perfect....
I was drilling into 1" thin wall PVC pipe.... FWIW....

Again, it sounds like there may be different brands of horizontal nipples...with different threads and hole requirements.

I've used 5/16 on HDPE(#2 - typical 5 gallon bucket, milk/juice jugs) and PETE(#1 - common food jars) with great success.
You don't screw them in all the way, just until it's finger tight...test with water and tighten one turn further if you have a leak.
This gives some room for error and further tightening down the road in case of leaks.


It helps to understand the properties of plastics(especially hardness) and how threads work to have no leaks(this can take an experienced touch, some folks just don't have that touch). I have extensive machining and manufacturing experience so look at it from a different perspective than most chicken keepers.

Very good advice about not tightening too tight. The horizontal nipples (the Solway ones from Rich) have a tapered thread and this has made a leak-free seal, without teflon thread tape, in the various plastic containers I have installed them in.

 

[LoneOak]

It sounds like there may be different mfr's of the horizontal nipples out there. I've only purchased ones from Rich (the Soloway brand) and he said to use a 3/8" bit. He actually said, the bit size wasn't super important, because the threads are tapered...you just screw it in until snug and it will self-seal. I think it would be possible to over-tighten and that might cause a leak. I only hand tightened in a 3/8" hole and have never had a leak. Both in ex-foodservice buckets and quart yogurt tubs.


Again, it sounds like there may be different brands of horizontal nipples...with different threads and hole requirements.

I have searched the internet high and low and can just about assure you that their are only one brand of the horizontal nipples and they are the Solway brand sold by Rich on EBay. You can't by them directly from the manufacture as Rich has exclusive rights to the product in the US. The tapered threads of the nipples is designed so it isn't extremely critical which size hole you have but if you follow Rich's instructions and drill a 3/8" hole you should have no problems what so ever. If you drill your hole slightly smaller like 11/32" or 5/16" they will screw in a tad tighter but if you drill slightly larger like 13/32" or 7/8" they will never tighten up and will leak.

Personally, I like mounting most all mine in PVC pipe and tap the holes with a 1/8" pipe tap to make the holes perfect. The size of the tap is 1/8 x 27npt(National Pipe Thread) and predrill the holes with a 21/64 drill bit. If you tap threads in your holes first and you need to remove the nipple for any reason you should be able to replace it with another one or even a different type with no problems. Stuff like the auto water cups will screw in the same 1/8" pipe thread no problem, I like to have a lot of options.

Take these numbers to your local hardware store and show them to the sales clerk that deals with taps and drill bits and they will hook you up with the right stuff.

 

[Leahs Mom]

I think I've about given up on them using the nipples. Maybe I'll put it out again next spring if I have new birds and teach them to use it from the beginning.

I still only see 2 birds use it and if it rains and there is water they all go drink like they've been in a desert which tells me they aren't getting the water they need from the bucket.

I do feet wet feed so they don't need as much water as if it was just dry. But in the winter there won't be any 'backup" and I don't want to worry about them not getting it.

 

[iwiw60]

I think I've about given up on them using the nipples. Maybe I'll put it out again next spring if I have new birds and teach them to use it from the beginning.

I still only see 2 birds use it and if it rains and there is water they all go drink like they've been in a desert which tells me they aren't getting the water they need from the bucket.

I do feet wet feed so they don't need as much water as if it was just dry. But in the winter there won't be any 'backup" and I don't want to worry about them not getting it.

The secret to converting your girls over to water nipples is to remove all other water sources...all of them. If you don't you are still giving them the 'option' of water dish or water nipples.

 

[aart]

Quote: I'm betting that Leahs Mom did remove all other water sources...but you can't stop the rain!
I've had the same problem with medicated water and rain water availability diluting treatment..

What I did when training to HN's was to mark water level on the vessel so I could see the water level go down so I knew how much they were drinking.
It is frustrating for both keeper and chickens to switch over to this form of watering....and funny how the younger they are the quicker they seem to adapt.

I will be installing HNs soon in my coop, the youngers won't have a problem as they used them in the brooders, but they olders will be interesting.

 

[Leahs Mom]

I'm betting that Leahs Mom did remove all other water sources...but you can't stop the rain!
I've had the same problem with medicated water and rain water availability diluting treatment..

What I did when training to HN's was to mark water level on the vessel so I could see the water level go down so I knew how much they were drinking.
It is frustrating for both keeper and chickens to switch over to this form of watering....and funny how the younger they are the quicker they seem to adapt.

I will be installing HNs soon in my coop, the youngers won't have a problem as they used them in the brooders, but they olders will be interesting.

I REALLY want these to work for winter. I always try to give a restricted water opening so that wattles don't get in the water and have frostbite damage. I have other things I've used but they are way too much maintenance. It would be great if these stay open with my heater and they would all happily drink from them.

Do you think your birds are getting enough water at this point? I won't use the vert. nipples because I don't think they are a natural way to drink and also because they often drop water all down the wattles and front of the bird and onto the ground underneath. I'm trying to avoid inviting frostbite.

Sigh. I guess I'll just have to try it and see how they do. I can always go back to the old way if I have to.

 

[LindaB220]

I pretty much figured that on the hawks. I would have a hard time doing that anyway. I'm planning on trying that tree mesh over the paddock area. I'm thinking they will not want to attempt going through it. They would get tangled I would think Its funny because we had chickens years ago and only had a few raccoon attempts on the birds. Now we have every kind of predator you can think of
I couldn't open your attachment on my iPad but will later. I was wondering if my bucket might be double walled. That would not be good. Thanks for the tip
Cheryl

Good luck with the tree mesh. Let us know how it works out for you.

 

[LindaB220]

You might try contacting Soloway (I think they're based out of the UK) and see if they will ship. I don't know if they do small orders or just wholesale, but it might be worth a try. Or perhaps Rich on eBay will ship you some. I imagine you'll pay more for shipping than the cost of the nipples though.



The horizontal nipples won't leak at low water levels. A spring keeps them closed. Not sure about high pressure, though.


It sounds like there may be different mfr's of the horizontal nipples out there. I've only purchased ones from Rich (the Soloway brand) and he said to use a 3/8" bit. He actually said, the bit size wasn't super important, because the threads are tapered...you just screw it in until snug and it will self-seal. I think it would be possible to over-tighten and that might cause a leak. I only hand tightened in a 3/8" hole and have never had a leak. Both in ex-foodservice buckets and quart yogurt tubs.


Again, it sounds like there may be different brands of horizontal nipples...with different threads and hole requirements.


Very good advice about not tightening too tight. The horizontal nipples (the Solway ones from Rich) have a tapered thread and this has made a leak-free seal, without teflon thread tape, in the various plastic containers I have installed them in.

Alright, I've got a 11/32" one am going to use it.

 

[pdirt]

I have searched the internet high and low and can just about assure you that their are only one brand of the horizontal nipples and they are the Solway brand sold by Rich on EBay. You can't by them directly from the manufacture as Rich has exclusive rights to the product in the US. The tapered threads of the nipples is designed so it isn't extremely critical which size hole you have but if you follow Rich's instructions and drill a 3/8" hole you should have no problems what so ever. If you drill your hole slightly smaller like 11/32" or 5/16" they will screw in a tad tighter but if you drill slightly larger like 13/32" or 7/8" they will never tighten up and will leak.

Personally, I like mounting most all mine in PVC pipe and tap the holes with a 1/8" pipe tap to make the holes perfect. The size of the tap is 1/8 x 27npt(National Pipe Thread) and predrill the holes with a 21/64 drill bit. If you tap threads in your holes first and you need to remove the nipple for any reason you should be able to replace it with another one or even a different type with no problems. Stuff like the auto water cups will screw in the same 1/8" pipe thread no problem, I like to have a lot of options.

Take these numbers to your local hardware store and show them to the sales clerk that deals with taps and drill bits and they will hook you up with the right stuff.

Good to know about the Solway brand being the only ones (of the horizontal nipples). I thought once I had seen some that looked slightly different, but I could have easily been mistaken.

Thanks also for the detailed numbers game about threading them into PVC pipe. Perhaps one day when we have a more permanent setup I'll try this.

 

[pdirt]

I REALLY want these to work for winter. I always try to give a restricted water opening so that wattles don't get in the water and have frostbite damage. I have other things I've used but they are way too much maintenance. It would be great if these stay open with my heater and they would all happily drink from them.

Do you think your birds are getting enough water at this point? I won't use the vert. nipples because I don't think they are a natural way to drink and also because they often drop water all down the wattles and front of the bird and onto the ground underneath. I'm trying to avoid inviting frostbite.

Sigh. I guess I'll just have to try it and see how they do. I can always go back to the old way if I have to.

Perhaps your birds aren't getting enough water. You know them best.

I agree on the vert nipples on getting wet. Our silkies often got wet last winter, when we were using the VN's. They never got frostbite, even at -9F, but it didn't seem like a good thing.

Ours are now on 100% horizontal nipples. I've been watching them when we open the coop for them to free range. They buzzle around, being chickens and pecking at things, dust baths and that sort of thing. Eventually, some of them make it to the tiny fish pond and do hang out there a while, drinking. But that is usually an hour or two before they get there. I don't get the idea they're thirsty beyond normal thirsty. But if I spill some water on the ground, any time, a few of them will come over and want to drink the muddy water. I chalk it off as they think it's something new and exciting, because they do this all the time, even before we had the nipple system. Some of the birds were raised since week 2 on the horizontal nipples and perhaps they taught the older ones how to drink better from the HN's.

I like the idea of marking the water level on the bucket and taking note how much is being drunk each day. Our 4-gallon bucket gets emptied by 22 birds about every 7-9 days.