water bucket heater question

[blefky]

Hi all,
With this never ending winter I finally got fed up with sloshing dirty water containers out of the coop to clean, and I recently ordered some water nipples, a flat-sided 5 gal. bucket, and a bucket heater. Well, they arrived yesterday and when I read the directions for the bucket heater they say that I need to drive a metal stake several feet into the ground and attach a copper wire from the stake to the bucket heater. Now, I'm perfectly willing to do this - as soon as the ground thaws (by which time I won't need the bucket heater anymore this year

), but for those who use these heaters - how much of a chance am I taking by using it for the next month without following this procedure? Thanks for the input.

Here's a pic of the bucket heater I bought: http://www.amazon.com/Farm-Innovato...03E8/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1298207133&sr=8-7

 

[booker81]

Huh. We've had those on the farm I grew up on (horses) and we have one in the coop right now in a bucket - never had used a stake. We just put it in the bucket, fill the bucket, and go our merry way. We dump the bucket once a week and clean, and every day or other day we bring out a gallon of water to put into it (since we don't use anything else, the chickens drink out of the bucket, and it has to stay fairly full so they can reach the water).

If it shorts out, it will electrify the water, but it doesn't really hurt too much. If you see the chickens not drinking for a day, stick your hand it, and if it pokes back, it's shorted somewhere in the cord. It doesn't hurt nearly as much as an electric fence, but it's a definite poke.

 

[blefky]

Thanks Booker, that's what I wanted to know. Gonna go put that together right now - here's hoping there's no factory-caused short!

 

[booker81]

Hee hee! It really isn't much, but it's a good idea to check it! Back when we had the farm, I would check each bucket for shorts daily, horses are too sensitive to go long without water.

As long as the cord doesn't get chewed ip or damaged, they will last a LONG time. I think the one we are using right now is about 10 years old. They use very little electricity as well. Excellent investment!