Water Heater and Plastic Founts

[BillM2]

I have a Farm Innovations heated base for founts, presumably only for metal ones. Since I add ACV to my water, I'd like to use the heater with my plastic fount purchased from TSC. I measured the temp of the heater base and it reads 66 degrees or so using an IR spot thermometer. That doesn't seem high enough to do any ill damage to a plastic waterer. I may place a series of bricks between the heater base and the fount to lessen the heat load. Any thoughts on this?

Happy 2015 Everyone (including your flock)!

 

[cnicho05]

Hello,

While I'm not sure if this would be safe or not I would personally worry about chemicals leaching into the water from the plastic. Many of the plastic waterers on the market are made very cheaply. The units I purchased when I first got started have never had any documentation outlining the type of plastic used in their manufacturing. Since I high-quality food grade plastic is best I decided to switch to plummers PVC piping. This way I don't have to worry about any harmful chemicals...while saving a ton of money.

If you are really set on using the setup you described I would recommend you contact the manufacturer of the plastic waterer. You should be able to e-mail them from their website or call their customer service number. They should be able to shed some light on the subject...

Best of luck...

 

[BillM2]

Thanks! But what plastics are to be avoided?

 

[cnicho05]

I would suggest you avoid any which does not clearly state it is BPA free and "Food Grade"...

 

[BillM2]

So Food Grade is to be avoided. Wondering why?

 

[RonP]

ACV is acidic.
Acid and metal do not agree.
Your plastic waterer should be fine, especially in colder temps.
How many watts is the heater?
Does it have a thermostat?
If not, purchase and use a thermo cube.

 

[BillM2]

The heater is thermostatically controlled to turn on when temps hit 32 degrees (though I've never tested it). I'm testing it tonight with the plastic fount raised above the heater one solid brick layer above the surface of the heater. It'll go down to the high teens tonight so I'll see what happens in the morning. If it's not frozen, I'll also see how warm the water is.

 

[Cindy in PA]

I have used plastic waterers for several years. No major problems except one that had a flat bottom ended up cracking by the end of the season. The ones I have now have a recessed bottom, but when the temps go into the low teens, a ring of ice forms where the water level is. I guess the heat doesn't get that far. No melting problems ever.

 

[RonP]

I have used plastic waterers for several years. No major problems except one that had a flat bottom ended up cracking by the end of the season. The ones I have now have a recessed bottom, but when the temps go into the low teens, a ring of ice forms where the water level is. I guess the heat doesn't get that far. No melting problems ever.

Is your heat source under the ring of ice?

 

[cnicho05]

So Food Grade is to be avoided. Wondering why?

Sorry for the misunderstanding...you want it to state "BPA Free" and to state it is "Food Grade"...

Some older materials can be found with everything from heavy metals to toxic paint. There was a gentleman down the road from me who stumbled across some old farm equipment while at an estate sale. Thinking it was a great deal he purchased a bunch of it only to find out it was made with led-based paint (as it was printed on the bottom)... While this probably won't be a problem for you I would simply recommend you pay close attention to the materials you use with food or water.

I just get a little worried about chemicals and their effect on development...