Water nipples LEAK

[jamnw]

I've been using watering nipples for a couple years now. I have never been able to get them to stop dripping.

I have a 5 gal bucket suspended in the air that is filled with by a toilet valve. That gravity feeds a 3in x 3ft PVC pipe with 4 nipples.

They drip constantly making a mess of our coop.


Is my design flawed?
I'm thinking I may not have enough pressure to close the nipples.

Do I need to use another 5gal bucket for the nipples so there is more pressure on them?


I've thought of switching to the watering cups.

Thoughts suggestions??? Please.

 

[pawtraitart]

I've been using watering nipples for a couple years now. I have never been able to get them to stop dripping.

I have a 5 gal bucket suspended in the air that is filled with by a toilet valve. That gravity feeds a 3in x 3ft PVC pipe with 4 nipples.

They drip constantly making a mess of our coop.


Is my design flawed?
I'm thinking I may not have enough pressure to close the nipples.

Do I need to use another 5gal bucket for the nipples so there is more pressure on them?


I've thought of switching to the watering cups.

Thoughts suggestions??? Please.

You can either upgrade to a better quality vertical nipple (the cheap ones are notorious for dripping) or you can ditch them in favor of the horizontal nipples which don't drip. You can get them directly from Susan at http://allboutchickens.com

 

[jamnw]

I purchased the 3 gallon waterer from allaboutchickens.com
And I added a fill valve from amazon.
Fits perfectly inside.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0077RAP1I/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_dvxTtb10PJBEF


My only complaint is that the 3 gallon waterer comes with a 1-1/2 hole already drilled in the lid. I didn't expect that or notice in the description. Luckily a 5 gal lid fits just fine. I drilled small holes in it to let the bucket breath.

It's a great product. Does not leak!

 

[ConcreteThumb]

Be sure that its the nipples dripping and not the connection to the nipples. I used some plastic wrap like plumber's tape around the threads for a water tight seal.

You can also put a small bead of clear silicon calking around them. Put a very small amount of cooking oil on your fingers and you can mold the calk around the connection and it wont stick to your fingers. Water does not mix with silicon so washing your hands will do nothing but smear it if you get it on your skin. Also, the nipples must be straight up and down. If they are at an angle, the flow stopper will be defeated and drip.

Finally, put a cat litter pan with bricks in it under your nipples. This will catch any drippings and not foul your bedding. The bricks will also keep the pan in place and absorb the water to allow it to evaporate. I use the kind of bricks with holes in them. They have lots of surface area which allows for better absorption/evaporation.