Water nipples? (Vertical, Horizontal/side mount, saddle)

[henless]

Question: for very cold temperatures, wouldn't the horizontal nipples freeze up because they are further away from the heat source? I have vertical nipples on the bottom of a bucket...but ive been curious about the horizontal nipples as well. I just picture the vertical nipples being directly below the water and heater, so they should stay free from ice. I dunno. Anyone with experience on this? This is our first winter

The vertical nipples freeze because part of the metal is actually in the water. The horizontal nipples don't freeze because they are not in the water.

I use a 5 gallon bucket with horizontal nipples. Link to making one is at the bottom of my post. To keep it from freezing, I made a cookie tin heater. Now, we don't get as cold here in East Texas as some of you, but I know of people who use the cookie tin that live up North and have no problem with it. They just use a larger watt bulb.



I thought I had a pic of it in use, but apparently not. Here's the link to making one: Cookie Tin Heater . I plug it into a thermo cube I bought off of Amazon. It turns on at 35 degrees and off at 45. It worked great last year down into the teens.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Great info! I wish I had found that cookie tin heater before I bought the K&H stock de icer off Amazon. :/ I think I actually saw it a very long time ago but completely forgot about it. Seems it would have been cheaper. Although I did also buy a Thermo Cube and extension cord protecter thing so maybe it's still possible

 

[hillbillyreefer]

Question: for very cold temperatures, wouldn't the horizontal nipples freeze up because they are further away from the heat source? I have vertical nipples on the bottom of a bucket...but ive been curious about the horizontal nipples as well. I just picture the vertical nipples being directly below the water and heater, so they should stay free from ice. I dunno. Anyone with experience on this? This is our first winter

I finally received my horizontal nipples. I put 5 nipples into a 45gal uninsulated drum with a 500w submersible stock tank heater. It was -29C Christmas night and -26C Boxing Day with no freezing, and no leaking. The drum is outside in the run with good wind protection but nothing else. It's only been running for 4 days so it's way to early to claim definitively it works, but so far so good.

 

[bcarver]

Another trick would be to use a submersible aquarium pump. heated moving water would be hard to freeze.

 

[LilyBird]

I finally received my horizontal nipples. I put 5 nipples into a 45gal uninsulated drum with a 500w submersible stock tank heater. It was -29C Christmas night and -26C Boxing Day with no freezing, and no leaking. The drum is outside in the run with good wind protection but nothing else. It's only been running for 4 days so it's way to early to claim definitively it works, but so far so good.

Oh that's great! Let me know how it works out. We are having a terrible time figuring out a system that is going to work for us.
First we started with our vertical nipples in the bottom of a 5gal pail and we put a livestock bucket deicer in it. First one didn't work, second one started rusting and turned the water brown!

Now we've purchased a galvanized waterer and we are planing on getting a heater for it to sit on. My husband doesn't think a cookie tin lightbulb will be enough to keep it warm. I don't really want to buy the expensive ones either though.

Right now we are just swapping small plastic waterers each day. But it hasn't really been cold enough yet this winter for it to freeze that quickly. Will be soon though. I need to get this figured out.

 

[aart]

The horizontal nipples are less likely to freeze because the valve is in the water....tho the little 'lip' can hold water and freeze.
One of the nicest things about HN's is that you can put the container down anywhere because they are mounted on the sides of the vessel instead of the bottoms.

I use this all year round, adding thermocube, AQ heater and insulation in winter...worked great thru last years brutal winter.


https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/aarts-heated-waterer-with-horizontal-nipples

 

[hillbillyreefer]

The horizontal nipples are less likely to freeze because the valve is in the water....tho the little 'lip' can hold water and freeze. One of the nicest things about HN's is that you can put the container down anywhere because they are mounted on the sides of the vessel instead of the bottoms. I use this all year round, adding thermocube, AQ heater and insulation in winter...worked great thru last years brutal winter. https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/aarts-heated-waterer-with-horizontal-nipples

That is what I was going to wrap my barrel with but had concerns about the birds eating it. It looks like they don't? I also need to build something to keep them off the top of the barrel, eventually a turkey is going cause flooding trouble. LilyBird this is the heater I'm using. They are $50 on Amazon which is expensive, I think mine was $35 at a farm supply store. It's a farm innovators model c500, it is safe for plastic containers, and has thermostatic control.

 

[aart]

Quote: They did peck at it....they must like popping bubblewrap too, haha...no adverse effects really but I covered it this year so they couldn't.
That board angled is just 'hinged' with a couple pieces of wire onto the HC wall, hook above to hold it out of the way to refill.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Great ideas everybody! I gotta get using this stuff fast, EEs beard is wet hah

 

[noble]

I'm new at this blog but here go's.
I have 10 chickens. I live in buras Louisiana. It freezes about 3 or 4 time's a year. But I have a watering system, and I love it. With 1 30 galon tank I water all my animals. (Pheasants, quail, chickens, rabbits ) I have had this system for 3 year's. And love it. I use vertical nipples I attached them on saddles to pvc .

I suggest to use pvc glue on all the saddles. And put valves on the top of the pvc to be able to shut off all water if u have a problem and a valve at the end to drain all the water when u clean the tank.