Winter prep safety

[Sydney65]

I know this is an old post but similar question, sort of- getting ready for winter. Trying to prep for winter. The roof/ceiling is corrugated (wavy) steel siding. I ran the extension cord along the ceiling in one of the "waves", met up w/power cords to the two appliances at the ceiling w/a triple plug adapter.
I then took the duct tape to seal the cords & plug to the ceiling to avoid the guineas pecking at them.
I'm getting mixed signals on whether it's safe to use duct tape to mount cords in this way. The cord is not damaged, it's new. The purpose is to mount, not repair.
(Cross posting)
Thank you!

This is the plug: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hyper-To...-Adapter/894203294?fulfillmentIntent=In-store
This is the cord: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hyper-Tough-12-3-Heavy-Duty-100-foot/799431729?fulfillmentIntent=In-store
This is the waterer: https://www.premier1supplies.com/p/...XBMrgRQPl7cWV-N96WOyb6DLjMWZHT6xoCfKIQAvD_BwE
This is the heat: https://www.amazon.com/Magicfly-Chi...08CH13XH4/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
This is the tape:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Gorilla-25-Yard-Black-Duct-Tape-Tough-Wide-Single-Roll/688530502

Quote

 

[R2elk]

I know this is an old post but similar question, sort of- getting ready for winter. Trying to prep for winter. The roof/ceiling is corrugated (wavy) steel siding. I ran the extension cord along the ceiling in one of the "waves", met up w/power cords to the two appliances at the ceiling w/a triple plug adapter.
I then took the duct tape to seal the cords & plug to the ceiling to avoid the guineas pecking at them.
I'm getting mixed signals on whether it's safe to use duct tape to mount cords in this way. The cord is not damaged, it's new. The purpose is to mount, not repair.
(Cross posting)
Thank you!

This is the plug: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hyper-To...-Adapter/894203294?fulfillmentIntent=In-store
This is the cord: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hyper-Tough-12-3-Heavy-Duty-100-foot/799431729?fulfillmentIntent=In-store
This is the waterer: https://www.premier1supplies.com/p/...XBMrgRQPl7cWV-N96WOyb6DLjMWZHT6xoCfKIQAvD_BwE
This is the heat: https://www.amazon.com/Magicfly-Chi...08CH13XH4/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
This is the tape:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Gorilla-25-Yard-Black-Duct-Tape-Tough-Wide-Single-Roll/688530502

Quote

Tape is not a reliable fastener.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I am too afraid of coop fires to use much electricity in the coop… Even the water heaters seem like a risk to me. I did hang a heat lamp for awhile for the broody hatched keets. I had it on a timer, over paver stones, so they could warm up for a few hours in the morning. My main concern was an adult getting caught in the cord, or knocking the lamp down and starting a fire. So, from that perspective, whatever you are doing to prevent loose cords that guineas could get caught in seems like a good idea… If you have to use it, I’d be thinking about, “how could this fall?” and, “if it falls, will it start a fire?”.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Tape is not a reliable fastener.

Oh yes, I agree! I was thinking of using tape to keep the cord tightly attached and out of the way, but not for mounting.

 

[R2elk]

I am too afraid of coop fires to use much electricity in the coop… Even the water heaters seem like a risk to me. I did hang a heat lamp for awhile for the broody hatched keets. I had it on a timer, over paver stones, so they could warm up for a few hours in the morning. My main concern was an adult getting caught in the cord, or knocking the lamp down and starting a fire. So, from that perspective, whatever you are doing to prevent loose cords that guineas could get caught in seems like a good idea… If you have to use it, I’d be thinking about, “how could this fall?” and, “if it falls, will it start a fire?”.

The biggest problem with power to most coops is that people are using extension cords and then overloading them. I wired electricity to all of my outbuildings, coops included. I have not had any problems with overloaded extension cords.

 

[R2elk]

I know this is an old post but similar question, sort of- getting ready for winter. Trying to prep for winter. The roof/ceiling is corrugated (wavy) steel siding. I ran the extension cord along the ceiling in one of the "waves", met up w/power cords to the two appliances at the ceiling w/a triple plug adapter.
I then took the duct tape to seal the cords & plug to the ceiling to avoid the guineas pecking at them.
I'm getting mixed signals on whether it's safe to use duct tape to mount cords in this way. The cord is not damaged, it's new. The purpose is to mount, not repair.
(Cross posting)
Thank you!

This is the plug: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hyper-To...-Adapter/894203294?fulfillmentIntent=In-store
This is the cord: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hyper-Tough-12-3-Heavy-Duty-100-foot/799431729?fulfillmentIntent=In-store
This is the waterer: https://www.premier1supplies.com/p/...XBMrgRQPl7cWV-N96WOyb6DLjMWZHT6xoCfKIQAvD_BwE
This is the heat: https://www.amazon.com/Magicfly-Chi...08CH13XH4/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
This is the tape:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Gorilla-25-Yard-Black-Duct-Tape-Tough-Wide-Single-Roll/688530502

Quote

Personally i do not heat my coops as providing supplemental heat to adult birds prevents them from properly developing their feathers for the coming cold.

 

[Sydney65]

You raise valid concerns so let me go through them:
They aren't getting it now or ever will consistently. The run gets enclosed & absorbs heat from the sun. It's comfy in there most of the time.
The thing is, we don't get the weather you do, it's generally pretty mild. Come Jan/Feb we get a freak system roll through w/days of bitter cold. So when you refer to the feathers coming in adequately,I'm not certain your "adequate" and ours is equal to prepared for the extremes.
The heat plate mounts on the wall inside the coop. It doesn't radiate or heat the coop. Like brooder plates, they stand next to it. If they by chance managed to knock off the wall, it shuts off. I have to plug in and go out to physically turn it on.
This is heavy duty wide tape, not normal duct tape. But if it does fail, it may droop, but not fall, bc the cord passes between cross beams & the steel roofing of the run.
He installed an outdoor outlet with an auto safety off and alarm on it. The cord's plug is secured by the backdoor so I'll be able to reach out and plug in.
Right now that 3 way adapter at the end of the extension cord is also taped to the ceiling/roof. That concerns me. Not because of it falling, but could the tape cause too much heat build up? I could back everything up so that the adapter is on the other side of the wall, in the coop, & run the water tank plug in there via the same "wavy" vent in the roofing z then sort out a way to hide it from the goons, mb box it in up in the corner? But the cord would still be on the ceiling.

 

[R2elk]

You raise valid concerns so let me go through them:
They aren't getting it now or ever will consistently. The run gets enclosed & absorbs heat from the sun. It's comfy in there most of the time.
The thing is, we don't get the weather you do, it's generally pretty mild. Come Jan/Feb we get a freak system roll through w/days of bitter cold. So when you refer to the feathers coming in adequately,I'm not certain your "adequate" and ours is equal to prepared for the extremes.
The heat plate mounts on the wall inside the coop. It doesn't radiate or heat the coop. Like brooder plates, they stand next to it. If they by chance managed to knock off the wall, it shuts off. I have to plug in and go out to physically turn it on.
This is heavy duty wide tape, not normal duct tape. But if it does fail, it may droop, but not fall, bc the cord passes between cross beams & the steel roofing of the run.
He installed an outdoor outlet with an auto safety off and alarm on it. The cord's plug is secured by the backdoor so I'll be able to reach out and plug in.
Right now that 3 way adapter at the end of the extension cord is also taped to the ceiling/roof. That concerns me. Not because of it falling, but could the tape cause too much heat build up? I could back everything up so that the adapter is on the other side of the wall, in the coop, & run the water tank plug in there via the same "wavy" vent in the roofing z then sort out a way to hide it from the goons, mb box it in up in the corner? But the cord would still be on the ceiling.

I haven't always lived where it gets frigid. No matter where, we never provided the poultry with heat in the winter.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

You raise valid concerns so let me go through them:
They aren't getting it now or ever will consistently. The run gets enclosed & absorbs heat from the sun. It's comfy in there most of the time.
The thing is, we don't get the weather you do, it's generally pretty mild. Come Jan/Feb we get a freak system roll through w/days of bitter cold. So when you refer to the feathers coming in adequately,I'm not certain your "adequate" and ours is equal to prepared for the extremes.
The heat plate mounts on the wall inside the coop. It doesn't radiate or heat the coop. Like brooder plates, they stand next to it. If they by chance managed to knock off the wall, it shuts off. I have to plug in and go out to physically turn it on.
This is heavy duty wide tape, not normal duct tape. But if it does fail, it may droop, but not fall, bc the cord passes between cross beams & the steel roofing of the run.
He installed an outdoor outlet with an auto safety off and alarm on it. The cord's plug is secured by the backdoor so I'll be able to reach out and plug in.
Right now that 3 way adapter at the end of the extension cord is also taped to the ceiling/roof. That concerns me. Not because of it falling, but could the tape cause too much heat build up? I could back everything up so that the adapter is on the other side of the wall, in the coop, & run the water tank plug in there via the same "wavy" vent in the roofing z then sort out a way to hide it from the goons, mb box it in up in the corner? But the cord would still be on the ceiling.

What are your highs and lows, Sydney? Sounds like you might be similar to us in that most of the winter is pretty moderate, highs on the 40s and lows in the 20s being typical January - February weather. But we sometimes get a hard chill, like last years utterly insane Snowmaggedon, with highs in the teens and lows in the negative teens F. That was brutal, and if I could have safely heated I would have considered it… But I would need to heat three coops! I have too many birds for a couple of heat panels to do much. That cold snap was crazy cold, but the guineas are the group that did best. Partly it was coop design - the guineas have a dirt floor coop, and that door was insulating. Partly they are just tough birds. I do have things to change doe my chicken coops if we get so cold again, but I probably wouldn’t do much different with the guineas.

 

[Sydney65]

What are your highs and lows, Sydney? Sounds like you might be similar to us in that most of the winter is pretty moderate, highs on the 40s and lows in the 20s being typical January - February weather. But we sometimes get a hard chill, like last years utterly insane Snowmaggedon, with highs in the teens and lows in the negative teens F. That was brutal, and if I could have safely heated I would have considered it… But I would need to heat three coops! I have too many birds for a couple of heat panels to do much. That cold snap was crazy cold, but the guineas are the group that did best. Partly it was coop design - the guineas have a dirt floor coop, and that door was insulating. Partly they are just tough birds. I do have things to change doe my chicken coops if we get so cold again, but I probably wouldn’t do much different with the guineas.

Yes, last Feb when windchill was -25 @times. Had the same units then but ran cords outside to plug into adapter, then stuffed inside of milk jug with slit in bottom then hung jug up to protect from elements. Same principle as little case sockets get closed in for Christmas light connections. It worked great,looked tacky. If I do that again will use coffee container I think, not as flimsy.
Had cross posted this so was also reminded of condensation, which wasn't an issue with the jug.
Our weather averages are :
December 42° / 23°

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January 37° / 18°

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February 42° / 21°
We get more rain than the nat. average, less snow, and fewer sunny days. No, really, that's exactly what the statistics said! NOBODY here was prepared for the Ice King,the Snow Miser, AND the Winter Warlock to show up at once!! - that's the only time I used the heatplate. The water heater, when plugged in, kicks on at 40° & off at 60°, so technically it would be running now if plugged in.
If I prep, I won't need it. The goons weren't happy through that, they survived..but there's only 3 now, not 6.