Winterizing Nipple Waterers? UPDATE Really? No One Knows?

[pdirt]

I'll post an update later this winter, but we just got this new stock tank de-icer. It seemed to be the best deal I could find online, plus we have Amazon Prime.

It got down to 12F last week (before I got the stock tank de-icer), which is quite cold for November here. Occasionally it will get below 0F here. Thin layer of ice on top and frozen nipples in our 3 gallon bucket setup. By the time I put the de-icer in the bucket, it was up to 18F. It took a full 24+ hours for the de-icer to melt the ice in the nipples, even though the heating element is only a few inches from the nipples. The ice on top of the water was melted in less than 10 hours. The chart for this brand says the 250W version is good for up to a 30 gallon stock tank in my temp zone. I think it will be fine, because I think it is meant to KEEP ice from forming, rather than melting ice already there (and below the heat element, since heat rises). It's been good since that time, though the coldest it's been since than has been 21F and it has not been above freezing for nearly two weeks now.

http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-All-...F8&qid=1385510423&sr=8-2&keywords=k&h+de-icer

Note that the link is for the 500W version, click on the 250W button on the product page for the less expensive 250W version.

 

[jetdog]

I have the 250 watt in my 5 gallon bucket with nipples and it has worked flawlessly since the day I put it in 12 degrees with a 20 mph wind and it worked fine. I wired it to a small cupcake type of aluminum tin to keep it over the nipples and so far so good.

 

[Cheeptrix]

I, too, am using a 5 gallon bucket with 3 nipples on the bottom. We converted to this watering system back in the spring, and did a lot of research on how to best winterize it. We bought the K&H ultimate all in one de-icer that "pdirt" mentioned, and we have the 250 watt size. We took the floater ring off and it is resting on the bottom of the bucket right over the nipples. It has done a fine job of keeping the water in the bucket from freezing, but we have had several days of 20 degrees with winds and the nipples are freezing solid.

We're in northern VA, and we don't have extreme winters, but we do get in the 20's quite often. The heater had been doing well, and I didn't realize that the nipples were frozen until a day later when I went out to top off the water. The chickens were very thirsty. I felt so bad. We have gone back to the old system of a Little Giant waterer on top of a light bulb heater base. The chickens get the water so dirty in this, and I really want to work out the bugs in the nipple waterer.

I've read several long threads here on BYC and many people are having good luck with a 250 watt submersible heater. I don't know if our problem is because of the cold wind in addition to the cold temps, but I'm hoping someone out there has experienced this and has a solution.

I'm willing to buy a 500 watt de-icer, or some other type of heater that keeps the water warmer if that will keep the nipples from freezing.

Ideas?

 

[jmagill]

I, too, am using a 5 gallon bucket with 3 nipples on the bottom. We converted to this watering system back in the spring, and did a lot of research on how to best winterize it. We bought the K&H ultimate all in one de-icer that "pdirt" mentioned, and we have the 250 watt size. We took the floater ring off and it is resting on the bottom of the bucket right over the nipples. It has done a fine job of keeping the water in the bucket from freezing, but we have had several days of 20 degrees with winds and the nipples are freezing solid.

We're in northern VA, and we don't have extreme winters, but we do get in the 20's quite often. The heater had been doing well, and I didn't realize that the nipples were frozen until a day later when I went out to top off the water. The chickens were very thirsty. I felt so bad. We have gone back to the old system of a Little Giant waterer on top of a light bulb heater base. The chickens get the water so dirty in this, and I really want to work out the bugs in the nipple waterer.

I've read several long threads here on BYC and many people are having good luck with a 250 watt submersible heater. I don't know if our problem is because of the cold wind in addition to the cold temps, but I'm hoping someone out there has experienced this and has a solution.

I'm willing to buy a 500 watt de-icer, or some other type of heater that keeps the water warmer if that will keep the nipples from freezing.

Ideas?

There is something wrong with that. I have a 75 watt aquarium heater in my bucket. It has been down to -5 the last couple of nights and my water and nipples are not freezing. Too big of a bucket or too much water in it ?

 

[skippyscage]

mine is 250 watt, but I have horizontal nipples in stead of more usual vertical ones.

I found the vertical nipples froze, but since changing to horizontal nipples, have had no issues. (-25C today)

I think the vertical nipples are longer, so would be more prone to freezing as the extremely of the end of the water inside the nipple is further away?

either that or I just got lucky.

 

[Cheeptrix]

Just a 5 gallon bucket. Seems odd to me, too. But I don't know all the mechanics of how these heaters work. The tank de-icer I have has an automatic on-off regulator. It comes on when the water gets down to 32 and turns off when the water gets to about 45. Maybe the aquarium heater is getting the water warmer? since it stays on all the time and is supposed to keep an aquarium in the 70's. But of course when the temps are in the teens, it's not going to be able to keep the water that warm. How warm, I wonder?

But the water in the bucket was definitely above freezing. No ice in it at all. We melted the nipples, but the next morning they were frozen again. Go figure.

 

[JulesVern]

Hey Jmagill,
I just swapped out the 500w bird bath heater for the 50 gal 1,500w submersible tank heater. I only have a 2.5 gal bucket. This did not work. Nipples were frozen this AM, but water isn't. It was 10 degrees with a -10 windchill. Pretty cold! I guess At this point I'm going to go the heated dog bowl (partially block to keep some poo out) route.

 

[Cheeptrix]

mine is 250 watt, but I have horizontal nipples in stead of more usual vertical ones.

I found the vertical nipples froze, but since changing to horizontal nipples, have had no issues. (-25C today)

I think the vertical nipples are longer, so would be more prone to freezing as the extremely of the end of the water inside the nipple is further away?

either that or I just got lucky.

I've been reading about these horizontal nipples. I'm going to order some and make up a new bucket and see if that does the trick. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[jmagill]

Hey Jmagill,
I just swapped out the 500w bird bath heater for the 50 gal 1,500w submersible tank heater. I only have a 2.5 gal bucket. This did not work. Nipples were frozen this AM, but water isn't. It was 10 degrees with a -10 windchill. Pretty cold! I guess At this point I'm going to go the heated dog bowl (partially block to keep some poo out) route.

I have a 2.5 gallon bucket and a 75 watt aquarium heater and it is out performing your 1500 watt heater? Well i guess I know I have the right system. Four or five years and still working great.

 

[iminyurseattle]

Its been in the mid-20s here in Seattle lately and I've also had a frozen waterer problem. I bought a small 44-watt birdbath heater (http://amzn.com/B000793M68) for my bucket system and it did not work as I had hoped. I have a 5 gallon bucket with a couple PVC pipes coming off it with normal vertical nipple waterers coming down from the pipes into the run and coop. The bucket was warm and had no ice, but the nipples were frozen. I didn't check the PVC pipes themselves. I'm assuming like others have noted that circulating the water in the bucket with a pump would help, but I'm not sure it would prevent the nipples themselves from freezing.