Winterizing Nipple Waterers? UPDATE Really? No One Knows?

[DVTO2]

Perfect!

 

[matimeo]

Spoggy, I don't think your question is getting answered. I would speculate that if you are circulating the water and have a heating source that is warm enough, you shouldn't have any problem with keeping the water from freezing. I'm not sure how to calculate the total amount of water that would be in that much pipe plus your reservoir (you could probably figure that out pretty quick by capping and filling a length and then finding the volume). I would just make sure that whatever your heat source is would be able to handle that amount of water.

If you didn't circulate the water, you would have the added problem of more surface area around smaller amounts of water (when its in the pvc pipe) and loss more heat transfer (loss) from the water. I think if you circulated it, you would somewhat, but not completely eliminate that problem. So as I'm thinking about it, you would probably need a heater rated for higher quantities of water than what you actually have. Maybe something that has 50% more capacity to be on the safe side.

I've heard others on here say good and bad things about using aquarium heaters. Some I think have recommended something heavier duty and meant for outdoors like a birdbath heater or something.

To answer your original questions (to the best of my ability), I think you could stick with the nipple waterers in the winter, as long as you can keep the water warm. If my understanding of thermodynamics is correct, as long as the water stays somewhat warm and is in contact with some part of the nipples, the heat should transfer easily through the metal and keep them from freezing. Where I'm foggy is on the availability of a heater that could do that (although I'm sure you could find something). Circulating would definitely seem to help.

Best of luck and let us know how it goes.

 

[LVVCHAP]

I started using the nipples this past spring and they have worked well in plastic buckets. My plan for winter is to bring the buckets in at night and put them out again in the morning. If I put them in the coop during the day it will take a long while or a really cold day to freeze. The coop usuallly stays warmer than the outside temps. For those of you who use 5 gal. buckets and the thought of lugging them around isn't good I will say don't fill them to the top. Two buckets with 2 or 3 nipples in each one would water a lot of birds for a day.

 

[arch_cpj]

I DO NOT think that the nipple waterers in PVC will stay thawed just by keeping the water in the storage tank warm my solution is as the birds dont drink a ton of water in the winter to get a 5 gallon pail and a bucket deicer hang it in the coop by a chain and then put 3 nipples in the bottom this is my winter waterer and in the summer Ill go back to the big waterer 15 gallon... I dont like the idea of heat tape at all and Im not runing a recirulator pump all winter long seems the easiest fis here... The issue with the PVC is that the farther the stretch the harder it is to keep the pipe free..

 

[spoggy]

Quote:
I have to agree that there seems to be no one able to answer this. For all the talk on this site, I'm suprised at the dearth of information regarding over-wintering these systems. I really wanted to have this be my only source of water for my birds year-round. It's beginning to look as if I'm going to stay with the older, more "tried and true" technology.

 

[AnnainMD]

As I've just started chicken-keeping this spring, and I have bucket waterers I plan to try a deicer such as this http://www.enasco.com/product/C12700N suggested by another BYC'er.

 

[matimeo]

I too have just installed a nipple watering system. I plan on purchasing some type of heater (aquarium or otherwise) and using it throughout the winter. I don't think the nipples can freeze if the water stays warm.

 

[featherz]

I have nipple waterers in my coops (just 5 gallon bucket waterers) and I'm thinking it may just be cheaper to use the heated dog bowls, but those are going to get dirty awfully quick. But then I read about heaters that start fires and I'm still wondering what to use.

 

[Neil Grassbaugh]

Quote:

 

[Neil Grassbaugh]

HOLD ON FOLKS-

DON'T SPEND ANY MORE THAN $20 THIS WEEK BUYING A WATER HEATER FOR A 5 GALLON BUCKET!

Uncle Neil is working on yet another ingenious idea.