It’s pretty simple really,
just insert a 25+ watt submersible aquarium heater inside an
appropriate closed container such as a CLEAN / NEW kerosene can and
plug it into a thermostatically controlled plug (can buy off the
internet). Works well into the 20s, doesn’t get too much colder that
that here.
My guess is it would
work at any temp if you gauge the heater wattage appropriately.
Do note: the last heater I bought said “don’t use in freezing
weather.” I’m not sure I understand that as a caution but I could
imagine it might have something to do with the amount of “time on
heating.” My thought is the plug in thermostat takes care of that
concern because it cuts the heater off at 42/44. Please remember
though, I’m talking about SC where daytime temps almost always get
above freezing. If I were in a colder climate I would call the
heater mfg and get technical advice–I still bet it works!!
— Mike Boynton
For
readers who want to follow along at home, Mike started with one of our homemade chicken
waterer kits and followed our simple instructions to make his
waterer.
| We recommend our 3 pack DIY kit for making a heated waterer for up to 50 chickens. The CD that comes with each kit includes complete instructions to help you build our favorite heated options without any trial and error. The heated waterer we use in our own coop requires two buckets, a three foot length of pipe heating cable ($23), and the contents of our kit. With a layer of chicken-friendly insulation, the waterer is good down into the teens. |
The problem with aquarium heaters is that they can and do fail on a regular basis. When they fail, they can either stay off (even inside they seldom last more than 3 years), stay on, or have one of the seals break or the glass bottom break, when this happens the water get electrified and anyone who touches it gets a really nasty jolt or worse if they are not hooked up to a GFI. I bet the reason they say to not use in freezing temps, is that the glass often has flaws in it and if the heater fails and the water freezes then the glass will break resulting in electrified ice.
That’s an excellent point against aquarium heaters. We had been thinking of trying to use them for a simple and cheap heated waterer that others could mimic, but I’m not so sure I’d want to now…
There are aquarium water heaters that have stainless steel housing. No glass They are made to go under the gravel in a fish tank, but need a thermostat … Don’t know who makes them … sorry
Good point! I hadn’t considered those, but that would make another good option. I wonder how much they cost?
I thought of doing the aquarium heater idea but thought of another flaw. When the water level gets down low and the heater kicks on and off without water around it the glass can explode. Not only electrifying the water but putting small shards of glass in it as well. Unless you can make sure the level doesn’t get below the heater I don’t know if I’d take the risk.
Our nipple system would keep shards of glass away from the chickens, but even so, I think that aquarium heaters are probably the least-suited to keeping chicken waterers thawed. You might check out what we consider the best heated chicken waterer for a more elegant (and not too pricey) design.