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Laura & CTB

Water heater for chickens!

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With all this cold weather I was quite concerned about having to leave the chooks overnight and not being able to change the water if it was frozen.

 

Yesterday CTB came to the rescue and made a water heater for the girls :lol:

tested it overnight - glug frozen, water in heated bowl 18 deg C!

 

Heres the basics:

 

You need:

 

One big tin of quality street (you then have to eat the contents cos you just want the empty tin :wink: )

 

2 x light bulbs 30 watts each (if one blows the other will still be enough to stop the water freezing)

2 x light bulb holders

short piece of bendable bar

garden wire

length of household flex

duck (!) tape

heavy flat bottomed bowl

elastic band

chemical metal

 

Outside plug socket

 

costs (excluding choccies) £11.50

 

drill hole through side of tin for flex. bend bar into a "U" shape so that when bulb holders are attached they sit inside the tin but dont touch the sides ( you're heating up the air inside the tin not the tin itself). Wire up bulb holders so they are in parallel (not series). Drill holes either side to attach the bulb holders to the bar with garden wire (could use cables ties) then stick bar onto bottom of tin with chemical metal. Should look like this:

 

bulbs.jpg

 

Wrap tape round outside of tin to hold flex to tin and waterproof the hole.

Add lid then fill bowl with water. I secured the bowl onto the tin with hooks made of garden wire and an elastic band just so they couldnt accidently kick it over.

 

Plug in and come down to luke warm water in the morning

 

heater.jpg

 

For futher details please contact us here at CTB Chicken Industries :lol:

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Well done CTB :clap::clap: Was talking to DH about this frozen glug problem y.day. DH is an inventive chap too, he made up an automated Eglu door opener, so we don't have to go out and let the girls out, just lean out of the bedroom window, tug on a rope and hey presto Eglu door opens :) Since this freezing weather I have had to go out and smash up the ice in the glug :(:( Anyway, he said a low level light bulb in a box under the glug should do it, I'll make something up over the weekend. I will show him CTB's version to encourage him :roll: Maybe you could sell the idea to Omlet?

 

Tessa

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Anyway, he said a low level light bulb in a box under the glug should do it,

Tessa

 

Not sure if under the glug would work - it's all about surface contact and the glug being round means there would be very little contact with the heater box. That's why I swapped to the flat bottomed terracotta bowl. Might experiment with the glug tonight though :lol:

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Wow :shock: . Very high tech and ingenious :D . I got as far as the Quality Street tin and thought "I can do this". Then you started saying "parallel not series" and "drill" and "chemical metal" and I started to think I might just eat the sweets and stop there :lol: .

 

You want to register this at the patents office. Your fortune is made! :lol:

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Laura wrote:

 

Not sure if under the glug would work - it's all about surface contact and the glug being round means there would be very little contact with the heater box.

 

I see what you mean :( I will have to try and find a heavy bowl that I can fix VERY firmly to the heater. When I had a broody hen I put her in a cat basket with a very very heavy marble bowl for water she managed to knock it over :evil: Will be interested to see what happens when you experiment with heating the glug.

 

 

Tessa

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safety is paramount - the earth wire is there connected under the bulb holder. However, not really required because bulb holders are made of plastic and not connected to the tin!

 

I also work with three electricians who okayed the plan first!!!!

 

There is no way I would do anything that might harm either my chooks or me!!

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The lampholders being made of plastic do not negate the need for an earth wire. The potential is still there for harm if the cable is damaged or bulb smashed then a dangerous potential(voltage) can be transfered through the tin causing harm. Don't wish to trump your approving electricians but I am an electrical engineering consultant specialising in electrical & fire safety.

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The lampholders being made of plastic do not negate the need for an earth wire..

 

that's why there is one!!! cant be too careful!

 

And the electricians I work with are NICEIC approved and work daily within a flammable gas environment. I think they are qualified to advise me on two light bulbs enclosed in a chocolate box.

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Here in the states I found a heated dog water bowl and a "heating Pad" that I put in the Eglu. . .it was pretty reasonable for both. . .I think I ended up paying around 50.00.

 

http://www.pet-dog-cat-supply-store.com/shop/heated-pet-feeders.php

 

I can't remember if this is the exact website I got the items from, but it looks like they have similar items. . .

 

The heating bad is hard and covered with a fluffy fabric. At first I wasn't too sure thinking that maybe it would heat the Eglu up too much. . .but it probably adds the heat of another hen or two. . .so it isn't tropical by any means but adds an extra level of comfort.

 

The other problem I thought I might have some them poo-ing on the fabric cover. . .but, I just knock it off and it falls down into the tray. I wash the cover every couple of weeks, but really it's not "dirty" as the poo just drops off.

 

Anyway. . .I know your weather in the UK is different, but in Kansas we can get pretty cold and we are right now in the middle of a blizzard. Now that we have about 5 inches of snow. . the girls are happy in the garage with their heat lamp and they lay their eggs in a spare pet carrier I have. But on days when we are not dealing with snow or ice. . .these items help keep them happy outside.

 

Later. . .oh, Happy Christmas!

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ask them if they are willing to install it and sign an NICEIC certificate and have it inspected by the NICEIC and the building control department of your local council for Part P compliance. I think you will find that they will decline as they should know that they would be breaking the law and if you install it yourself you will be breaking the law under the Part P Regulations.

This device is unsafe and not fit for purpose.

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