How to build a water heater/de-icer for your poultry

This heater is modeled after a design in use at Silveraurora.  Suzanne Nevada showed me the heater Rick built and described the materials and basic assembly process.  I created this pictorial to help walk you through the assembly of this arctic farm staple.

Sure, you can buy a ready-made heater like this for about $60* but this one costs about $30* to make, is more sturdy, can be easily repaired, and can be customized to your needs using whatever size heater you want.  Plus, building this heater takes only a few short steps and you will gain a great sense of accomplishment every time you see it in use.   ;)

*Note that there are additional expenditures described here above the initial $30 for the do-it-yourself heater, but those items are likely needed for both the do-it-yourself model and the ready-made one from the feed store.

**DO NOT ATTEMPT TO USE THIS HEATER WITH A PLASTIC, RUBBER, OR OTHER NON-METAL WATERER!!**

Materials list:

Galvanized or other durable, METAL poultry waterer up to 10-gallon capacity. If you have a larger fount, remember that more gallons = more weight and more weight may stress the oil pan, which will support your fount.  Also, a 75-watt heater may not be sufficient to heat more than 10 gallons.   You may need to experiment with a larger heater with higher wattage, especially if your temperatures often fall below 0F, but using TOO large a heater (one with too much wattage) could cause the water to become too hot).

**DO NOT ATTEMPT TO USE THIS HEATER WITH A PLASTIC, RUBBER, OR OTHER NON-METAL WATERER!!**

1 large, galvanized oil drain pan ~$11 from NAPA Auto Supply

1 75-watt oil pan heater ~$14 from Schuck's Auto Supply (can easily heat at least 10 gallons of water above 40F)

1 tube RTV high-temperature silicone sealant/glue/gasket maker ~$6 from Schuck's Auto Supply

OPTIONAL CLEANLINESS MEASURE - a few pages of waste newspaper and a pair of rubber or latex gloves to protect your hands from the glue

2 standard concrete blocks ~$5 from The Home Depot (or any home or construction or landscaping store)

AC power supply

OPTIONAL SAFETY MEASURE - FLEXIBLE, plastic conduit/cord protector to keep birds from fiddling with your heater cord ~$5

OPTIONAL POWER-SAVER/SAFETY MEASURE - 1 Thermocube from Lowe's (or any home or garden store) ~$14.  THIS IS REALLY A MUST, IN MY OPINION, BECAUSE RUNNING YOUR HEATER ALL THE TIME COULD CAUSE YOUR WATER TO GET TOO HOT.  (Most of these low-wattage heaters aren't designed to get very warm, they are only intended to keep your automotive oil pans warm enough to help your automobile start easier so they don't USUALLY get too hot, but you can't always be sure with a $14 heater!!)  Another nice feature about using a Thermocube - you never have to unplug or disassemble this heater for the summer, just leave it alone and it should NOT run at all in a typical summer where ambient temperatures stay warm!!

The Thermocube used in this application turns power on when the air around the Thermocube (NOT in the waterer) falls to or below 35F and turns power off when air around Thermocube rises to or above 45F - Thermocubes DO come in different ratings so check your label and buy what's right for your application).

PLAIN WATER STARTS TO FREEZE AT 32F and using a Thermocube designed to turn on at 35F gives you some wiggle room allowing for differences in sensor vs. reality.   If you place the Thermocube close to something that gives off heat or close to a source of cold air (like an open window), you may not get reliable performance.  Also, if you add anything to your water that may cause it to freeze at a lower temperature (do consider this possibility, some additives may lower the freezing point of your liquid), you can use a Thermocube that comes on at a lower temperature.

Optional materials for DC application:

1 DC-AC inverter (I bought an 800-watt inverter for ~$85 from Schuck's Auto Supply because I wanted to run other items off the same power supply but you can get smaller ones from Wal-Mart, RadioShack, etc. for around $50).  Remember that many inverters automatically cut power when the voltage falls to around 10 volts or less so you will need to charge the battery when the inverter alarms or shuts off/cuts out.

1 12-volt DC, deep-cycle, marine RUNNING battery (not STARTING battery).  I bought one that is 115AH from Wal-Mart for $75 plus core charge because I wanted to run other items off this power supply, you can get by with a lot less but remember, the lower the amp hour rating (AH), the more often you will need to charge the battery)

1 protective plastic battery box with lid ~$9 at Wal-Mart

1 deep-cycle battery charger

2' insulated, heavy copper wire to use as a safety lead to connect the charger to the battery

Before you begin:

Test your heater.   Plug it in to an AC power source.  It should be warm right away and it might get too hot to hold so don't leave it sitting on the counter and walk away - you could cause a fire or at least damage your countertop.  Just plug it in for a few seconds and unplug it as soon as you are sure it works.

Read the label on your glue.   Make sure it says it is for HIGH temperatures.  Determine the cure time for the glue (usually 24 hours) and plan ahead so you aren't rushed to assemble this when the outdoor temperatures are already -10F and you need your heater YESTERDAY!  ;)

Verify that the oil pan you purchased is the right size.   It needs to fit under your fount, the right size to fit on top of your concrete blocks (NOT fitting down over them) and strong enough to support the weight of your full fount.

Make sure that you have a power supply within cord's reach of the fount and heater and you have enough space all around the fount to set it up as described.  Some folks have very short coops designed to keep a small area warm all year 'round - make sure your fount won't be too tall for your coop when it's sitting on top of the upside-down oil pan and concrete blocks.

If you're using the optional flexible, plastic cord protector/conduit, make sure it will fit over the plug end of your cord.

Read through these instructions before you try to build or buy anything to be sure you understand.  If you need help, EMAIL ME.

Heater assembly:

Did you read the section "Before you begin" right above this section???  C'mon, it's only a few little sentences and you may regret not preparing before you try to assemble this thing!!  Go back and read the prior section, please!

OK, now that you've sworn that you're ready to start...  Clear a small workspace and take out your heater and your glue and your oil drain pan.  If you wish to use newspaper, spread it on your work surface.

Dry-fit your heater to THE BOTTOM OF THE INSIDE of your pan to get an idea of how you will apply it.  I'm using a standard double-wall fount (vacuum style) so I want to try to center the heater in the pan.  If your fount has a different outlet design, place it where the water will be flowing or pooling.

Notice that the heater I'm using has one side where the power supply enters the heat-distribution pad.  There is a little bulge here (hard to see but it is in the upper, lefthand corner in the first picture below).  I want this little bulge to be up - which will place it away from the oil drain pan and ultimately my fount because I think the small bulge may not conduct the heat to the fount as well.   It probably doesn't make a lot of difference but a flat application is easiest to glue.

preferred orientation with bulge facing up

non-preferred orientation with bulge down (against pan)

If you wish to protect your hands from the glue, don your rubber or latex gloves now.  Apply the glue to the heater on the side that you will attach to the oil pan.  In this case, I am applying it to the side that does NOT have the power supply bulge.  In the picture below, I have applied the glue and I am just about to flip the heater over to stick it to the BOTTOM OF THE INSIDE of the oil pan.  You can apply the glue with your heater sitting on the newspaper I mentioned, but I skipped that step and did everything inside the pan to keep the glue off my counter.

Now place your heater on the drain pan where you dry-fitted it.  In this case, I am putting the heater in the center of the pan.

Push the heater flat against the oil pan as you work.  If you applied enough glue and used appropriate pressure, you should see glue squeeze out all around the edges of the heater.  You don't want all the glue to squeeze out from under the heater, but you want to press the entire heater lying flat against the oil pan so you don't have any air spaces.  This ensures good heat conductivity to your fount.

This is how it should look when you are done applying the heater to the oil pan.

Read the label on your glue.  Most say the glue will be tacky in about an hour and cured in 24 hours.  Wait for the glue to fully cure before moving to the next step.  NO SHORTCUTS!  SEE?  THIS IS WHY I ASKED YOU TO READ "BEFORE YOU BEGIN"!  ;)

The next day...

You are ready to use your heater.   You can use it outdoors but I find most folks want to use it in a coop where the wind and snow is off the fount and isn't messing with the optional Thermocube.

Plan where you'll place your fount.  If you're not using the DC application, you need it close enough to an outlet for the power supply cord on the heater to reach.  DO NOT stretch the cord tightly - you NEED a drip loop.   A drop loop is a small sag in the cord that will not allow water possibly flowing down the cord to run all the way to the outlet causing a short, shock, or fire.  If you are using an extension cord as your power supply, you STILL need a drip loop - hang it on a hook up on the wall or something if you have to, just do NOT let your cord make a straight downward shot to the power supply (outlet or extension cord).  Basically, your cord should make a little "U" shape or at LEAST it should go down from where it is glued to the oil pan, under the pan, and back UP to the power source.  This will keep any leaking water away from both the heater AND the power source.  We don't plan on any water running down the cord but hey, stuff happens, especially with animals!  We all know that water and electricity don't mix, so let's not try to create a doomed science experiment in our coop - you won't win any awards for taking 5 years to eventually cook all your birds at once in a fiery blaze (the Fire Department thanks you in advance for your cooperation).

Now that you've picked your spot, place 2 concrete blocks on the floor of your coop - you'll want to have a relatively flat surface.  The concrete blocks are intended to help keep the heater away from the bedding/litter in your coop and get the fount off the ground to keep bedding/litter out of your water.  You do NOT want the oil pan to fit OVER the outside of the blocks such that the heater would touch the blocks.  If your blocks fit inside your pan, either your pan or your blocks are too small.   You can go get bigger blocks or use more of them and space them appropriately - just be sure that your blocks aren't easily toppled so that when the birds hop up on them to get a drink or move around the fount, they don't knock everything over.

Depending on their size and shape, you may need to space your blocks apart from one another to appropriately support your heater and fount.  Remember too that if you have bantams/banties, chicks, or other small fowl, you may want to create a step of sorts for the fowl to stand upon while they are drinking.  Some small birds cannot reach the fount when it is placed upon the concrete blocks and heater.  Spacing the blocks slightly apart and out from under the oil pan creates this step and standing area for your birds.

Now place the oil pan UPSIDE-DOWN on top of the blocks.  This means the heater will be under the pan but away from the concrete blocks and bedding/litter so it isn't likely to start a fire.  This also helps keep the heater away from water.  The power supply cord will come out from under the pan to plug into the power supply.  Don't plug it in yet, that part is coming up.  Before you set your fount on top of the pan and fill it up, check again to see if you are close enough to your power supply AND have a drip loop in your cord.  If you don't know what I'm talking about, back up 3 paragraphs and re-read the little warning about water flowing down the cord.

You want your upside-down drain pan resting on the concrete blocks to be relatively level so that it doesn't rock.  With a double-wall, vacuum style fount, you don't have to have it perfectly level, but the more stable this is, the more stable your fount will be.   Now, take your power cord and create that drip loop.  Do it now before you pour any water.  You can plug it in if you like but it's better to just hang the plug up a bit and not plug it in yet.  I'll explain in a minute...

If you're really ready, you can now set the fount on top of the upside-down oil pan and fill it.  With the double-wall, vacuum style founts, it's best to put the little outflow hole pointing toward the lowest point of your oil pan and concrete block assembly.   This will help it to stop leaking faster - almost every double-wall, vacuum style fount leaks for a few minutes after you've filled and re-assembled it.  Just give it a minute to quit and adjust as necessary, but be patient.

Now check once more to see if any water flowed down your power cord while you were filling your fount or trying to level it and get it to stop gushing.  If you did your drip loop correctly, any water that ran down the cord went AWAY from the heater and stopped at a low point in your "U" shape made by the cord, getting nowhere near your power supply (outlet or extension cord).  If you've been successful up to this point, NOW you are ready to plug in your heater.  If you are using the optional flexible, plastic cord protector/conduit, run the heater cord through it first and then plug it in.

If you're using the optional Thermocube, plug it into the outlet first then plug the heater into the Thermocube.  If the area around the Thermocube is above the "on" temperature (in this case, 35F), you should NOT have power to the heater.  If it is below the "on" temperature, you SHOULD have power to the heater until the area around the Thermocube rises above the "off" temperature (in this case, 45F).

If you aren't sure if your Thermocube is working, you can get a little voltage tester and see if the Thermocube is sending power when it should.  Buy the kind that is made to test an outlet - it will look like a plug with a little light on it (or several little lights on it, depending on what it tests).  Plug it into the Thermocube and change the temperature around the Thermocube using a fan to blow cold air (remember, water and electricity don't mix so don't go fiddling with snow and ice - those are forms of water!) and a heat source to blow warm air.  ;)  One way to do this is to plug it the Thermocube into an extension cord when you are outside in the cold (below 35F in this case) and then plug the tester into it.  Give it a minute to light up.  Then carry this cord, Thermocube, and tester assembly inside WITHOUT unplugging it.  Go where it's warm (above 45F in this case) and give the light a minute to adjust and turn off.  You might get the same results by breathing on the Thermocube's sensor or wrapping your warm hands around it for a moment.  Remember, the Thermocube measures the temperature around itself, NOT the water temperature in your fount or heater temperature on your oil pan!

Optional DC application:

This optional application allows you to use the poultry heater away from a traditional AC power source (outlet).  This is a good way to power up your water heater if you don't have electricity in your coop, especially if you don't have the option of running a long extension cord from your house out to your coop.

Before you decide to go this route, BE SURE YOU HAVE A BATTERY CHARGER ON-HAND, IT WON'T BE THAT LONG AFTER YOU START USING YOUR HEATER THAT YOU WILL NEED THE CHARGER, EVEN IF YOU USE A THERMOCUBE (unless your temperatures don't fall below the Thermocube's "on" setting very often and easily rise back above the "off" setting).

BEFORE YOU NEED TO USE YOUR CHARGER, READ ALL THE DIRECTIONS.   CONNECT THE POSITIVE/RED SIDE BUT PLEASE DO **NOT** CONNECT THE BATTERY DIRECTLY TO THE CHARGER'S NEGATIVE/BLACK SIDE - FOR SAFETY USE A LONG, HEAVY-GAUGE LEAD (you can use about 2' of INSULATED, heavy power wire (usually copper) with the ends stripped off - connect one end to the negative/black side of the battery and then connect the charger's negative/black lead to this extension wire).  THIS ALLOWS YOU TO MORE SAFELY CONNECT THE CHARGER TO THE BATTERY **AWAY** FROM THE BATTERY & POSITIVE/RED SIDE, which prevents instances of accidental sparks, electrocutions, and fires!!!

Now that you are ready to go, set up your 12-volt, deep-cycle, marine running battery in a safe location.  Place it inside the plastic battery box and then connect the inverter's red/positive lead to the red/positive side of the battery and then CAREFULLY connect the inverter's black/negative lead to the black/negative side of the battery.  AVOID SPARKING as this can be VERY dangerous, especially if you have a dusty area or have bedding/litter, feathers, or hay laying around.  I do NOT recommend keeping your battery in such an environment, which is why I like using the protective battery box.

Switch the inverter on to be sure it is working and your battery is fully charged.  Now put the lid on the battery box and place your inverter in a safe location nearby.  Plug in the heater.  If you're using the optional Thermocube, plug this into the inverter first and then plug the heater into the Thermocube.

Be sure to check your inverter's specifications to see if and when it will sound a low-battery alarm and if and when it will cut out when the battery voltage falls below a healthy state of charge.  You will need to charge your battery when this happens, so plan ahead.  Too much power drawing on the battery too often, or too small an amp-hour rating on the battery will demand more frequent charging.

Enjoy your new poultry water heater and praise Suzanne and Rick at Silveraurora for sharing this wonderful idea with us!