Solar heated base for chicken waterer

[cavemanrich]

I haven’t tried it but I think it might work. I’ll have to give it a go myself when the weather gets cold. Heating the water is obviously difficult without electricity at the coop.
So aside from an expensive solar setup the next best thing would be to keep the water moving. I’m wondering if I did a simple siphon loop tube to pick up water in my black bowl and feed if right back. Might just work.

Sure would like to see something like this operating without power..

 

[JoePa]

Who sells solar type panels and all the gadgets you mentioned?

oh please do update if not video it

Who sells solar type panels and all the gadgets you mentioned?

oh please do update if not video it

You can get solar panels and everything else on Amazon

 

[HSoto]

The problem is that any heater is just converting electricity to heat via resistance in a wire (or actual resistor). If you know about electricity, energy loss via heat escaping is a suuuuuuuper inefficient form of energy conversion. Heat generated is literally something that is normally avoided and attempted to prevent due to how much power it wastes in any system that is not MEANT to put out heat. Horrible "bang for your buck".

It takes a lot of wattage to generate heat. Therefore it is going to be REALLY power intensive to run any sort of electric heater. Whether that is a fish tank heater, heat tape, a hairdryer, a forced air heater to heat your off grid cabin (to keep the humans warm), a red heat bulb, etc..

People have success with solar based lighting and solar chicken doors because it is not hard to power a 9 Watt CFL bulb, or a much smaller wattage LED bulb, but it is hard to power a 50 to 100 watt heater (that is on the low end of what you would need) for the entire time the temp is below freezing. So months on end, when the sun comes out the least (robbing your solar panels of any recharging juice). Same for a chicken door. Not super hard to have enough solar juice to run a small motor for less than 60 total seconds per day with the time between used to recharge the battery.

What if we used a regular 60 or 70 watt lightbulb in a cinder block. So you could place the waterer over top? Would a small solar panel be able to keep up with that?

 

[HSoto]

Sure would like to see something like this operating without power..

Please let us know if it does. Up in the northeast we have the same problem

 

[cavemanrich]

What if we used a regular 60 or 70 watt lightbulb in a cinder block. So you could place the waterer over top? Would a small solar panel be able to keep up with that?

This combination would work in theory. Of course need sunshine. Cloudy days, and night time puts it into no service stage.

 

[AntiqueB]

Better to invest in a new waterer, and use submersion heaters. It's easily done with 2 solar panels and 2 car batteries.

 

[cavemanrich]

Better to invest in a new waterer, and use submersion heaters. It's easily done with 2 solar panels and 2 car batteries.

I agree . But that still is a sizeable investment. Have you priced car batteries lately??

I am a realist. Unless you are off-grid, extension cords don't break the bank.
I have a water bowl running all winter in my front yard for birds to have liquid water. Other animals, like squirrels also drink there.
Extension cord plugged into GFCI outlet work just fine.

 

[Rangergord]

This combination would work in theory. Of course need sunshine. Cloudy days, and night time puts it into no service stage.
View attachment 4028023View attachment 4028021

I have a 400 watt solar system in my RV. As long as I have propane to heat water, run the furnace and refrigerator I have enough power in spring, summer, and fall. In winter I have no power at all because both batteries and panels do nothing in the cold, dark winter. If you live somewhere like Arizona maybe.

The above combo has no battery or inverter to run the dog bowl. That’s what makes an entire system. I don’t think the idea has legs unfortunately.

 

[AntiqueB]

Agreed that an extension cord is the way to go, if you can do it. 2 marine batteries set me back around $300.

An inverter eats energy. It's better to get everything for 12v, and dispense with it. That's one reason why immersion is more efficient on a solar setup. You can get a 12v waterproof heater that draws minimum energy.

 

[cavemanrich]

This is getting into an INFORMATIVE discussion.
My post #25, states that it can work in theory.
I still believe it can.
100 watts of power, with a small inverter should pull a 30 watt heated bowl.
Yes, you would need a storage battery to provide continuous current to operate inverter.