Bought a $45 heated waterer and it paid for itself in one ice storm

I was hauling out hot water three times a day during that cold snap in January. Finally grabbed one of those heated base waterers from the farm supply store for about 45 bucks. Plugged it in that night and woke up to liquid water instead of a frozen block. No more chipping ice at 6 AM and my birds are actually drinking now. Anyone else make the switch to heated gear after a rough winter morning?

2 comments

2 Comments

hayden_rivera1mo ago

Has anyone looked at how much electricity these things actually pull? I checked mine with a kill-a-watt meter and it was running almost constantly during that deep freeze, cost me about 12 bucks extra on the power bill that month. Still cheaper than my time and effort hauling water, but it wasn't free either.

vera_lewis1mo agoMost Upvoted

Wrapped the tank and the exposed pipe in foam insulation before the next cold snap, which cut the running time way down. That 12 bucks turned into roughly 4 for me, so worth a look if you haven't already.