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Birdbath De-Icer Heater (1 Viewer)

SanAngelo

Well-known member
I'm in need of a birdbath de-icer.

I'm sure it's too late for 2018 but if I order now I'll have it on-hand for next year.

I did a forum search, only found two:

80 W Super Ice Eliminator Birdbath De-Icer

Not a de-icer but a regular birdbath - Farm Innovators Model FS-1 Four Seasons Heated Birdbath, 70-Watt.

The Super Ice Eliminator Birdbath De-Icer looks good, it's only 3/4 of an inch thick but it's out of stock. I called, they don't know when they'll get it in. It says 1/30/2018 but they don't know if they'll have it or not.

Whatcha think, any suggestions or a product recommendations?

Thanks
 
Didn't think about an aquarium heater, that's a good idea. Our local aquarium shop closed about 10 years ago. With a population of 100K, WalMart is the only place left for aquarium supplies. I'll check it out.

I checked with the local nurseries/garden shops, the smallest one I found was a pond heater; 8 inch by 8 inch by 3 inches thick at 60 bucks a pop. Too large for the baths, besides 3 baths would cost nearly 200 bucks..!!

I stopped in at Tractor Supply and Feed Store, only thing they had were large floating trough or huge submersible tank heaters.

In the meantime I'll be using the floating ball trick, hope that works.

Thanks, I appreciate the help.
 
In the meantime I'll be using the floating ball trick, hope that works.

Depends on how low the temperatures are in your neck of the woods - would be a total waste of time here most winters: long periods of temperatures far below zero day and night. Would just get stuck in the ice and even if you could remove it, the water below the ball would be frozen too.


Local DIY store might have heated cable that is designed to wrap around water pipes to stop them freezing. It is fully weather resistant and should do the job if you find nothing else.
 
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Depending on who's selling the map, I'm either in West Texas or included in the geographics of the Hill Country, although I'm sitting in the middle of the Concho Valley.

It's been a harsh winter up north, whenever a front moves south normally we get the tail end, if that. This winter, so far, we got hit full on minus the snow. Usually we have a few freezes thawing out during the day. Snow maybe once or twice if that, also gone by mid-day.

So far no snow but I've lost count how many freezes, consecutive or otherwise. There's been a few days without a thaw. I have 5 bird baths, lost 2 to the freeze....they cracked like an egg.

We're forecasted for a week of high 60s (20s C), dropping to the 20-30s at night. Don't know what's beyond that but I'd like to be prepared.

Here's the wind map
, you can see we're getting our weather from Mexico right now.

These consecutive freezes have been hard on the birds. I had Ladder-backs and Golden-fronted woodpeckers working on the ice like it was a dead snag. Threw boiling water on the ice, what standing water it created didn't last long, froze right up. Worst freeze I've seen in 15 years..??

Local DIY store might have heated cable that is designed to wrap around water pipes to stop them freezing. It is fully weather resistant and should do the job if you find nothing else.

Tomorrow I'll hit the hardware store, see what they got along the lines of a heated cable. In theory, it seems similar to Lisa's suggestion only with tin foil wrapped around the wire run.

How about something like this:
Bird Bath De-Icer

I like this, it looks simple and doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Not sure if 44 watts is enough to break a couple days of deep freeze but it's worth a try. If I turn up empty handed tomorrow I'm ordering this.

Thanks all, I appreciate ya.
 
Based on experience, I would look for a water heater made for farming purposes and to keep water buckets etc open cattle or other animals when they would otherwise freeze over. These things are effective and durable and quite reliable. Find a small one intended for the right amount of water, By way of illustration I'm linking to a Canadian source for them, it does get pretty freezie here.

https://www.amazon.ca/Farm-Innovato...=en-CA&tag=googcana-20&ref=pd_sl_4uetus3amk_e
 
Haven't had a deep freeze since my OP, since my last post one or two baths got a top layer of ice.

My baths are shallow, holding a gallon of water. Our local Tractor and Feed store carries the heaters Ruff suggested. They're designed for troughs and tanks with a capacity of 5 gallons or more. Won't work in my baths.

The heaters shared by Birdmeister and Lisa are the best fit although I haven't found them locally. None of the DIY shops carried Jos Stratford's heated cables.

Haven't had a chance to use it but I settled on a submersible aquarian heater.
Picked it up at the local WalMart. It's tubular, strong shock resistant glass filled with silicon carbide crystals, 5 inches by 1 inch, made for 2 to 10 gallon tanks, 50 Watts and supposedly it maintains water temperature at 78F (25C).

Looking forward to updating this thread.....no telling what will happen to the glass submerged in a gallon of water during a deep freeze?

I appreciate the help.
 
I wanted to get back with an update on the Submersible Aquarium Heater, how it handled consecutive days of deep freeze.....however, the freeze never happen.

We had a day or two of overnight freezing, that's it. By mid-afternoon the baths were completely thawed. I think our deep freeze season is over; there's buds on the trees, the insects and lizards are out, the birds are pairing up checking out the boxes.

Prior to the freeze, I placed the heaters in 2 of the 5 baths. Those with the heaters had no ice, those without were nearly frozen solid.

At 14 bucks a pop, the price was right and the heaters work fine on 1 gallon baths during an overnight freeze. Can't speak to a deep freeze, that'll have to wait till next year.

Thanks for all the suggestions.
 
Haven't had a chance to use it but I settled on a submersible aquarian heater. Picked it up at the local WalMart. It supposedly it maintains water temperature at 78F (25C).

Jeepers, at that temperature, I would be worried about the neighbours popping over to paddle in the heated pool :t:
 
I've had one for years. It is a simple metal loop that gets hot when plugged in. It can be bent fairly easily, is maintenance free and very effective. It even runs when not submerged and didn't seem to have been damaged. I tried to find a link to a similar heater but no luck. Now I'm worried that if mine fails, I won't be able to find a similar replacement.
 
Here are reviews of a whole bunch of bird bath heaters: https://birdbathsforsale.com/bird-bath-heater-reviews/.

Most heaters are thermostatically controlled, meaning they will shut off when the temperature is warm enough not to freeze over. The only reason I would not recommend an aquarium heater is because the cord will not be appropriate for outdoor use. Bird bath heaters come with cords that will stand up to the elements, as well as the pecking of birds. If you need an extension cord, also make sure to buy one that is appropriate for outdoor use. There are also bird baths available that have an integrated heating unit. These are usually well-hidden so as not to be unsightly.

Make sure your bird bath is made of a material that will stand up to winter weather. Resin or durable plastic are best, as cement and concrete will crack.

Good luck!
 
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