OMG. DH is just too much sometimes, LOL. So, the infrared heater and heated chicken waterer arrived yesterday. He installed the heater (it's like a small flat panel that goes on the wall) pretty easily. But, the stupid chicken waterer literally has like a 15 inch electric cord! Stupidest thing ever. I suppose if our outlet was down at a level like in a house that would be great, but it's up beneath the light switch. DH didn't think it was good to put the outlet down low, where they could possibly peck at it and get shocked! I read some more questions/reviews and several said they just use an extension cord. I guess dh wasn't too excited about using an extension cord outside (even though it's in the coop, covered), so he says let me look at it, I might be able to put a new cord on it....
2 hours later it's "fixed". For some reason he had to take the bottom apart, ,so he could see where the cord went inside. It had screws, but part of it was glue sealed on. Finally he gets it apart. I thought for sure he's going to end up breaking this plastic and great I'm out $50. He gets it apart. Then proceeds to cut off most of the cord - 3 or so inches away from where the cord comes out the base. I didn't ask, but why didn't he just do that in the first place rather than taking the base apart?? He also apparently pulled up the part that was glued down to the inside of the base where it was all connected to. Then he says do you have a glue gun? um...I used to, haven't used it in 20 years, let me go see if I still even have it. Found it in my "craft" drawer but the little bag of glue sticks is empty. Why would I leave an empty bag in there? let alone I doubt I ever used that many on anything, LOL. They must have fallen out. Finally I find a lone glue stick in the drawer. I'm thinking to myself: why can't he just be like a normal person and just use an extension cord?! The little old glue gun worked great to reseal that part to the base. Finally he got the base cover put back on, but it probably needed to be sealed again where he broke the seal apart. He ended up sealing it with some caulk. Then it took another half hour to get the wiring from where he cut the cord hooked up to the longer piece of electric cord. Finally it was all done. He put some water in to make sure it didn't leak and plugged it in. It wasn't leaking. Then I read the instructions and it said it would only come on and heat when it was below 34 degrees, so it needed to be outside to see if it was working or not. We just put it out in the coop (it's like 6:30 by then, we hadn't even had dinner) to see.
It was 23 degrees outside. The little heater didn't seem to be heating the coop roost area much, so we put it in the higher setting. When we checked on the water to see if it was staying unfroze, dh used his temperature gun to see the temp inside the coop. The heater panel was 130ish (that's what it's supposed to be per the instructions) but pointing the heat gun to the wall inside roosting area was still only like 23 degrees. Well, lets leave it on all night and see if it gets heated back up in there.
This morning when I got up I went out to check. It's still 23 degrees out. The water is still unfrozen (yay!). I pointed the heat gun at the wall inside the roosting area and it was now 38. Not too warm, which is good, I think, but above freezing now, at least.
DH was also busy engineering, in his head, a new watering system, LOL. There is a water pump just outside at the corner of the coop. He's got a splitter thing on it, so he can hook up like 2-3 different hoses, so he wants to use a short hose that goes directly into the top of the waterer (which of course he'll have to drill a hole into the plastic, LOL) and install the hose and to fill up (from the top, rather than the bottom), I just have to open the pump handle and fill it up. No taking apart the waterer to fill up, then turn it over and carry back into the coop. The good thing, though, about this new waterer, is it is much bigger than the other one I had. It's 3 gallons, so 3 gallons (that doesn't freeze) will last the girls quite awhile before I have to fill it up again, even if it's the normal way.
Your DH might have annoyed you on this one but I agree with him. Extension cords are not meant to be used permanently like that. They are a fire hazard and are a main cause of fires. Your DH was right to take the time to put in a longer cord. My husband is over the top with fire safety.
ReplyDeletehopefully he knows what he was doing and the splicing together of the wires and electrical tape is just as safe as the ext. cord.
DeleteI fear you may kill your chickens with the heat! Seriously, they need to be dry and out of drafts and not warm. They do need water, no matter what. Don't be mad at me! I worry!
ReplyDeleteI made my checken waterer out of stuff I had. It was sitting outside and only had a light bulb to heat the water. Surprisingly, the water never froze, even in 9F weather.
everyone I've asked who lives in cold climate like we do where it gets below zero (it was -3 the other night) says they give their hens some heat in the coop. Since the new little heater only heated them up to 38 degrees last night, I'm not too worried it's too much heat in there.
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