Keep water from freezing

[kmbishop111]

What works for you guys to keep water from freezing so fast? Single digit temps here currently. The only thing I've tried is placing hot hands under water container inside feeding stations. I'm looking for some kind of battery or solar powered idea to keep water containers from freezing as fast? What has worked for you? Tia!

 

[Draco]

maybe something like this?

Amazon.com

gotta make sure it's safe for whatever bowl you are using.
There's also regular chicken waterers that's heated that might work too?

 

[Kris107]

There are heated bowls, but I assume you're not near an electrical outlet? I'm not sure if they have battery powered heated bowls or not.

 

[Caspers Human]

Back in the day, my father wrapped electric heating tape around our dogs' water buckets.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/EasyHeat-AHB-6-ft-42-Watt-Pipe-Heat-Cable/1069433

This is what people use to keep their pipes from freezing in the winter. Wrap it around the pipe or other object you want to keep from freezing and plug it in.

There might still be an "iceberg" in the middle. It doesn't have to keep all the water from freezing. All it needs to do is ensure that there is enough water for the dog (or cat) to drink from.

 

[GenCat]

I bought the K&H heated water bowl for ours. It seemed to be the safest option given it has actual electrical regulation information listed and has a stainless steel version. I haven’t used it long so can’t comment on quality though.

*Oops, ignore this I just saw the “battery powered” and my brain ignored it. That one is a bit more difficult. Agree with the above about some sort of insulation around it.

 

[Kris107]

This link seemed to have some good ideas: Neighborhood Cats | How to TNR | Stop Freezing Water
I saw a solar heated bird bath but the reviews weren't stellar.

 

[KittyCat_chitchat]

It would only be a temporary fix, but you could try periodically melting the ice by pouring hot (not boiling for cat safety reasons) water from a kettle onto it. Not sure how well this would work, but just throwing it out there.

 

[Caspers Human]

I saw a solar heated bird bath but the reviews weren't stellar.

It takes a lot of energy to keep water from freezing. Battery or solar powered devices generally won't be able to supply the amount of energy needed.

Science Lesson:

It takes 1 calorie of energy ("heat calorie" not "food calorie") to raise the temperature of 1 gram (1 cubic centimeter) by 1 degree Celsius. One calorie is equivalent to approximately 4 joules or the equivalent to 4 amps of electricity at a potential of 1 volt, supplied over the time period of one second.

If you have 1 liter of water (a little more than a quart) that's 1,000 cubic centimeters of water. That means you would need 4,000 amps of electricity to raise the temperature of water from freezing to 1º C. Don't forget that it also takes 1 cal./cu.cm. of energy just to change ice to water, even though the temperature doesn't change, at all. Add it all up and you'll see that the simple task of thawing water takes a LOT of energy!

Those long, skinny batteries that people use to power their vapes are called "18650 batteries." An average 18650 battery can supply up to 1 or 2 amps at a potential of 1 volt for as long as one hour. They also supply approximately 4 volts of electricity but that means you must DIVIDE the time by 4. That means the battery will only last for 1/4 hour or fifteen minutes.

So... If you put four of those batteries together, you MIGHT be able to thaw a bowl full of frozen water but they will only last for fifteen minutes. Then, of course, the water will soon freeze again.

If you tried to recharge those batteries using a solar powered charger, it would take three to four hours to charge your batteries in full-bright sun at high noon...but...they'll be completely dead in fifteen minutes. Unless you are taking about a "house sized" solar panel, you'll never be able to recharge your battery powered water dish.

Bottom line: A solar powered or battery powered water dish just can't reliably supply enough energy to keep a quart of water from freezing during the winter. It might work for a short time but not for the amount of time we need.

You'll be better off just getting an electric heater of some kind then using a long extension cord to power it.

Battery or solar powered devices just can't cut it.

 

[kittyone]

If you have some clay tiles / ceramic tiles or fire brick and a wood stove or pellet stove, heat the tiles/brick ON the stove till hot. Remove them with an oven mitt because they get HOT. Place them under water dish where no electricity is available. If you are worried about scorching a surface under the heated tile, place another unheated tile under the heated tile (unglazed side up against unglazed side of heated tile and glazed (finished) side under bowl). This will retain heat the longest. The tiles/brick transfer heat for a good amount of time. A towel or washcloth over the heated tile holds heat a little longer. You can even place them SAFELY in (wrap in a towel) or around outdoor cat enclosures on those bitter cold and windy winter days/nights to transfer some heat to the feral cats. When it is in the high 20's (F) or higher, most cats are fine just getting in a dry enclosure with hay.

 

[my_money_pit]

You need to keep the water going through a cycle. It's how they prevent source water from freezing, they do not block the water flow during winter. You will need to create something similar to that but that is something that will require most probably a motor and a whole complicated system.

 

[Avery]

There are battery operated pet fountains that would do the trick of keeping the water flowing and perhaps not freezing. There are a bunch on Amazon, some expensive but some around $20. I am not familiar with them enough to know about their upkeep but if you only need one or two for your colony, it might be worth a try. Just a thought!

 

[di and bob]

I keep looking for a battery powered bowl, but everytime I check they are electric! They just don't show the cord. Is there a battery powered water bowl!?

 

[my_money_pit]

I keep looking for a battery powered bowl, but everytime I check they are electric! They just don't show the cord. Is there a battery powered water bowl!?

Why don't you connect it to a powerbank ?