leaking rabbit drinking nipples

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Jesper said:
Hi

About 1/5 of my nipples leak from the get go. Can anyone recommend a quality nipple?

Thank you :)

/Jesper
Click to expand...
These were the ones I had best results from:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071WV6B24/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1However I bought them five years ago and they were made in China, so no confidence they would be the same quality.

Two things I've found to help with the dripping, which as I'm sure you have or will discover, makes for a serious fly problem (among other things). First, cleaning and adjusting the assembly can correct quite a few dripping issues. Second, I put a cage cup under each nipple to catch drips. This is helpful for a few reasons...
- It helps keep the floor dry when nipples do leak.
- Some rabbits hold onto the nipple to make a stream of water come out, and water runs constantly while they're drinking; the cup catches that stream instead of letting it run onto the floor.
- Some rabbits prefer to drink out of the cup (and the more they drink, the healthier they are).
- If there is a system-wide malfunction, the rabbits will still have drip water in the cups until you discover and fix the problem.
 
I have not had trouble with leaking, but I have 4 deployed, maybe I was lucky!

also any leaking issue I had mostly had to do with how the brackets hold onto the cage, and I made some of my own brackets to make them more secure. I will try to take a pic tonight.
 
Zee-Man said:
Leaking nipples, it seems, is a matter of water pressure. Too high and water sprays out. Too low and the gasket doesn't seat after use.
Click to expand...

Good tip, I've noticed this might be the issue for me. I hooked them up to a communal 8 gal bucket, similar to a chicken waterer. Hoped that would work as it keeps the water from freezing longer and I don't have to fill it up as often, but I think that's my whole issue and I'll have to go back down to a 5gal or lower. How many gal bucket do you use for your system (and how many nipples overall attached)?
 
Heartbased Homestead said:
Good tip, I've noticed this might be the issue for me. I hooked them up to a communal 8 gal bucket, similar to a chicken waterer. Hoped that would work as it keeps the water from freezing longer and I don't have to fill it up as often, but I think that's my whole issue and I'll have to go back down to a 5gal or lower. How many gal bucket do you use for your system (and how many nipples overall attached)?
Click to expand...
Size of the bucket does not really mater. It is more how high you have it mounted about the water spouts.
 
Heartbased Homestead said:
Good tip, I've noticed this might be the issue for me. I hooked them up to a communal 8 gal bucket, similar to a chicken waterer. Hoped that would work as it keeps the water from freezing longer and I don't have to fill it up as often, but I think that's my whole issue and I'll have to go back down to a 5gal or lower. How many gal bucket do you use for your system (and how many nipples overall attached)?
Click to expand...
I am working on a constant flow system. With constant flow the entire mass of the water has to get below freezing. The reservoir being inside the house, for my design, it can never freeze. A system wholly outside would need a heater as well.

@Heartbased Homestead, for a gravity system, it isn't only height but area reduction. You start with the largest drain pipe you can manage for a good sealing bulkhead. Start with a 4" pvc pipe, reduce gradually to 1/2" pipe. The difference in gravity between 4 feet and eight feet isn't that profound. But the greater the head the more pressure you will have at the outlet simply because it is a taller column of water. That column being concentrated by the reducing pipe size. Keeping a gravity system from freezing is a matter of adding heat tape. That gets mighty expensive.

The cost of either system is incongruous with the frugality of raising meat for me. It would cost about 10 to 15 rabbits to pay for this system. Now, since I often forget to carry water out to my rabbits, the constant flow system becomes something I want to do to protect my livestock. That makes the cost acceptable.
 
NY Rabbits said:
How do you keep them from freezing in the winter?
Click to expand...
I don't. They are just out of commision for a few weeks a year, but they are not damaged during the freeze thaw. I could run a heater/use heat tape, but I honestly live in a temperate climate, so I just use regular crocks filled daily for those few days here and there.
 
Thank you for the details Zee-Man. Sounds like a genius system, excited for winter updates.

Update on my leak issue: solved with a little bit of Teflon tape around the seal. I know Teflon is toxic but it's also used in most water piping systems and takes a very long time in extreme heat to break down and enter the water supply.
 
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Zee-Man said:
I am working on a constant flow system. With constant flow the entire mass of the water has to get below freezing. The reservoir being inside the house, for my design, it can never freeze. A system wholly outside would need a heater as well.

@Heartbased Homestead, for a gravity system, it isn't only height but area reduction. You start with the largest drain pipe you can manage for a good sealing bulkhead. Start with a 4" pvc pipe, reduce gradually to 1/2" pipe. The difference in gravity between 4 feet and eight feet isn't that profound. But the greater the head the more pressure you will have at the outlet simply because it is a taller column of water. That column being concentrated by the reducing pipe size. Keeping a gravity system from freezing is a matter of adding heat tape. That gets mighty expensive.

The cost of either system is incongruous with the frugality of raising meat for me. It would cost about 10 to 15 rabbits to pay for this system. Now, since I often forget to carry water out to my rabbits, the constant flow system becomes something I want to do to protect my livestock. That makes the cost acceptable.
Click to expand...
I have a constant flow system as you describe with a heater in the bucket for winter. I turn the heater on when temps drop below 30F. I have been down to -5F with no issues. The reservoir stays at 85F and I have about 60ft of running pipe to service 12 cages. The whole setup is in an unheated 8'x12' shed.
 
I have a constant flow system with a 5 gallon bucket. I've got the pump set at the lowest flow rate but I'm having some real issues with leaking. I'm thinking it's the cheap nipples. I am looking at these nipples but I can't feel confident because there are no reviews. Does anyone have experience with them?
https://www.kwcages.com/accessories/nivek-watering-systems/fount-with-snap-bracket.htmlI am also looking at these on Amazon but the latest reviews aren't encouraging.
https://www.amazon.com/HEEPDD-Stain...d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9zZWFyY2hfdGhlbWF0aWM&psc=1
This is frustrating!
 

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