Water Bottles are freezing! How do I stop it?

[Mariah's Meadows]

All repeated information already, but thought I'd share a previous comment I made about our water method during winter. The post itself also has great suggestions like this thread does https://rabbittalk.com/threads/winter-water.34402/post-334997
I wonder if you can also buy heated "tape" (more of a strip) and try finagling it around each of the bottles near the nipple but outside of the cage. If your nipples are freezing, that would certainly help, but I don't know what temp it brings it to or if it's regulated. They are designed to wrap around pipes and keep your house water from freezing in the pipes. They're likely a safe temperature, but do check first. Would hate to have burnt bunny tongues!

Just a thought!

 

[eco2pia]

I use crocks just in the few weeks of real winter we get...Just for fun, I will tell you it was HILARIOUS to watch my bottle raised Buck try to drink from a crock for the first time. The kits reared here get ground time, and they knew just what to do, but he has clearly never dealt with open water in any form. He would dip his chin and then lick the air trying to suck the drops of water off.

 

[Zee-Man]

I tried using a small recirculating pump and when rabbits drank water would spray out of nipple. I ended up using a five gallon bucket set a little higher than nipples and let gravity feed the water. I put heat trace around bucket and down the water line and insulated been down to 19 degrees with no issues. By the way most nipples are rated at 3 psi. Pumps can easily exceed this so you would need a regulator for your system

You are right, I forgot to list the pressure regulator

 

[Zee-Man]

...I wonder if you can also buy heated "tape" (more of a strip) and try finagling it around each of the bottles near the nipple but outside of the cage. ...

Heated tape is a good idea. There are those that are designed with thermostatic control built into them, turning on/of at about 34 F. Tape is a little costly. For single water bottles it might be affordable, for long water lines it gets really pricey. If one would buy tape to add to a water bottle, one may just as well buy the heated bottle.

 

[Mariah's Meadows]

Heated tape is a good idea. There are those that are designed with thermostatic control built into them, turning on/of at about 34 F. Tape is a little costly. For single water bottles it might be affordable, for long water lines it gets really pricey. If one would buy tape to add to a water bottle, one may just as well buy the heated bottle.

I assumed there would be some sort of regulator; thank you for explaining how it works! And you're probably right that it would be worth it to buy a heated bottle itself v. dealing with this heated tape. But still a suggestion nonetheless It might be useful for someone who doesn't want to replace all their gear or something, who knows.

 

[Krevis1]

I live in South Florida and freezing weather/water isn’t something we have a problem with - however I agree highly with heated bowls! I’d get heated bottles as well ! - but that’s a personal preference

My rabbits All love and prefer the bowls over bottles , but they have both just in case

It never hurts to protect your investment , EVER!

 

[Blue bunny barn]

Depending on how many rabbits you have, if you have a power source, and how much cold you get, you may want to check out heated water bottles. You can also have several regular water bottles per cage and swap them out throughout the day so they can thaw in the house between uses. But, I have heard of the water bottle tips being damaged by the frozen water in the tips (I think that would mostly be for the ones that have the ball-tip and not the ones that have the rod-tip?). I know many people switch to crocks in the winter because of this problem. I did that and water bottles for half a winter years ago with only a few rabbits. This year I put in a circulating, heated water system. Boy, am I thankful for that system! I did not want to deal with the issues of frozen water again.

I am also interested in seeing your heated water system when you get a chance. TIA

 

[MuddyFarms]

I am also interested in seeing your heated water system when you get a chance. TIA

Sure! I guess I should have posted back on this thread with a link to the post I made with the pictures! Here it is:

https://rabbittalk.com/threads/heated-circulating-water-system-with-pictures.34526/

 

[Blue bunny barn]

Sure! I guess I should have posted back on this thread with a link to the post I made with the pictures! Here it is:

https://rabbittalk.com/threads/heated-circulating-water-system-with-pictures.34526/

Got it, thanks!

 

[Rabbits by Accident]

In addition to all the great advice above, you can invest in either a heated water bottle or a continuous flow system. This Bottle has a thermostat built into it so it only uses power when the water gets close to freezing. At $26 it is reasonable for just a few rabbits.

A CFWS has the benefit of never needing filling and not freezing in most human inhabitable places. Depending on the distance between a heated structure and the hutch a CFWS would cost less than $200. I have a promise to publish my plans here at RT, but I have yet to get time to build mine. Here are the parts:

1) a reservoir - a 5 gal bucket would do
2) a float valve - there are many styles, there is one for cattle that looks like a pint bottle
3) an RV pump - runs on 12v and has low pressure
4) PEX and fittings
5) valves - used to cut off flow when doing maintenance
6) nipples - of course!
7) tap for the nipples

The reservoir goes inside the house or heated structure. A water source is connected to the reservoir via the float valve. This is what keeps the system full forever. Using on bulkhead fitting at about the half height of the reservoir, stretch a run of PEX out to the hutch. That is the return side. Use another bulkhead fitting near the bottom of the reservoir and connect the pump. From the pump stretch another run of PEX out to the hutch. Run PEX through the hutch and add nipples as needed. Turn on the pump. Rabbits now have a constant supply of water that won't freeze unless you live at one of the poles. Bury the PEX deep enough so you won't damage it with daily traffic. Don't worry about getting it deep enough to not freeze, it simply won't while the pump continues to run. Added benefit is that in the summer the water is always cool for the bunnies too!

I doubt I will ever get around to doing this, but I have one question. What about the nipples? don't they freeze when it gets down to 10-15F?
thanks

 

[Zee-Man]

I doubt I will ever get around to doing this, but I have one question. What about the nipples? don't they freeze when it gets down to 10-15F?
thanks

Since the water is "heated" the system never gets low enough to freeze. The nipples don't have water sitting in the exterior to freeze. And the nipple itself is "heated" from the flowing water.