The stuff from Home Depot that you cover walls with is not so bad. There are lots of different options in any hardware store.

 

ok, so....

basically, using styrofoam, make an insulator for the water bowl, leave some space below the water bowl inside the styrofoam "sleeve" and run a light bulb to it?

Would the light bulb fixture just get wired to a extension cord and plugged into a gfci outlet?

 

I am running into the same problum, but with my rabbits again they gnaw on almost every thing, but where I live it will get below 0F, I got this heater (http://www.ebay.com/itm/W1209-DC12V...839667?hash=item488fd66c73:g:NkMAAOSwYlJW33xe) I have a heater just like this one (https://www.amazon.com/Lewis-N-Clar...d=1481226707&sr=8-1&keywords=immersion+heater)
My qeution is 1 how do I keep my rabbits from getting burned. 2 What container should I use
AIDayley

ps sorry about trying to steal you thread Dethnode

 

I am running into the same problum, but with my rabbits again they gnaw on almost every thing, but where I live it will get below 0F, I got this heater (http://www.ebay.com/itm/W1209-DC12V...839667?hash=item488fd66c73:g:NkMAAOSwYlJW33xe) I have a heater just like this one (https://www.amazon.com/Lewis-N-Clar...d=1481226707&sr=8-1&keywords=immersion+heater)
My qeution is 1 how do I keep my rabbits from getting burned. 2 What container should I use
AIDayley

ps sorry about trying to steal you thread Dethnode

no problem, i saw that heater, my problem with it was that it can heat water to a boiling temp, but also, that if the animal drinks enough water to expose even a part of the coil, it will dry fire and then it is ruined.

 

I got this heater (http://www.ebay.com/itm/W1209-DC12V...839667?hash=item488fd66c73:g:NkMAAOSwYlJW33xe) I have a heater just like this one (https://www.amazon.com/Lewis-N-Clar...d=1481226707&sr=8-1&keywords=immersion+heater)

That heater will likely burn up if it's not in water.

 

I get you point I also have a timer which I could use to limit the time which it will be on, I think I have a good idea of how I am going to do the electronics, now I need a bowl that can handle the low temps (and not so low temps)
Thanks for all the help
And sorry to all-yal moderators about turning this into a furom about pampering our pets

 

no problem, i saw that heater, my problem with it was that it can heat water to a boiling temp, but also, that if the animal drinks enough water to expose even a part of the coil, it will dry fire and then it is ruined.

I only have two rabbits

 

5 gallon heated $30
https://www.farmandfleet.com/produc...F3eEETZCOxFfkA3j7A-FRZSvH_rrTimSBMaAg6h8P8HAQ

There are NUMEROUS Chicken bowl heaters, Horse water heaters etc targeted towards the farming market that aren't "expensive" at all..
Hardly worth rolling your own when one can be had for $30

Numerous others.. Google for "water bowl heater chicken" or similar..

 

That is a nice option, but the reason I have a metal water bowl is because he chews everything. He is a 10 month old lab. And I have taken him to the vet because he knocked my mosquito sprayer off the table, chew on it until he got the D cell batteries out of it, then chewed the batteries until it busted in his mouth.

The thing I dont get.... He then went back and chewed the second battery.

Damn dog aint got the sense to not chew something that just spewed acid into his mouth. But he is a goofy thing and fun to play with....

 

5 gallon heated $30
https://www.farmandfleet.com/produc...F3eEETZCOxFfkA3j7A-FRZSvH_rrTimSBMaAg6h8P8HAQ

There are NUMEROUS Chicken bowl heaters, Horse water heaters etc targeted towards the farming market that aren't "expensive" at all..
Hardly worth rolling your own when one can be had for $30

Numerous others.. Google for "water bowl heater chicken" or similar..

Well if I did't diy then then my life would be boring

 

perhaps my dog is an engineer, he chews things up because he wants to know whats inside them and how they work????

 

Another.. $30/metal
At the very least you could strip out the heating and add it to whatever bucket you want..
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3307+21918+25006&pcatid=25006

 

Buy your styrofoam box from Omaha Steaks and then you get a free dinner of Lobster Tails or Steaks. Their boxes have very thick walls and very good insulation.

I suggest you add a controller with fuzzy logic or PID or other system with feedback to get an actual temperature. If it heats quickly, then you know the bowl is empty. If it heats slowly, you know it is cold outside and need to apply more heat until you reach your setpoint.

 

Buy your styrofoam box from Omaha Steaks and then you get a free dinner of Lobster Tails or Steaks. Their boxes have very thick walls and very good insulation.

I have several of those! I keep one in the van in the summer to bring groceries home in. Very handy. I toss it around and abuse it because - why not?

 

Irrelevant. The total heat introduced within the boundaries of a closed system is the total heat.

In theoretical physics where everything is a perfect conductor and you DO have a closed system this works fine, but this situation does not involve perfect conductors and is CERTAINLY not a "closed system". In the real world, yes, applying heat at two points is more efficient. The resistor itself can only dissipate its heat so fast, and then if you aren't careful to apply a thin layer of thermal compound to ensure there is no air trapped between the resistor casing and the water bowl, any minute pockets of air trapped between the resistor and bucket will further slow heat transfer from the resistor to the bucket. Even with a thermal compound, the heat still only transfers so fast, and applying it over a greater surface area should heat the water quicker.

 

I suggest you add a controller with fuzzy logic or PID or other system with feedback to get an actual temperature.

That's overkill for a simple heating system.
A bang-bang, thermostat type controller is quite sufficient.
If you want to add a temperature monitor to the bowl, that can be a separate device.

 

Even with a thermal compound, the heat still only transfers so fast, and applying it over a greater surface area should heat the water quicker.

So, how fast should one heat a water bucket for a dog...when the heater stays on for days or weeks at a time? In other words, tell us how your comment applies to this Thread and improves the results for the Thread Starter.

It is my opinion that you could place a piece of styrofoam on the ground, make an air cavity with a light bulb in it, set the bucket on top, and keep the water from freezing with no contact at all between the heating element and the bucket.

 

Well it depends on how cold it gets, whether it's windy, how deep the bucket is, and how much heat you're applying to the bottom of the bucket. If the weather conditions aren't too severe (temperatures in the high teens-mid twenties, F) and the bucket (or water level, at least) isn't really deep, a bulb might be fine.

However, looking at the OP's link to the bucket, you'll notice it's oblong rather than round -- if you have a single heat source under the middle, the edges may still freeze over, as it takes longer for the heat to transfer there, while heat transfer from the water's surface to the air is relatively uniform across the entire surface. In this case, two 40W bulbs would probably serve better than a single 75W bulb (and it's not just because of the extra 5W of heat).

While we're on the topic of incandescent bulbs... if using incandescent bulb(s) to heat the bucket, wouldn't it be beneficial (from an efficiency standpoint) to paint the underside of the bucket black so emitted (infrared/visible) light gets absorbed and turned into heat?

 

So, wait a second. Let me ask this. Where is your DOG kept outside when it is freezing cold? How do you keep your dog warm?

 

So, wait a second. Let me ask this. Where is your DOG kept outside when it is freezing cold? How do you keep your dog warm?

Its a dog, not a tropical fish.