Farm Innovators Model B-9 Economical Birdbath De-Icer, 44-Watt

I live in Wisconsin where we have serious winters and birds eat snow to supply their water needs for several months of the year. Believe it or not, Most winters we have periods when all the water is frozen, but there is no snow. Some birds can die of thirst during those periods, and with liquid water available, we attract many more birds to our feeders than we would otherwise have. We used to buy water-heating devices intended for chickens and small livestock at the farm supply stores, but they never lasted very long, and were a bit bulky for a shallow container that is appropriate for birds. So several years ago when yet another one quit on us, I tried shopping on-line for something more appropriate. When I saw this device, I thought I'd give it a try, for it is so thin you can put it in the bottom of an ordinary bird bath, and best of all, it was inexpensive, so there wasn't much to lose by trying it. When it arrived, I was surprised at how flimsy it looked, for it appears to be little more than heavy gauge foil like a disposable pie pan with wires inside. I had my doubts when I plugged it in but was amazed at how functional it was. This device worked for many winters when even if the temperature dropped to 15 below zero -- a regular occurrence in midwinter at this latitude, there was always an opening where the birds could get water. At 15 below, the opening gets to be only a few inches in diameter, but the birds don't seem to mind. There are only a few problems to consider. Because it is so light we weight it down with a brick or rock. We choose a rock that extends above the water level so the birds can sit on it to drink. We also add a piece of tree branch across the top for another perch. Also the electric cord is so short you will need an outdoor extension cord linked to an outdoor electric outlet, so if you don't have an outdoor extension cord of appropriate length, buy one along with. Our unit is in continuous use from mid-November until early April. After a few years of use the aluminum foil cover developed a leak at the cord inlet. I repaired it with silicone aquarium cement and continued using it for at least two more years. The metal gets tarnished and black after a winter's use, but do not try to scrub of scour it clean for you would probably damage it.. Just let it be black; the color doesn't matter. This winter the unit finally failed to heat the water any more, and the container of water froze solid. After looking for available heaters, I was pleased to see this device still being sold and this time I got two, in case one fails. We plugged one in after thawing out our water pan (In this climate you need something portable instead of an ordinary bird bath so you can bring it inside to thaw when necessary,) The heater worked perfectly just as the last one had. Last night it was 14 below zero, and an opening remained for the birds to use. We keep our bird watering pan that is made of rubber so it won't break when it freezes, up off the ground on top of a planter were we grow marigolds in the summer. You could put it on the ground, but where we live it would get buried under the snow and be useless for birds. Be sure to keep the water level up so the birds can reach the water which evaporates rapidly in extreme cold. We use soft water in the watering pan and usually add snow to the pan when the water level gets low, for snow melts into water with no minerals in it. We don't know how long the heater would last with hard water, but the way we use it gives us more than our money'w worth.

I like this very simple, birdbath de-icer. The first one I had, lasted six years. There aren’t all kinds of bells and whistles with it. All you have to do is lay it flat in the bottom of your birdbath, and plug it in. I put pebbles over mine to make it all look natural. It works great. It lasts a long time. One of my favorite things about it is, there is no plastic involved. I’m trying to stay away from plastic as much as possible. Except for the rubber like cord, there’s no plastic here. It’s just all metal, and once it’s lived its life, it will gradually degrade. Only when you’re done with it though!

I got this to put in a bucket for my yard birds (chickens and ducks) so they would have non-frozen water to drink. It was larger in size than I expected, so I had to get out a bigger bucket... but so far it has worked perfectly starting with the first day I used it - thanksgiving - when it was -8 and i was gone to family all day and worried they would have the water ice up.The de-icer is flexible so it fits in bottom of my bucket, with the part close to the cord bent upward so the plug can be out of the water. I think it would be perfect in a bird bath as well, as it is intended to be used. For my bucket even though it's a larger one than I intended it keeps the water from freezing. the splashes the ducks make around the rim of the bucket do freeze solid, but the actual surface of the water stays open so they can drink and rinse their eyes and nostrils.I am a little worried about the foil coating as it is getting some holes in it, but so far it does not seem to be electrifying the water or anything, so I am going to roll with it until i have a problem. It is keeping the water thawed! each morning when I drop it in the bucket air comes out of the heater and bubbles rise by where the cord enters, so I have assumed that is normal for this item. The slight concern over how the foil is getting broken is the reason i knocked it down to 4 stars, but if it breaks i will definitely replace it with the same product and just be more careful about handling it.Overall, so far after using it for about 2 months I'm still very pleased with this product. it's the perfect answer so I don't have to get a whole second bucket or dish for winter, I can just use a bucket I already have and put in a small, easy-to-store heater in during the cold months.

I purchased this item for the winter months to use in my basic bird bath. At first it seemed to work "just" ok. There would be a thin layer of ice and once the sun hit, the ice would melt. Every time it snowed though, it was useless having plugged in. It can not melt snow, period.I'd go out and brush away the snow and still, no use, the water would be frozen thick for days.....even with the sun out. I tried again this year after much debate of returning.I re positioned my bird bath to accamodate for hazardous weather and made sure the voltage running through the extension cord was good. Still, it failed me. I noticed too that it burnt itself to a crisp after some use? The aluminum was brown/tarnished and holes appear to be starting.The cord is not long enough, so an extension cord is needed....but after being in use during the winter months, I could barley unplug the cords from one another-they had rusted together. This was from the snow and conditions, not from being submerged in water. Also, to keep the heater from floating, rocks are needed. Most rocks give off minerals and deposits, making the water dirty. I clean my bath daily and this is a added hassle-to remove all the rocks, extra cleaning etc. The whole point I felt in the winter months was to keep the water warm for use. It never kept the water usable and created more problems then anything.