Get A Submersible Bird Bath Heater For The Winter

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Submersible Bird Bath Heater

A submersible bird bath heater is a great way to continue providing water to the neighborhood flock all year round. At this time of year, you may be considering what your bird bath heater options are, and you may be confused with all the choices available online. In addition, you may also receive incorrect bird bath advice from various sources. If your goal is to prevent bird bath water from freezing, you should always go with the most practice, reliable option. This will almost always be an electric model that you can place directly into the bird bath bowl.

There is more good news! That is that bird bath heaters only cost a minimal amount of money to run. Most modern units have automatic thermostats. This means that they will only run long enough to prevent the water from freezing. Then, they will shut off. With such a great feature, a submersible bird bath heater is something both you and the birds can love!

Solar Bird Bath Heaters

You may read that a solar bird bath heater will do the trick if you live in a cold climate. However, this is not the case! You will probably never find a solar bird bath heater for sale. This is because it is almost impossible for a solar heater to hold enough energy for long enough to prevent the water from freezing. Consequently, many people may recommend a solar bird bath pump.

It is true that a solar bird bath pump keeps water moving. Also, moving water does not freeze. However, a solar pump is often not enough to prevent bird bath water from freezing because it does not operate long enough during the day. Solar pumps work best in constant, direct sunlight. Most of the time, there is simply not enough available in the winter months. And of course, there is no sunlight overnight. Consequently, you will almost always wake up to a frozen bird bath. This is another reason why we recommend a submersible bird bath heater.

Possible Electric Submersible Bird Bath Heater Alternatives

In years past, we have cautiously recommended the Solar Slipper as a way to keep bird bath water from freezing in winter. This year, the Solar Slipper does not seem readily available, so we would like to offer other options.

If you live in a cold climate and want to keep your bird bath in operation all year round, you can try lining your bird bath bowl with a dark plastic bag. The dark color will retain the sun`s heat and will keep the water warm. Of course, you should expect the water to freeze overnight. When it does, you can simply remove the bag and the ice and repeat the process. If this sounds arduous, it can be. You can also pour warm water into your frozen bird bath every morning to thaw the ice. If all of this sounds like a lot of work, you`re right! The few cents per day it takes to run a submersible bird bath heater will be worth all the work it saves in the long run.

The Best Submersible Heaters

So what are the best submersible bird bath heaters on the market? The truth is that almost bird bath heaters are submersible today. There are a few models made of foil that will sometimes float if the water is deep enough, but the better models are all submersible. However, one of the best we have seen is the API 250D Bird Bath Deicer.

This is multi-purpose heaters that also works great in buckets, pails and pans. So, you can use it to prevent livestock water from freezing. It is made of stainless steel and the cord has a stainless steel chew guard. In addition to being durable, stainless steel is the safest material for both humans and wildlife. The built-in thermostat means that this heater will shut off as soon as the water temperature is above freezing. It is strong enough to deice up to 15 gallons and runs on 200 watts and 120 volts to keep electricity costs low.

The Allied Precision Ind DT250 Submersible Bird Bath Heater

This bird bath heater comes in a close second after the API 250D. Like the API, it features a stainless steel chew guard to prevent wildlife from damaging the electrical cord. It also has multiple thermostats that make it shut off when the water temperature is above freezing. Customers also report that they placed this in buckets and other livestock waterers and that it has been very effective in keeping the water from freezing. Customers report placing this unit in plastic water buckets. Even though the unit has touched the bucket, the plastic did not melt. This is a good bet for bird baths of any material.