Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

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.