The Solar Sipper Water Warmer®
Model One, Model
Two, Model Three
Battery powered deicer for dog dishes and birdbaths
Cordless water heater - no unsightly wires for your pets or wild birds to chew
Instructions for Use
-
The Water Warmers should not be used for any purpose except heating outdoor drinking water for animals and batteries should not be inserted unless unit is ready to be used.
-
Unscrew the unit carefully and insert two batteries.
-
For the Model Three, place the black cap on the back of the second battery.
-
Screw the halves of the unit back together after the batteries are inserted.
-
Handle the threads joining the two halves of the unit with care. They are purposely tight to insure water resistance. A small amount of vegetable oil may be used to ease turning. Make sure that threads are properly started to avoid stripping as the warranty may be voided if stripping of threads occurs.
-
Place the unit immediately in pet drinking water container or birdbath.
-
To use the unit in a Solar Sipper, simply remove the top and inner cup and place the Water Warmer in the outer cup.
-
The unit will begin to feel warm to the touch within ten to twenty minutes. If you find that the unit is not heating as specified after about an hour, replace the batteries. If unit fails to heat, return it under the conditions of the warranty.
-
When placing the unit in the container it should be tilted to avoid total immersion of the unit. Normal operations are for the unit to be partially immersed with the heating tip in the water and the connecting section above the label out of the water. The units are water resistant only. If the unit should become totally immersed and water should leak inside, simply open the unit and allow all parts to dry out. Warranty can be voided if the unit is fully submerged for long periods of time.
-
Make sure that the heating tip is as close to 1/2 inch under water as possible for best heating of the water.
-
The other end of the unit should be out of the water up against the side of the container. You can also use a bungee cord (not included) to suspend your unit in your drinking container.
Figure 1: Water Warmer
Figure 2: Water Warmers shown with bungee cord suspension
-
When the batteries are fully drained (see below for time estimates), remove the unit from the water, and remove the batteries, and either add new batteries and resume use or store the unit (without batteries inserted) for future use. When the unit is not in use always remove the batteries and store the unit in a safe dry place away form children.
-
We recommend you use only nontoxic vegetable oil to add lubrication and longer life to the threads.
-
The unit is designed for simplicity and trouble free use. There are no switches or thermostats to cause trouble or wear out. Take out batteries and the unit is off, install batteries and the unit is on. It's that easy.
-
Battery duration estimates at 15 degree air temperature: 11.5 Amp-Hour/12 Amp-Hour NiMH batteries or Duracell Copper Top or Energizer Max batteries – about 2 hours. Higher temperatures will give you longer operating times.
Some Dos and Don’ts to Get the Most from your Water Warmer
Things to Do:
-
Insert batteries outdoors, not indoors
-
After inserting batteries, immediately place the unit in drinking water to be heated
-
Use the Water Warmer only in cold weather
-
To get the most power out of your Water Warmer, use it when the temperature of the drinking water to be heated is close to freezing. The battery power will then be optimally used.
-
Use our recommended batteries
-
Use the Water Warmer if the outside air temperature is at 15 deg F or higher and only in one quart of drinking water still above freezing for best results. At higher air temperatures the unit will heat more water and at lower air temperatures the unit will heat less water.
-
Remove the batteries when unit is not in use or indoors and store in a safe dry place away from children.
Things Not to Do:
-
Do not use the Water Warmer if the water is already freezing. It will not be as effective.
-
Do not chip at the unit if it becomes frozen in ice. This could cause damage and void the warranty. Remove from ice if frozen in container by using warm water only.
-
Do not use the Water Warmer for any purpose other than heating outdoor animal drinking water.
-
Do not fully immerse the Water Warmer in water.
-
Never use the Water Warmer to heat flammable liquids or near flammable materials.
Design Goals, Test Results and Veterinarian Comments
In order to get more people providing fresh water outdoors in
winter we wanted to develop an animal safe system that was simpler to use than anything on the market and would
work with our Solar Sipper solar water station. The Water Warmer
is a precision instrument with certain carefully engineered characteristics
to benefit animals. It is designed to work on flashlight size
batteries, as they were convenient and available and withstand cold winter
temperatures. It is self-enclosed to avoid all external wires and built with
no sharp edges. It is designed to operate in an environment at 15 deg. F or
higher with one quart of water. It is made to be portable so that it can
easily be set up at any spot animals and birds favor in your environment.
The Water
Warmer is designed to operate at low wattage and low heater temperature for
safety. It is designed to require no ground fault devices or extension
cords. It is also designed to be used in water containers of any material. By design,
the Water Warmer provides just enough heat to keep water free of ice in very
cold winter conditions, about 10 watts of power, or enough to keep a water hole
free of ice but not enough to hurt animals or humans. Corded products
generate very high coil temperatures for large amounts of water but the
Water Warmer is specifically designed to provide just enough heat to keep a
quart of water above the freezing point. In the Water Warmer, when the
batteries run out, the unit slowly cools and some liquid remains open for a
while longer. The Water Warmer is designed to give about 2 hours of ice
free water in very cold conditions using 2 disposable or rechargeable
batteries, and about
4
hours of operation (using our recommended batteries) with 4 batteries. The
following test is representative of the many tests performed on the Water
Warmer. It was conducted at night (no sun!), at about 11 degrees air
temperature, in a one and a half quart dog dish with two (2) 8.5 Amp-Hr NiMH
batteries. The Dog
Dish with the Water Warmer in it stayed liquid for about 2 hours. The
control unit (no heater) froze over completely in less than 30 minutes. This
was in a night test at 11 degrees F! At higher temperatures the unit will
run for longer periods, about 2 hours or longer (depending on batteries
used) at 15 degrees F air temperature.
Water Warmer in Dog
Dish at 60 minutes – completely ice free
Water Warmer in Dog
Dish at 1 Hour 40 minutes – some ice
Water Warmer in Dog
Dish at 2 hours – ice skim complete
Blue = free water
Blue = free water
Blue = free water
Live Tests from the Vet The Solar Sipper Water Warmer was tested by Dr. J. Robert
Denk of the Commonwealth Veterinary Hospital in Newton Massachusetts in
February 2006. Dr. Denk used the Water Warmer in water bowls for dogs in an
outdoor run at the hospital, on a number of days where the temperature
ranged from 24 to 30 degrees. It should be noted that even though the Water
Warmer was designed to operate as low as 15 degrees air temperature, most
dogs are not left outdoors for long periods at those temperatures. Dr. Denk tested the unit on a Terrier, Labrador, Shepherd,
Beagles, Dalmatian and a Poodle. These dogs ranged from 6 pounds to 75
pounds. Across the temperature spread noted above, the units kept the water
ice free from 3 to 6 hours. The dogs had no adverse reactions to the
units in the bowls and drank normally throughout the tests. There was no
biting, no playing with the units, or any harm to the dogs at all. Dr. Denk
noted that the unit was safe, and "never hot to the touch." Additional
outdoor water test results and detailed veterinarian findings are available
here:
www.solarsippers.com/more_results.html.
Recommended Batteries and Chargers The Water
Warmer uses standard D-cell batteries, either single use or rechargeable.
Rechargeable batteries are advantageous for a number of reasons including
cost savings, and the long-term benefits to our environment. Higher capacity
batteries give longer life in the unit. The cost of the Nickel Metal Hydride
batteries (NiMH) rechargeables is initially a little higher than a
disposable battery, but as the NiMH batteries can be used hundreds of times
the costs are quickly recovered. Keep in
mind that disposable batteries (Duracell Coppertop for instance) can be used
in the unit, and will last almost as long as the rechargeable 11.5 amp-hr NiMH
batteries - about 2 hours. You’ll lose the environmentally friendly aspect
of rechargeables if you use these, but in a pinch they work quite nicely. Our
recommendation means that the batteries have been tested by our engineers in
the Water Warmer and perform as we state below.
Recommended Disposable Batteries
Available at most convenience stores, hardware stores, etc. - Home
Depot, Walgreen's, CVS, Rite Aid, etc. Recommended Rechargeable Batteries
Recommended Battery Chargers for NiMH Batteries Click on the
link above or go to
www.amazon.com Search for
"AccuPower AccuManager20" One year
from date of sale. Proof of purchase is required plus explanation of any
problems. Unit will be replaced or money refunded. Warranty is only provided
for units used as described in the instructions, used with recommended
batteries, and used for outdoor watering of pets and wildlife. Warranty
is void if unit has been chipped or dropped or otherwise mishandled or if
threads on connector section have been stripped. Happy Bird Corporation is
not responsible for conditions occurring when product is not used as
directed. Email Happy Bird Corporation at
happybirdcorporation@solarsippers.com
with questions and or requests for return. Do not return without permission. Follow this link to see more
test data for the Solar Sipper Water Warmer.
White = ice
White = ice
White = ice
Duracell CopperTop D Cells
or Energizer Max D Cells
AccuPower AccuManager20,
battery charger available on Amazon.com, $49.95 (estimated time to charge
two AP11500 batteries – 14 hours)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0006GD07I/qid=1120143414/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-2512669-4969511?v=glance&s=electronics
BC-1HU Universal Smart Charger, battery charger available from
Onlybatteries.com, $28.98
http://www.onlybatteries.com/showitem.asp?ItemID=11067.14&cat1=11&uid=1468
V-2299 Universal Smart Charger + DC Car Cord, battery charger
available from Onlybatteries.com,
$39.99
http://www.onlybatteries.com/showitem.asp?ItemID=13310.14&cat1=11&uid=1468Warranty
Additional Research Data
and Testimonials
Home | Products | Publications | Order Products | Order Pubs | Request Info