K&H Pet Products Ice Eliminator Original Birdbath Deicer Natural Original 50 Watts

I bought this heater a month ago and have been waiting for it to get cold enough to use it. Well, the temp is 6 degrees and dropping, with snow and a wind chill of ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? Seems like a good time to test it. I have it in a concrete birdbath. No matter how I adjusted the cord, the front kept tilting up out of the water. It is fairly lightwieght and the cord pulls on it. I had to put a rock on it to keep it down which seems to be working. It also gives the birds something to land on. The birds can access about half of the water which I consider a success. I have seen many types of birds drinking from it today.Please note that this is not supposed to keep the water warm, just keep it from freezing. It it continuse as it is now, I will be happy.

I have a traditionally styled faux concrete bird bath (some sort of fiber reinforced cast ceramic material), This heater is the ideal size, shape, and look for my bath, but unfortunately it just can't prevent my bath from icing up except for a small puddle around the heater every time the temperature gets to the teens F / negative teens C, as it has a LOT this winter. (Normally, our winter weather is in the 20s and low 30s F / negative single digits C., during which this heater keeps a much larger area ice free.) The real problem is after about a day of sustained frigid conditions that small puddle dries out (I suspect it evaporates) and I am left with this heater surrounded a wall of ice about 1/4 inch away. I can use hot water restore the puddle, but again this dries out fairly quickly (about a day) if the temperature stays lowThere is an 80 watt version of this heater, but I suspect it might not make that much difference given how shallow and non-insulated my bird bath is. (Even though it might produce a bigger puddle of non-frozen water at first, it might also cause that water to evaporate faster. The biggest difference would be that it would cost a lot more to buy, use more energy, and leave a slightly bigger hole in the ice when it does go dry.Rather than going for more watts, I would suggest thinking about using a better insulated bird bath if you live where where its going to be this cold a lot of the time. My Dad as the deeper plastic bird bath from K&H (the one that you can get with or without a wrought iron stand, and it stays more or less ice free. Its not super aesthetic, but it's a great value and it uses exactly the same amount of power than this unit does. On the other hand, you could use this portable heater in a bath that was already deeper or better insulated that mine is. Or you could make one.I guess I am just a little too lazy for that. I like being able to use the bird bath that I have, and I always have a kettle of hot water on my wood stove anyway, so going out and refilling my puddle ever couple of days isn't that big a deal.The bottom line is that I appreciate being able to use my existing bird bath and there is no doubt that The birds and squirrels get access to water on MANY days that they would not otherwise. That makes me happy. And to be fair my bird bath is so shallow that I have to fill it up between rains in the summer as well. I have faith that in a normal winter keeping water in the bath would be easier - no harder than keeping feeders filled.So while this item doesn't work miracles with my bird bath, it does extend the season. I am pretty happy with that and I am glad it doesn't use more power to do that than necessary. If I wanted it to work better I would have to replace or modify my bird bath, and that just doesn't interest me right now.

Update as of February 2021: We’ve had our deicer (higher wattage option) running for roughly 2 years now. Given that our past 2 winters were considerably warmer than normal, I wasn’t sure how fair a test our unit endured. We’ve finally had a few days of zero-ish Fahrenheit with a -7F reading as I type this review. The new plastic pan holding the water is roughly 18” diameter with 3” of water. There is a 6” diameter opening in the center of the 2” thick layer of ice. A few birds have availed themselves of (liquid) water but I wonder if this deicer is supposed to keep the entire contents liquid? Is it hampered by the fact that I added a few stones to the water to provide more perching space for baths? Interestingly, I haven’t observed a single bird standing on the heater, only on the rim, another reason for providing the stones. With such a small opening at current temperatures, it would appear that I need a “stronger” deicer for temperatures more typical of this area. I’m still pretty happy with the purchase and would definitely buy it again.Original review: From the week of the first real freeze here in northeastern South Dakota, we had this running in a birdbath that I kept on the lawn. I had the very short cord (other reviewers have addressed the cord length) attached to a properly certified “outdoor” extension cord and the area where they joined was enclosed in a “Farm Innovators Model CC - 2 Watertight Cord Lock”. I knew the enamel partly fell off the heater, perhaps due to our weather, but I wasn’t expecting the plug itself to have accumulated such a layer of chalky stuff! I’m no electrician, so I honestly don’t know if the device is still safe to operate, or for how long. I’m also unsure if cord lock was the problem. The cord lock (and thus the heater cord plug) spent much of the winter submerged in snow as we were blessed with what I felt was the best winter of my life (some will think I’m nuts for saying it), so the lock didn’t directly contact the -30F temperatures that we occasionally had, but I can’t help but wonder about the outcome had I bought a heater meant for colder temperatures and, perhaps, kept the cord lock above snow level.Be all that as it may, the heater absolutely did its job ALL WINTER. Once installed, I often had to remove windblown snow from the surface of the water (our winds are quite blustery at times), but “my” birds, squirrels, bunnies, etc. were ALWAYS able to drink, and that is the important thing.

When you first plug this thing in you'll probably think that you received a dud, but try it in near-freezing temps and you see that it IS working.

I’m giving this birdbath heater only 3 stars because the cord is shorter than advertised. It is not an 18” cord. It hits 17” to the very end of the plug when stretched. Most of the cord is used up just positioning the heater to sit flat in the birdbath. A cord about twice the length, say 36”, would be great.We have not had a chance to use this, since we ordered it too late to try during our cold months of winter.That all being said, the heater is a very good size for our birdbath and we’re longing forward to seeing how it works.This heater does have a three year warranty so it will be covered long enough to see action next winter.

Will it or won't it? That was the question. Is the K&H Manufacturing Model 9001 80 W heater that replaces my former, now dead 150 W heater going to keep my birdbath open between the common -20 to -30 C temperatures we experience for several days during the winter? An online review states that an overnight -30 C test of the 80 W heater resulted in no freezing. My data now are in and the picture is not quite so glowing but is not dire. My 80 W heater is in a concrete birdbath that when full of water (15 liters) is 22" (56 cm) in diameter and 3" (7.5 cm) deep. At -25 C, for several days, there is a 12" (30 cm) open water pond. At -30 C, for several days, there is a 8" (20 cm) open water pond that still is large enough to supply drinking water for the birds. At -10 C the magpies are bathing and I need to replace 10 liters of water every day. The lesser purchase and operating cost of the 80 W heater works for my setup.It is with a heavy heart that I send a second review of my K&H Pet Product Ice Eliminator Super Birdbath Deicer Natural 4.5" x 6.5" 80W.My heart is heavy for two reasons.Reason 1: My K&H Pet Product Ice Eliminator Super Birdbath Deicer Natural 4.5" x 6.5" 80W died at two years and 6 days.Reason 2: I did not attach my purchase receipt to my operating instructions that accompanied the heater so I cannot request a replacement unit during the three-year warranty period.

I live in a cold climate and so far this year we have plummeted to -26. Next week even colder. At the -26 some ice developed around the perimeter of the bird bath but there was enough water in there for the motley crew to get a good drink. When it rose to -16 it was clear and they were even having short baths in there. I have read that birds do that because it helps them preen their feathers which they do in the hedge and after checking with bird groups, they inform me that healthy birds are fine bathing in colder weather(for those who shudder at the thought) , You do need to house the extensions (I jerryrigged tupperware). You do need to make sure it stays underwater which I did with a rock.

I really like it. I took a long time to write a review to really see how it stands the test of time and the inclement weather. I have had it for a full fall/winter/spring and this is the second year. In the province of Quebec we have an average of -18C through the winter, January constantly around -20C and below, with some few days around -30C. It still works in my birdbath!For most winter the water in the bath is 100% liquid. For the colder months it is frozen around but with one or 2 holes that naturally form for the heat escaping air. It turns out to be actually a great result because the birds then land in the ice and snow and can comfortably sip the water through the holes. I am very satisfied with the product. My birds visit it constantly and I became their reliable source of water through the seasons.

I live in Ontario, Canada. So far, this heater seems to be doing its job nicely. As of the taking of this photo, the temperature is -6 degrees C. There is a slight film of thin ice on one side of the bird bath, but the rest is water. The birds love it. I used an outdoor extension cord and secured it to the base of the bird bath with a couple of Velcro straps (to keep the squirrels from running off with it). I keep it topped up with fresh water every couple of days. This item was delivered within 2 wks as per the estimated time and packaged securely.