K&H Pet ProductsSuper Ice Eliminator Bird Bath Heater, Safety Listed Submersible Bird Bath Deicer for Wild Birds Outside in Winter, Energy Efficient, Paintable Enamel, Automatic - Natural Rock 80W

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.

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.

cord is a little short but can be worked with. Price is good so long as it lasts for many Years. Don't kmnow about that part yet. I had another type which lasted only about 8 Years and cost 100.00. Disappointing.

The white enamel coating is peeling off after less than two months of use.Edit: I noticed the peeling paint a few days after the Amazon return date had passed, but contacted K&H throgh their website and they sent a replacement. Very pleased to be able to continue providing our backyard birds with fresh water.

I've had this Deicer before. What I like is that it only uses 50 watts. It keeps some open water for the birds in the winter for drinking - it's NOT a bird hot tub, people!!! It's warranty is for 3 years; in my experience with this product, 3 years use is what you'll get - my last 2 lasted exactly 3 years, so don't be surprised if it doesn't last longer than that!

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.

This 80w unit may not be an ice eliminator but is certainly a birdbath deicer. With a temp of 4 degrees F last night and a -17 wind chill the middle of the birdbath was still liquid H2O. I woke up this morning to the site of birds occasionally standing on the heater drinking. We have it in a concrete birdbath some distance from the house. The 18 inch cord needs an extension and the connection sealed with electrical tape to prevent water getting in.

This has been in place for a few weeks and has seen temperatures as low as 20F. The water stays unfrozen, so no issue there. However, the cord is very short and stiff and the unit is pretty light-weight. I had to place a brick on the top of the unit to keep it submerged and I had to suspend the extension cord from a tree branch to relieve any pressure on the cord (or it would pull the unit out of the water). These failures led to the four star rating.

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.

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 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.

This is a neat little heater, which fits into the bird bath well and it cleared all the ice very quickly. It uses no more electricity than a light bulb, so economical to operate. I am very pleased with it. I have it in a large shallow dish, but have put rocks in so the birds can't bathe and get their feathers wet and frozen.

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.