Anyone have any tricks for keeping water from freezing? - Page 1

I have several dogs in outside kennels and their water keeps freezing with this cold temperatures, requiring me to frequently check and break ice and add water to the buckets. I was wondering if anyone had any tricks or tips for keeping the water from freezing. I do not have the ability to use electricity as in water bucket heaters or heated bowls and was wonderng if anyone had found any alternate ways to prevent freezing.

I would be worrying about electricity around water and bowls.   Put a tablespoon of good quality cooking oil into the water and make the bowls small ones rather than large buckets, so that you can fill them more regularly, and theywill not freeze so much with a tablesoon of oil.   More water, needs more oil, and this culd cause them to have lose motions.  Also, if you cant get small bowls of water to work, then table spoon of il, and a ball bobbing around, but if like ours, they will bob it around til they get the ball out, so not so successful.

They are outside 24/7.  I have large plastic buckets and also large aluminum tubs that currently houses the water.  I thought about using oil but thought the water might just freeze underneath as the oil floats on the top. May have to try it though, thanks for the idea.

Osborne Canine Canteen!!!!!!
 I have 4 of them so far. Pricey but well worth it

The Osborne Canine Canteen requires electricity, unfortunately.

Does anyone make a solar heated water bucket for dogs? Electrical cords (even when sheathed with metal) are just not a good idea with dogs that chew.

Not sure how far your nearest source of electricity is, but you could buy an air compressor, appropriately sized for the number of bowls you have, and connect a tube and then split off a branch for each bowl.  Place the ends of the tubes into the water and the movement from the bubbling should be sufficient, in most cases, to prevent freezing.  They use the same kind of set-up for fish ponds, outdoor aquariums, etc.  All of the supplies can be readily purchased at any home improvement store.  This would require a single electricity source that can be run via an all-weather power cord from the nearest outlet.  Not that the Osborne canine canteen is not a great product, but this would certainly be more cost effective if you had an electric outlet even remotely close and the power cord can be placed outside the dog area.  Good luck and stay warm!   

i put glucose in the water than it will not freeze so quickly but you always need to check the water

Glucose? Isn't that sugar? Does it have any effect on the dogs health? I was considering salt because it lowers the freezing point of water but Im afraid it may cause health issues for the dogs.

I would never let my dogs drink glucose, bad way to get sugar.