^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^



DIY De-Icer
based on Greg Bickals design

Chronological Pictoral Tutorial

I started with a dishpan from the grocery that is 13" x 15" x 8". I test fit how the pipe and elbows would fit against the edges of the tub and to see how long each pipe would need to be.

I used some pipe insulation that I got from a friend to stuff into the pipe for floatation. I tested this by stuffing a pipe with the foam, then filling it up with water(like if the pipe had leaked), capping the ends of the pipe and floated it in a sink full of water. It floated pretty good - above the halfway mark of the pipe, so I figured this would still float with the weight of the tub, wood and light. I had to slice the insulation lengthwise and zip tie it to get it to slide into the pipe. I put a piece of insulation inside each elbow too.



I dry fit the assembled piping on the tub.



I glued the piping together in 2 sections, making sure that things were flat and square, then glued the 2 sections together and fit it on the tub to check it.



I drilled 2 holes on each edge of the tub just under the lip and used zip ties to attach the tub to the pipe frame.



I got 2 pieces of wood to attach the light fixture to the tub. I drilled clearance holes in 1 piece of wood(inside of tub piece) for the deck screws to go thru. I then partially sunk the screws into the second piece of wood(outside of tub piece) and marked both pieces so I could line it up again when installing it on the tub. I took the screws out and cut off the ends of them so that they would not penetrate the top of the outside wood piece, I did this so that there would be one less place for any water to get at the light fixture.



I dry fit the wood installation and marked around the wood to guide the silicone application. I applied a heavy coat of silicone around where the edge of the wood would rest and around the screws. After installing the wood I siliconed around the edge of outside piece of wood.



I drilled a hole in the tub and a hole in the light fixture for the power cord to pass thru. Then I hooked up the light to the power cord and mounted the fixture to the wood inside the tub. I put zip ties around the power cord inside and outside the tub and applied another heavy coat of silicone around the cord and ties on both sides of the tub. I left a loop that will hang down when the de-icer is in place so that if water gets in thru the power cord hole hopefully it will drip down into the pond instead of running into the light fixture.



Well - it floats! It's not floating as high in the water as I had hoped. I will leave it floating there, unplugged, for several days to see how it fares before adding a bulb and plugging it in when it gets REAL cold. I cut a flap in the side to access the bulb and allow for some air exchange. I may also add some more holes for air exchange and more foam to the outside of the pipe so it floats higher.



Page last updated 10-25-03

\\\\\\\\\\///////////

not MY banners below