How do I determine what size de-icer I need?
De-icers are measured by watts. The larger the wattage, the more heat a given de-icer generates. The general rule of thumb is to have 10 watts of power for every gallon. For example, if you intend to de-ice a 150 gallon stock tank then figure on a 1500-watt unit. The performance of a de-icer depends on a lot of variables, including size of the tank, construction of the tank (metal, plastic or rubber), environmental conditions (wind chill, outside air temperature, exposure to sun), temperature of the incoming water, drinking activity and so forth. De-icers are not necessarily intended to maintain a tank completely ice free under all conditions. Rather, the idea is to keep at least part of the water surface ice-free so that your animals can drink. If in doubt about what size you need, get the higher wattage unit. Since they only operate when needed, a higher wattage unit will not necessarily use more electricity since it will run for a shorter period of time (as compared to a lower-watta
