Quick Summary
A powerful bird bath heater for chilly winter nights. With its extra-long cord and substantial weight, the Songbird Essentials SE994 Bird Bath De-Icer is convenient to use and keeps a larger bird bath thawed all winter long.
We Liked
We Didn't Like
Conclusion:
The Songbird Essentials SE994 Bird Bath & Multi-Use De-Icer is ideal for providing liquid water in medium-to-large bird baths all winter long.
Compared to other de-icers, the SE994’s longer cord allows for easier positioning in the bird bath and better access to an outdoor power source.
Non-stick coating helps prevent corrosion on the cast aluminum element for longer life.
Note: As an affiliate of Amazon and other vendors, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Songbird Essentials SE994 Bird Bath De-Icer Review
When the temperature drops to -10°F (-23°C), the Songbird Essentials SE994 Bird Bath De-Icer makes sure your birds and other wildlife will still have water to drink.
It’s virtually indestructible and is Teflon coated to resist the mineral build-up that would otherwise damage the heating element.
Unlike most products of this type, the Songbird Essentials SE994 Bird Bath De-Icer has quite a reasonable cord length.
One especially nice feature of this bird bath heater is that it lies flat in the bird bath, with no need to weight it down with a rock.
Could it be better looking? Yes, but its appearance won’t bother the birds at all.
Many who own this product like it better than any other bird bath heater they have owned.
Who is this product for?
The Songbird Essentials SE994 Bird Bath De-Icer is ideal for keeping larger bird baths (up to 24” wide) mostly free of ice, but is small enough (5” X 8”) to use in medium-size bird baths as well.
The long power cord (65” or 5.5 feet) makes it super-easy to connect the heater to an (outdoor) extension cord or directly into a GFCI power outlet.
Overview of features
The Songbird Essentials SE994 Bird Bath De-Icer has a few great features that make it stand out against other bird bath heaters.
For one thing, the cast aluminum heating element has a non-stick coating to keep it free of algae and debris. The coating also helps deter corrosion so you will get more life out of this heater than some others on the market.
It’s also much easier to put this heater in place. The 65-inch power cord makes it possible to plug this heater directly into your GFCI outlet if the bird bath is close enough.
At almost 2 pounds, this heater is heavy enough to lie flat in a bird bath without needing an extra weight on top.
You can safely use this in plastic items from bird baths to buckets and of course it’s also safe for ceramic, metal, stone and concrete bird baths.
The heating unit is 8.2” X 5 inches; the center opening is 2.5” wide, and the cord is 65 inches (5.5 feet) long.
The Songbird Essentials SE994 Bird Bath De-Icer is made in the USA by Farm Innovators.
See also: Why is the power cord so short?
Don't miss: All your heated bird bath questions answered
What's included with the SE994 Bird Bath De-Icer
When you purchase the Songbird Essentials SE994 bird bath heater you’ll find that it’s ready to use right out of the box. It has an internal, automatic thermostat to turn the heater off and on as needed so there are no settings to fuss with.
All you have to do is put it in your bird bath and plug it in.
How to use the SE994 Bird Bath De-Icer
- Position it in your bird bath so that the circular heating element lies flat.
- Plug the cord into a GFCI wall outlet OR
- Plug the cord into an extension cord made for outdoor use.
- If using an extension cord, wrap the connection between the heater cord and the extension cord in plastic or an extension cord safety seal and/or gasket to keep moisture out. (This will extend the life of your bird bath heater.)
That’s it! The Songbird Essentials SE994 will automatically turn on when water is in danger of freezing and turn off when the weather warms up.
What people who own the Songbird Essentials SE994 Bird Bath De-Icer say
Positives
Negatives
Alternative to this product
This compact bird bath de-icer is even more powerful and comes with a spiral of stiff wire around the power cord to protect it from abrasion. It’s also equipped with an auto-shutoff for extra safety. This might be a better choice if you have a very large bird bath (over 24”).
However the power cord is only 15 inches long. The spiral cord guard adds stiffness which may make it harder to get this de-icer to lie flat in the basin. The cord guard also tends to collect bird droppings and other debris and requires regular cleaning.
Conclusion
The Songbird Essentials SE994 Bird Bath & Multi-Use De-Icer is ideal for providing liquid water in medium-to-large bird baths all winter long. Compared to other de-icers, the SE994’s longer cord allows for easier positioning in the bird bath and better access to an outdoor power source.
This unit is a good choice if you’re looking for convenience and easy care.
Add Comment