Another reason to add a dripper to your birdbath would be for your convenience. The dripper can be connected to a faucet and used to replace water lost by evaporation and of course by birds splashing when bathing in you bird bath. It is a source of fresh water that you do not have to monitor on a regular basis.
Here are some questions we are frequently asked about drippers. We hope this will answer your questions and encourage you to add a dripper to your backyard bird habitat.
How much water will a dripper use each day?
When you adjust your dripper to drip about one drip per second, a dripper only uses about one pint of fresh water per hour. When you run the dripper for 24 hours, you would use 3 gallons of water per day. These figures will also help you when figuring for water loss from you birdbath.
What components are necessary for a dripper system?
Most have a Y valve on the outdoor spigot, and adaptor on the Y valve to reduce down to 1/4 inch tubing, the 1/4 inch tubing, a regulating valve to set the flow, a base to support the dripper tube, and the dripper tube from which the water drips.
If I have a well, will the dripper cycle my pump to on and off often?
Of course the more water you use the more your pump will have to cycle. But if you set the flow low, like one drip per second as mentioned above, and you have a the correct accumulator tank on your well system, then the increase in the number of pump on-off cycles will be quite low. Talk to your plumber or the person who installed your pump and tank to get the figures for your system.
What species of birds will I attract with a dripper?
Most species of birds you are attracting with your bird feeders will appreciate you adding a dripper to your bird habitat. But many birds that are not attracted to seed will come such as tanagers, flycatchers, vireos, warblers and more! Learn more about attracting birds with this handy chart.
