Anyone have experience with heated water hoses?

[StarRidgeAcres]

I'm going to need a temp solution to get me through this next winter. My water source is 120' from where my water troughs will be (I know - YUCK!). The thought of rolling out a hose, then draining it, and storing it in the house every single day is not my idea of fun. So I learned of these eletrically heated hoses. They are pricey, but if they work, I'm up for trying it.

Here's a link to one I saw:

heated hose

I realize I will need to have an eletric source for each hose I'd have.

Any thoughts on the subject are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Marty]

I have seen them and I wouldn't buy them. Call me cheap, but I prefer the term "frugal" or "budget consciencious". I drain my hoses easily in a few minutes during winter is all it takes. Then roll them up and put them in the tack room over night. Sometimes I don't even have to put them away if it is going to warm up to above freezing the next day. After I drain them, I also sometimes drape them along the posts on the fence line where the sun will hit them easier for a faster thaw out. I'd pass on them and save elctricity too.

 

[mizbeth]

Whoooo - Ha, that is pricey. You would need two of them and how would hook up the second one? You would have to have 60' of extension cord for the final 60 feet. Can you leave your water running a bit on the coldest nights to keep your water/hoses open? I typically do that. Of course this part of Texas may get cold at night but most of the time warms up enough during the day to thaw the hoses if they freeze. Just make sure the water buckets you use are big enough to hold plenty of water to compensate for a frozen hose, should you get one. If your hoses freeze, so will the water buckets.

Good luck,

 

[Field-of-Dreams]

Get yourself a water tank, put it by your outlet, fill it with water, put a heater in the tank and put your hose IN the tank. We did that when we lived in PA and we never had a frozen hose. Yeah, it's messy, and you do have to change the water when it gets icky, but I hate draining hoses and dragging them in the house....

Just make sure that ALL the hose is covered by water or even the little bit sticking out will freeze...

we attached a rope to the ends with a weight on them hanging outside the tank so we didn't have to dig for the hose.

 

[stormy]

I have my hoses hung up...that is they are fastened to the side of the barn in one instance, in two other places i used long T posts, hang them on a taught rope so the slope downwards towards the tank. The drain themselves and only occasionally on VERY cold days do I have problems with freezing and those are usually short term as the sun thaws them back out quickly.

 

[gatorbait4sure]

Yes, I bought one last year, and YES!!!!!!! Y-E-S ! it was worth it, EVERY cent! I have arthritis in both hands and my idea of fun isn't bearing my hands in the early morning, sticking them in a tank of cool water and pulling a hose out, OR, leaving the hose turned on to try to thaw it out and then having to run over and turn it off again ( after it has blown water wildly all over the ever lovin' barn because it thawed out while I was cleaning a stall at the other end).....

It never froze and it never caused ANY problems all Winter!

 

[wpsellwood]

Woohoo Dru you answered the question I was wondering too, for the barn I hate draining the dang thing. Thanks!!

 

[wpsellwood]

I just called Big R here in town and of course they are out, but they said there were 119. Darn it!

 

[Thinking small]

Considered one(to the point of buying) but it wasn't nearly long enough... way to costly just wasn't worth the price(hundreds) to do. Fortunately, mini's don't drink a ton so we just bucket out the back door to the main trough which has a heater and i use it to fill the buckets in the barn.

Totally physically intense but that is the best we can do here. I'll admit i will run my hoses for as long as i can though

 

[Ashley]

I have thought about these as I water big horses and its a every other day to daily thing. HOwever, I consider myself money wise, so I take the house in and out of the house when needed.

 

[Reble]

found it on ebay a bit cheaper...

http://compare.ebay.com/like/370422669652?ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar

or this site is even cheaper...for $143.99

http://www.mightypets.com/product.asp?3=2929

one more site, hope this helps.. $129.00

http://www.pet-expo.com/cgi-bin/FULLPRES.exe?PARTNUM=LEC5040

 

[justjinx]

Cyndia uses a heated hose at pondlake stable and loves it. the horses gave it to her for her birthday last year and she loved it enough to buy another one this fall. she would not be without it now! we have lengthy periods below zero where draining the hose wass not enough to keep it from freezing. worth every cent the horses paid for it!

jennifer

 

[splash's mom]

I bought mine at Valley Vet. Totally love it. Expensive but worth it. Downside, they only had 50ft length so I needed two. Also I wish they plugged into each other like Christmas lights do. The hoses connect together but you have to have seperate outlets for each of them to be plugged in.

 

[fowlersminis]

I finally gave in and bought one last year from Valley Vet http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=2680e010-35c1-4395-88cf-d0db989bd149. Absolutely LOVE it!

I wouldn't have it any other way. I agree, I wish it was longer, but I never had to worry about draining hoses or worry about hoses freezing. I have back problems and a tight schedule and I don't have time to be messing with hoses all winter! LOL

 

[R3]

Now I know what I can get for my husband this Christmas!

I'm still looking to see if there's any better price, but found the K&H 60 foot one for $117.80 at this site: marvingardensstore

OK, just saw this K&H 60 footer for $104.89 at: petstew.com

Just found a different brand... Pirit, this is on of the first sites, they have 50 foot for $139, and 100 foot for $199: pirithose.com

Another place with the Pirit hoses in different lengths. The prices are comparable, but they list the option of US or Canadian funds: rittenhouse.ca

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

Thanks for all the advice! I think I'm going to try them...I'll need two 60' ones.

If you're thinking about getting one, note they are manufactured in PVC and rubber. My understanding from reading about them is rubber is more durable, will last longer and will kink less. Of course, the rubber ones are more expensive. But when comparing prices, make sure you are comparing PVC to PVC and rubber to rubber.

 

[My2Minis]

I got one last year and love it. I was so glad to have it during a stretch of freezing weather.

 

[PondlakeMinis]

Hi, my sister posted earlier but I would like to add a reply. I love my heated hose. my barn is at least 800 feet from my basement. the heated hose doesn't reach completely to all my tanks. I have another hose about 50 feet. that one can easily be coiled and taken to the house. If it is really cold (like in the single digits or below) it takes aobut 1/2 hour to thaw. I do not leave it plugged it. I plug the hose in first thing and start feeding. By the time I am ready to water the hose is warm. when done, I do drain it and hang it up.

This hose has been a live saver. No dragging 125 foot hose anymore from house to barn especially after a snow storm with drifts. that was awful. Justjinx, my sister and my niece Ashley and all their goats and horses gave it to me for xmas last yeat. it was the best.

Cyndia

 

[Carolyn R]

Hmmmmm, I may have to consider this. The new barn is about 100ft up hill from the closest water source. I was trying to figure out a way to easily haul warm water up to the stalls in th winter. We have the ability to turn a valve in the basement to get warm/hot water, but that doesn't do much good if the hose is frozen.

 

[Pwest2u2]

Just this morning while getting ready for work I picked up a Jeffers cataloge and they had them in there for $89.00 I was telling my husband about them. Not sure of all the technical stuff, but might be worth checking out. I have always been happy with stuff I bought from them.