Stock tank heaters

[Becky]

How do you make your horses leave them alone??

I have 3 heaters in 3 tanks that water 5 pens. I currently have sinking tank heaters. I find them on the ground ouside the tank or upside down in the tank with the coils sticking up out of the water.

Last year I found one the horses so kindly placed on the rim of the plastic tank it was in and melted several inches down the side of the tank. Had to saw it out! OH! I bought drain plug de-icers this year, but have not been able to put them in where they don't leak. I give up!

 

[Mona]

Becky, I always have my trough up aginst the fenceline, then I cun run the cord right through the fence at the back. I have never had trouble with horses bothering the wire when setting up this way. Where I have a trough that serves 2 pastures/pens, I place the trogh so it is centered through the fence and place the heater right in the center, at the fenceline. I run the cord straight up from there, but through a length 1.25" or 1.5" black plastic hose/pipe, then the plug comes out the top, and the extension cord ran along the top of the fenceline. (hope I havn't totally lost you.) As for your useing the drain plug, try wrapping the threads with several wraps of teflon taple. It is used to prevent leaks in plumbing where threaded connections are used.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

I use the floating tank de-icers. Some of the horses do like to bob them in the water but for the ones who show too much interest I place a plywood 'lid' on the tank with an opening in one side for the horses to drink and another in the oposite side wher the cord comes out to the plug in. Then I fasten it so it must stay across the tank from the drinking spot. Out of site is usually out of mind for the trouble makers.

 

[Sterling]

When we used the sinking de-icer we did something like what Mona does...only we used a wider plastic sleeve....we got it at Home Depot and it almost looks like one of those old fashioned vacuum tube thingies (I forget what they're called!) Now we use the drain plug de-icer and use that white PVC pipe to keep them from grabbing cords and pulling.

 

[Nathan Luszcz]

I just bought a muck-bucket sized internally heated bucket. Its 16 gallons and cost $65. Its impossible to expose the elements without smashing the bottom of the bucket to pieces. The cord goes out the bottom, under the fence, and up to a heavy duty extension cord to the barn. I worry about the extension cord, but its heavy enough to do the job I hope.

 

[LC Farm]

I have used the heated buckets and they work great UNLESS it is wet in the area then I hate them. Last year mine started smoking and smelling like burnt plastic. I switched to rubbermaid with the heater in the bottom and love those.

 

[ionafarm]

How do you make your horses leave them alone??

I have 3 heaters in 3 tanks that water 5 pens. I currently have sinking tank heaters. I find them on the ground ouside the tank or upside down in the tank with the coils sticking up out of the water.

Last year I found one the horses so kindly placed on the rim of the plastic tank it was in and melted several inches down the side of the tank. Had to saw it out! OH! I bought drain plug de-icers this year, but have not been able to put them in where they don't leak. I give up!

I have all my tanks up next to the barns. I have taken old hose and cut lengths of it and then a slit up the side. I then slide the electric through the hose and use U shaped clamps which I screw into the barn wall. They still like to play with them but get frustrated. If I have done it right the hose is thick enough that they can not easily pull it all the way out of the water. Use 3-4 clamps to keep it down tight against the wall.

 

[Jill]

I just bought a muck-bucket sized internally heated bucket. Its 16 gallons and cost $65. Its impossible to expose the elements without smashing the bottom of the bucket to pieces. The cord goes out the bottom, under the fence...

This is also what we use. We have some we've been using for many years. Love them!!

 

[AppyLover2]

I run the cord through a piece of PVC pipe (can run it all the way down into the water so it touches the element itself). I use a couple of pvc clamps to hold the pipe firmly in place. That way they can't get to either the cord or the element. Kinda my own invention that I've been pleased with. I don't trust those little monkeys to leave the cord alone even if they are wire wrapped.

One of these is a piece of 2" pvc pipe. The other is 3" which is a little bigger than necessary, but it was free so I used it. LOL

 

[Miniv]

I WISH we could use the muck sized buckets with heaters! But when you have groups of horses drinking it isn't possible.

We set up our troughs a lot like Mona described.....up against fence lines. And the cord for the heater is looped through the fencing. As long as the cord isn't too long, the heater doesn't get pulled out that way.

 

[MiLo Minis]

My Thorobred mare used to like to get hold of the cord and lift the whole thing out of the water. She would stand there and swing it till it was going in a complete arc and then she would let go! It was great fun for her but of course it would come unplugged and the water would freeze because the heater was in the paddock next door

I run the cord through PVC pipe and into the trough and switched to bottom heaters. White teflon pipe thread tape keeps them from leaking. Be sure to wrap in the direction you screw it in so that you don't unwind the thread as you put in the heater. For the Minis we only put the trough halfway into the paddock and keep the floating heater on the outside half so they can't get at it. You can get cages for floating heaters that keep them from melting your Rubbermaid if they do touch the sides or bottom.

 

[Leeana]

I use the muck bucket size blue heated water bucket from TSC, i think it was $65 or $75 too...i have one in my mare pasture that has 6 horses in it, then i have one out in the other pasture, i dont leave horses in that pasture long term..just a day time turn out pasture for show horses and horses in but i aways keep one of those buckets in there too full, they can kind of be a pain to clean and maintain but its not to bad...the 10 smaller 5 gallon heated buckets in the barn, however, those are a total nightmare to dump and clean every day and unhook...hook back up..run the wire....

 

[frekles93]

[SIZE=12pt] I have a floater.... and when I first started using it my moms gelding would yank it out. Now they ignore it...... It's in there now and has been for a week. At first I had to run it through the cattle panels and tie the cord to the panel. that stopped them taking it out. [/SIZE]

April

 

[Black River Farm]

We have Rubbermaid stock tanks, and use the screw-in heaters. It is really important to use the Teflon tape otherwise you are unlikely to get a good seal. Lori is completely correct in mentioning to wrap it in the right direction!

And make sure you put the drain plug somewhere you will find it again come spring!!!

We kept ours in the heater boxs, so that we have a better chance of remembering where we stashed it months later.

Hubby wired an outlet behind the stock tank on the run-in wall, and used metal conduit up the block wall so the horses couldn't touch the wiring. The entire cord is stashed down below, behind the tank so nobody can get their teeth on it. So far we have had no problems with that setup, other than completely filling the tank, just before trying to plug the heater in... It was so close we had to wrestle it out to get the plug into the socket...

 

[Marsha Cassada]

My husband also warms the gasket in hot water, as it seats better. We use the rubbermaid tub with submersed heater. Be sure to have it plugged into a grounded outlet.

Got ours all set up today and the horses have been standing over it drinking and drinking--I guess they think that same water tank is something new and amazing now.

 

[River Wood]

We don't just run our cord through a piece of pvc pipe but the whole darn floating heater. Yes the floating heater floats inside of the pvc pipe and the cord hangs in there too. Works FANTASTIC and have been doing it for years. The pvc pipe is a few inches in diameter larger than the floating heater, he lowers the whole heater down into that. He drills several larger holes into the pvc pipe near the bottom of the pipe and up a ways, for the water to flow through, then anchors the pvc pipe firm against the fence.

No more horses playing with heater! I'll have to see if I can take a few photos of it.

 

[Becky]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions!

I never could make the drain plug deicers not leak, so they need to find a new home!

I'm back to my sinking deicers. I ran the cord through pvc pipe as I've done in the past. I'll see how long that takes the little termites to take that lose!

 

[vvf]

We use 2 rubbermaid tanks, with the screw-in heaters. I used to take the heaters out in the spring, but always found it hard to get a good seal, and no leaks the next time i used the heater.

So, we just bought 2 extra tanks. I can't remember the brand off hand, but they are a smooth, black, rubbery type of tank. They were fairly reasonable too.

So now we just leave the screw in heaters in the rubbermaids when spring comes, and put those tanks away, and use the other tanks all summer. works great.

 

[Becky]

We use 2 rubbermaid tanks, with the screw-in heaters. I used to take the heaters out in the spring, but always found it hard to get a good seal, and no leaks the next time i used the heater.So, we just bought 2 extra tanks. I can't remember the brand off hand, but they are a smooth, black, rubbery type of tank. They were fairly reasonable too.

So now we just leave the screw in heaters in the rubbermaids when spring comes, and put those tanks away, and use the other tanks all summer. works great.

Cindy, I think that's the best idea! Depending on how this winter goes with what I've got, I may do that next winter.

 

[Sterling]

We use 2 rubbermaid tanks, with the screw-in heaters. I used to take the heaters out in the spring, but always found it hard to get a good seal, and no leaks the next time i used the heater.So, we just bought 2 extra tanks. I can't remember the brand off hand, but they are a smooth, black, rubbery type of tank. They were fairly reasonable too.

So now we just leave the screw in heaters in the rubbermaids when spring comes, and put those tanks away, and use the other tanks all summer. works great.

This is a great idea...think I will run this by hubby and we'll do it that way too.