Water temperature for bathing

[mydaddysjag]

You know, I never realized how much having a hot wash rack was a luxury. After I sold a gelding, the new owner told me she was having a LOT of trouble bathing him. I was really confused, because while he didn't LOVE being bathed, I was always about to bath him myself with him tied loose. A few months later I found out she didnt have hot water to bath with. He was much better about bathing while at their trainer where there was hot water. Goes to show you how much of a difference it makes!

 

[Sandee]

So what portable system do you guys use, for those that have one? I want to get one, but not sure if I should go with the electric Hott Wash or the propane one? The propane says 1.4 gallons per minute (which doesn't seem like much), but the Hott Wash doesn't say, except that it holds 4 or 8 gallons (I'd get the 8 gallon one). Suggestions?

We have the smaller 4 gal. Hott Wash. I thought I'd be taking it to shows but I don't. I have the temperature set fairly high and let it heat for 20 minutes or so before starting baths. To heat the whole tank from cold start takes about 20 minutes so I try not to run too much hot out at one time so I don't have to wait to reheat.

I connect a hose splitter (backwards so it combines instead of splitting) - one side has the hot hose and one side has the cold from the well. Regulation is done by turn the valves so more or less hot/cold gets to the washing hose. I wet one area of the horse down; shut off the hose (we have a nozzle that shuts off); soap; turn the water back on and rinse. By doing an area at a time and shutting off the water so it doesn't just get wasted, I can do at least 2 horses without running out of hot water. I can but my daughter can't. She likes to be too generous with the water and she can run out of hot on one horse.

 

[Flying minis]

We have the smaller 4 gal. Hott Wash. I thought I'd be taking it to shows but I don't. I have the temperature set fairly high and let it heat for 20 minutes or so before starting baths. To heat the whole tank from cold start takes about 20 minutes so I try not to run too much hot out at one time so I don't have to wait to reheat.

I connect a hose splitter (backwards so it combines instead of splitting) - one side has the hot hose and one side has the cold from the well. Regulation is done by turn the valves so more or less hot/cold gets to the washing hose. I wet one area of the horse down; shut off the hose (we have a nozzle that shuts off); soap; turn the water back on and rinse. By doing an area at a time and shutting off the water so it doesn't just get wasted, I can do at least 2 horses without running out of hot water. I can but my daughter can't. She likes to be too generous with the water and she can run out of hot on one horse.

Thanks Sandee, I was thinking of the same thing with the "splitter" but using it to combine. I am looking at the 8 gallon, mainly because I have a big show horse too. I wouldn't use it all the time, mainly spring / fall when it's cold here, so thinking that might work really well (plus to use when we go camping for people showers!). I figured using the splitter and combining would give better pressure too.

Thinking it's time to go ahead and invest in one!

 

[donna123]

HI.......I'm new on the forum and don't post much but this one got my atttention.

I have the Hot Water washer at home and have the same problem with having enough hot water and getting it to rewarm water very fast.

Then I bought the propane washer.........WOW...........that one is great and also cheaper on line. You hook a 20lb lp bottle to it and it will last all year.

We offer them at a show for ALL exhibitors to use in the wash rack and have never run out of gas..............and the they automatically shut off and start when the water is being used.........I can't say enough good things about the propane water heaters.

 

[Flying minis]

HI.......I'm new on the forum and don't post much but this one got my atttention.

I have the Hot Water washer at home and have the same problem with having enough hot water and getting it to rewarm water very fast.

Then I bought the propane washer.........WOW...........that one is great and also cheaper on line. You hook a 20lb lp bottle to it and it will last all year.

We offer them at a show for ALL exhibitors to use in the wash rack and have never run out of gas..............and the they automatically shut off and start when the water is being used.........I can't say enough good things about the propane water heaters.

Decisions, decisions! : )

The propane one also appealed to me, because it seems to have more capacity. Ok, now I"m going to have to think some more - I also like the price of the propane better!

 

[midnight star stables]

This was a great post... there are some very creative members!

Yeah for happy horses!

 

[Magic]

Warm water all the way! Cold water here is also VERY cold, and the horses find it very uncomfortable even on very hot days. Run ice-cold water down your body and see how long you can take it, lol!

Early on we bought a propane water washer and it's awesome. The horses stopped fighting their baths and learned to enjoy them instead. We've tried the Hott Water Washer but the combination of needing electricity with water didn't appeal to us (ok, I personally found it scary)and having to ration the water so much was annoying to me too. When we had this house built we had both cold and hot water taps installed to the outside, but we don't have a wash rack yet so it hasn't been as helpful as it could be.

At Nationals in Tulsa the water comes out of the tap lukewarm so we've never had to bother with hot water washers there.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

He was much better about bathing while at their trainer where there was hot water.

Can't blame him- I'm much better behaved about hot baths too!

I'm another who grew up sticking a hose in the window of the downstairs bathroom to get hot water. It's a pain in the rear to get water that way as I have to drag the hose around the side of the house, climb through the flowerbed, remove the window screen, go inside and open the window, go back out and shove the hose through, go in and screw it in and adjust the temperature, then go back out and bathe the horse. Plus when I'm done the bathroom is inevitably soaked because the water backs up when I'm not running it and sprays everywhere from the join of the hose and the faucet.

But we only have a few days a year in the 80's here and 90's and 100's are so rare we can count them on one hand so I'm not about to bathe my poor horses in cold well water. For most of the year that would be torture since it's overcast, damp and maybe 60 degrees. The boys stay double or triple blanketed for the first two months of show season here and still shiver.

It only gets warm enough for a bath to be a pleasure for them in July and August.

Leia

 

[eagles ring farm]

If we washed with cold water I would be waiting until at least June for the temperature to warm enough to do any bathing so I use warm. I do not have warm water in my barn but I do have a tap (in my basement) that I can attach a nice long hose to and get the water to a suitable location for bathing that way. I can't even imagine how unpleasant my horses would find cold water baths, and I think there's a good chance I would object to having unheated water running up my arms and soaking me too.

same here we use the stationary tub in the basement but we have bilco doors so don't need too long of a hose. just in the cooler weather other than that its cold water here

 

[Blackwater Farm]

We dont have warm water available at our barn like I wish we did but I am still able to give them warm baths. They seem to tolerate the warm water and I will only use the cold when it's really hot outside. I went to Lowe's and bought one of those little adapters to put on my litchen sink and I run a hose out my front door and into the yard, have to use 2 hoses! Luckily I only have the two horses and I wash them on seperate days. We have a well so I dont pay for the water, I would hate to see our bill if I did!!!! I would love to have a hott wash system but they are a bit pricey for me so until I hit the Powerball I will have to run hoses and do it early enough in the morning so I can take a shower when I'm done!!!!

 

[susanne]

One of the car washes in town has a dog washing room. Nobody is around in the evening, so I keep threatening to take a horse in...I figure I could get away with it once at least!

Even with hauling hot water to mix warm bath and rinse, I wouldn't bathe in anything but very warm weather, as they would be cold before they would dry. Perhaps with a wet/dry vac I could get them dry enough.

 

[Field-of-Dreams]

The water lines down here are so close to the surface the water comes out warm in the summer! So warm it's nasty to try and drink from the hose! So our guys get an unheated warm bath!

Now, Sunny LOVES it when I'm filling the water tanks and I hose him off. He just waits, even turning so I get both sides.

 

[Sandee]

.........

At Nationals in Tulsa the water comes out of the tap lukewarm so we've never had to bother with hot water washers there.

In Tulsa the water is "naturally" heated.....it's so HOT

there so often I doubt they know what cold water is!

 

[rabbitsfizz]

I do not even have running water, only what I pump up from the river, but I would not dream of bathing my horses in cold water, except on the warmest of days.

I heat the water in an old gas boiler, and mix it by hand.

I would not want to bath in cold water, why would I subject the horses to it?

Besides which it is much easier to rinse the suds out in warm water.