# HELP!! Any ideas?!?!



## mpfifes5 (Mar 1, 2014)

Hi, I'm new to the forum. My horses are not drinking from their water trough. It's like there is something wrong with the water, or the trough, something. I have a 75 gallon Rubbermaid type of trough that is 4 years old with a drain plug type of heater. They stand next to it like they want to drink from it but something is spooking them away from it. I stuck my hand in the water to make sure they weren't getting shocked from the heater and didn't feel anything,( I've had a problem with that before with a bottom heater. One of the horses chewed through a cord). The heater is 3 years old. I grabbed a 5 gal bucket and filled it with water and they about fought to get a drink out of it. I refilled the bucket with water from the trough and they drank it, so that ruled out the water itself. I drained the tank and unplugged the heater and they were still leery of the tank. I grabbed an old 35 gallon tank and put it out there and they're drinking out of it. 
Can the material of that tank break down and release a bad enough odor to keep the horses from drinking? Could the heater still have a short in it that I didn't detect by putting my hand in the water I the tank? A combination of both??? Should I get a galvanized tank?? 
I have no idea and hoping someone can give me some ideas!
Thanks, Mark


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## Paradise (Jun 28, 2012)

That is odd sorry I don't have advice for you but I'd like to hear what others say.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

mpfifes5 said:


> Could the heater still have a short in it that I didn't detect by putting my hand in the water I the tank?


Yes it can. I had a floating de-icer and kept finding that one of the horses pulled it out and tossed it away from the tank. I'd pick it up, mess with it and felt nothing. I'd put it back in the tank and put my hand in the water and ..... nothing. I did this several times over several days and got zip. This went on for a couple of months, they'd drink ok if the de-icer was out but no way Jose if it was in. I finally stuck my hand in at the right time and felt a tingle. They were getting shocked, not bad but obviously bad enough. I bought a new tank heater and voila! no more issues.


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

Yes, it's your tank de-icer, it's shocking them. Replace it.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

once Mac went for a drink and then did the 6 feet sideways in super sonic speed. the wire from the elec fence had fallen down and was brushing up agains the metal tank. but this was not a little tingle, it was a lot more.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

tinyliny said:


> once Mac went for a drink and then did the 6 feet sideways in super sonic speed. the wire from the elec fence had fallen down and was brushing up agains the metal tank. but this was not a little tingle, it was a lot more.


:lol: I did the levitate and go sideways thing when cleaning one of my tanks. It was within 3 ft of the hot wire and the colt thought it would be hilarious to nudge me back into it while I was cleaning the tank and standing in a puddle. I still haven't forgiven him!


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Altho you couldn't feel any electricity, the horses whiskers are very sensitive. I had a similar situation. The electric fence wasn't working properly so I'd unplugged it. While I was away someone plugged it in and a broken strand was touching the metal tank. The person attending noticed the horses not drinking so let them go to a pond. They were very thirsty. We had to switch to a plastic tank and move the metal one well away. It was then I discovered that the fence had been plugged in but had no effect on the plastic. Her son thought he was plugging in the barn fan.


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## mpfifes5 (Mar 1, 2014)

Thank you to you all for the input. It was the heater AND I found a bad spot in the cord to the heater. So a new heater has been installed as well as a new heavy gauge extension cord with a new GFI. I am hoping this will be the last of this problem. Now I just need the horses to trust that they will not get shocked again when trying to get a drink!


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

mpfifes5 said:


> Thank you to you all for the input. It was the heater AND I found a bad spot in the cord to the heater. So a new heater has been installed as well as a new heavy gauge extension cord with a new GFI. I am hoping this will be the last of this problem. Now I just need the horses to trust that they will not get shocked again when trying to get a drink!


Can you leave the heater out of the tank for a few days so they can get used to drinking out of the tub again? Then reintroduce it after they're drinking.


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## mpfifes5 (Mar 1, 2014)

I would, but we are in a winter storm warning area and I do snow removal. There won't be anyone here to break the ice. Low temps will be in the single digits. Not sure when I'll be able to get back here, and the closest neighbor is over a mile away.


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## womack29 (Oct 30, 2011)

I agree start by replacing your tank heater
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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