# How to keep water tank ice free and prevent electric shock



## NonTypicalCPA (May 15, 2014)

With vivid memories of last winter still in my head, I hate to start planning for another one but unfortunately it's coming. This will be my first with horses and I'm planning the best way to keep them watered this winter. I have a 100 gallon galvanized stock tank and am planning on getting a submersible tank heater to keep it free of ice. I have a GFCI outlet by the tank specifically for this purpose (outside the paddock). I'm concerned with the horses chewing on the cord and getting shocked. I'm assuming the GFCI outlet will prevent a lethal shock? Does anyone have a good solution to keep the horses from chewing on the cord as it comes up out of the tank?


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## usandpets (Jan 1, 2011)

Make a box for the tank. You can even insulate around the tank so it takes less energy to heat the water. Then you run the cord over the top of the tank and under the box where it covers the trough:

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## karliejaye (Nov 19, 2011)

Like usandpets mentioned, you can box it. Or you can run the cord through an old section of hose to protect it, or you can ditch the tank heater and build a passive solar box:
Build a Solar Stock Tank - DIY - MOTHER EARTH NEWS

We made 1 last year and it worked great! I did have to break a thin layer of ice a couple mornings, but it was after cloudy days that didn't get above freezing, or if i let the water level get too low (less thermal mass). I also found if i left a branch or a length of 2x4 in the water, the horses would nose it around and keep the water from freezing, too.


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## NonTypicalCPA (May 15, 2014)

Thanks for the idea usandpets. 

A solar heater won't work in our part of Michigan. We rarely see the sun in the winter due to lake effect clouds from Lake Michigan. Also we can get really cold here, subzero temps aren't unusual.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

I've heard of people putting a basketball in there to keep ice from forming. would not likely work if temps are very low for a long time.


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## usandpets (Jan 1, 2011)

Our tanks are the plastic with the drain plug near the bottom. We use the heater that goes through the drain hole. It works better than the floating/submersible ones. Those tend to float to the side and ice still forms on top away from the heater.
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## PrivatePilot (Dec 7, 2009)

Put it on a GFCI outlet and make sure to test the outlet's GFCI functionality by pressing the "TEST" button every now and then - it should pop.

Keep the trough near the fence line and run the cord in such a fashion that most of it is not on the paddock side of things.

Millions of people use floating heaters every year without any issues. The elements that screw into the drain plug (as was mentioned) are also good and it's easier to keep the cord more hidden if that's a concern.

It's been my experience that most horses don't bother the cord, however.


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## Cordillera Cowboy (Jun 6, 2014)

(Said with tongue in cheek.). I can't help myself. This is my answer to frozen water buckets.


My son and I crossing the river in December.


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## Northernstar (Jul 23, 2011)

I live in N MI- I've found what is the most convenient for me are the 20 gal heated water buckets found @ TSC or Family Farm and Home.... I simply run a heavy duty outdoor extension cord from the bucket down to the pole barn. I put my bucket on a small pallet against the horse fencing, so the cord is put right through the fence within inches, and thus connected to the ext cord. The horses don't even know it's there! Is costly on the electric bill, but I've tried the latter and this works best for me! I'm doing it next week, as I've already had to chip ice from the stock tank... Hope this helps!


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

I like the drain plug heaters the best too but I don't think they fit in the galvanized tanks, at least not in the one I have. So what I do is have the tank right along the fence by the plug in, put a piece of plywood over half the tank ( offset the end where the cord will come out), and weigh it down with cement blocks so they can't knock it off. About the only time I have trouble with the exposed half of the water forming any ice is if I let the water level get too low.

This is my set up for the minis and it take 2 cement blocks to keep them from being able to move the plywood so it would probably take more for large horses. Thankfully I have the Rubbermaid tanks & drain plug heaters for the full sized guys because I'm not sure any amount of cement blocks would deter them, they'd just knock them off one at a time (they are such brats LOL). Back before when they had the floating heaters they were bad about tossing them out of the tank but I didn't have a problem with them chewing on the cord.


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## usandpets (Jan 1, 2011)

Even during the summer, we keep half of the trough covered. We have one horse that likes to stand in it. He doesn't do that when we cover it. He trashed one trough and the heater before we started covering them.
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