# Automatic waterers in Minnesota?



## county (Nov 29, 2008)

I live in central Mn. and put Ritchie waters in last year 4 total with cups on both sides so a total of 8 pens can use them. I've never had one freeze yet but my lines are 12 feet deep. 8 feet should work as long as you don't drive over the line alot and theres snow to insulate it. My light bill wasn't affected more then a few dollars a month running 4 of them.


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## Eagle eye 1 (Nov 27, 2008)

12 feet deep? Yikes! Was that to stay below the frost, or to have 4 more feet of warmth in the heat tube?

Do yours include a heater of some sort? I remember the local Miraco guy saying that you could use something like heat tape in the heat tube. I believe the theory was to keep the heat tube warm and thereby keep the waterer warm as well. The problem with him though was that one day a heater was required and the next day it was not - he didn't seem like he knew exactly how to install one of these.

Do you have the waterers sheltered or are they out in the open?

If they work for you they should work for me since you are about 40 miles or so Northwest of me.

Did you get snow yet?

Thanks,

Eagle Eye 1


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## county (Nov 29, 2008)

Got a dusting of snow thats all. The reason I went that deep was I have alot of machinery driving over the water lines and it pushes the frost down deeper. Could be overkill but I have my own backhoe so when I dug them it wasn't any more work or cost really to dig deeper.

All mine include a heater to be honest in this climate the ones that don't and are in the open freeze. I'm not saying your will for sure but the few I know that tryed them did. You can buy heaters that sit right in the water and plug in to an outlet under the bowl. If you ever want to come see how I set mine up you sure can I live 19 miles west and north of Little Falls.

When I put my Ritchies in I looked at them Nelsons, Jugs, and Miraco. I liked the heat system best with the Ritchies thats why I went with them.


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## county (Nov 29, 2008)

BTW I used to run 300 feet of hoses and fill 8 different tanks each day in the winter for 15 years. **** did that suck!!!!!


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## FGRanch (Feb 9, 2008)

I have automatic waters and they never feeze and I'm in bitter cold Alberta, Canada


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## Angel_Leaguer (Jun 13, 2008)

county said:


> BTW I used to run 300 feet of hoses and fill 8 different tanks each day in the winter for 15 years. **** did that suck!!!!!


gotta love draining those!!! we used to have beef cattle and horses and thats what we had to do as well. If we didnt drain them twice then we were asking for it to freeze!!!!


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## Eagle eye 1 (Nov 27, 2008)

Tiffany,

What brand do you use?

Eagle Eye 1


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## Eagle eye 1 (Nov 27, 2008)

County,

I might just take you up on that offer. What type of set up do you have? Sounds like you raise, board, or do something with that many horses. The tall fences sound similar to another farm in your area where they raises elk.

Eagle Eye 1


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## county (Nov 29, 2008)

I breed QH's and beef cattle and board a few horses County Line Farm specializing in cutting and reining lines. Theres three places within 7 miles of here with Elk and one with Bison.


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## Eagle eye 1 (Nov 27, 2008)

Does anyone know anything about the heaters used on the automatic waterers? What is the watt rating of them. This will help me determine how expensive they are to operate per month.

If I use the current 1500 watt heater and it runs continuously, it could cost me approximately $88 per month. A 200 watt heater would only cost about $12.

Thank you,

Eagle Eye 1


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## county (Nov 29, 2008)

My ritchies came with 250 watt heaters but I changed them to 500 watt ones this winter. The 250 did the job but when it got down to -20 the water would freeze over in the bowl. Never solid to the bottom where it would break anything or freeze the lines but some times I would have to break ice with a hammer when it was -20 or colder. The 500 watt ones never allow any ice at all.


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## Eagle eye 1 (Nov 27, 2008)

Hey County - thanks or the info.

Do you have your waterers out in the open - I would think that would make a difference. And how many horses drink from it. With my 4 horses, I might need the 500 watt heater until I have more animals using it.

Too bad they get $400 for the wateres - otherwise I would have a few already.

Eagle Eye 1


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## KANSAS_TWISTER (Feb 23, 2007)

if i remember correctly...some one posted last winter about using old ice chest (deep freezers), cutting a part of the top off and filling it with water, because of the isolation (sp) the water want freeze....i think...


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## aappyfan1 (Jun 28, 2008)

I use the automatic waterers, LOVE them wouldn't use anything else... I am not sure of the watts? My old tank had a therestat that you could turn up in real cold weather, but the tank I have now has a internal thermestat that you can't change.
Forgot to add that it got down to -30 yesterday and no ice, we only get ice build up if there is a wind chill of -30 - -40 degree Celcius.


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## county (Nov 29, 2008)

All 4 of my wateres are in the open on a fence line. They have from 1 to 20 head drinking out of them. The fewest have 1 on one side and 3 on the other side.


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