# Cleaning Out Water Troughs



## bxrnsourkid (Apr 30, 2015)

One of my biggest chores at my barn is making sure I keep the water trough clean in my horse's pasture. My mare is kept with two senior horses who drop grass and hay in the water, making quite the messy job when it's cleaning time. The owner wants me to clean out the trough at least twice a month, but I feel like I should be cleaning it everyday with how much grime accumulating in it! Along with the grimy mess in the trough, it's also really hard to dump the water out. There's no drain on the tub and the only way I know how to empty it is to use buckets (which takes forever to do).

Any suggestions on how I could keep it cleaner on a regular basis or how I could make the job easier?


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## HombresArablegacy (Oct 12, 2013)

I sure do! A friend gave me this tip years ago. My horses had one of those old bathtubs as a trough, with an auto waterer attached. It would get lots of algae, grass, etc. And like you, the only way to empty it was with buckets. Not fun in the hot Fla. sun.

My friend told me she used a wire pasta strainer, the kind with a handle. I tried it, and it works pretty well to get most of the algae and debris out. 

Try to find the biggest one you can, one that sits over a 2 quart size pot. Or, you could use one of those swimming pool skimmers.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## anndankev (Aug 9, 2010)

I used to siphon the water out of a tank. Don't know if I can explain it sufficiently.

Trough was next to a frost free hydrant with a piece of narrow diameter hose attached, about 3-4 feet long. It was used to fill the tank.

I had a 25 ft hose 1 inch diameter. I would stretch that out to drain with.

then holding the end of each hose, with the water ON, inserted and held the end of the narrower hose into the drain hose so the water pressure was going entirely into the drain hose, and reached down to the very bottom of the tank and held them there until the water was coming out the end of the long hose.

At that time carefully removed the the piece with the water pressure, while still holding both at the bottom, and the drain hose would continue sucking water from the tank.

It took a long time, had to be careful to place the long drain hose so it would not float up or move around. By putting enough of it in the tank to go about a half a circle around the inside.

I just started the drain when I got there, started cleaning the stalls (well there were no stalls, just an undivided barn floor). by time I was done the water was drained.

The 25 ft drain hose allowed me to basically 'water' different areas . Also kept the immediate area around the tank from getting muddy like tipping it over everyday would.


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## Mulefeather (Feb 22, 2014)

Get a siphon pump - here's one from Amazon for $18.
You can also buy them from Lowes and Home Depot, usually in the plumbing section. Certainly beats the heck out of buckets!


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## dkb811 (Oct 15, 2013)

HombresArablegacy said:


> I sure do! A friend gave me this tip years ago. My horses had one of those old bathtubs as a trough, with an auto waterer attached. It would get lots of algae, grass, etc. And like you, the only way to empty it was with buckets. Not fun in the hot Fla. sun.
> 
> My friend told me she used a wire pasta strainer, the kind with a handle. I tried it, and it works pretty well to get most of the algae and debris out.
> 
> ...


I use a swimming pool skimmer, it work's very well


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## SouthernTrails (Dec 19, 2008)

Mulefeather said:


> Get a siphon pump - here's one from Amazon for $18.
> You can also buy them from Lowes and Home Depot, usually in the plumbing section. Certainly beats the heck out of buckets!


Those have a hose so small in diameter, I would think a 50 gallon water trough would take days to drain.

3/4" or 1" diameter 25' long water hose is the way to go, imo

.


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## Mulefeather (Feb 22, 2014)

SouthernTrails said:


> Those have a hose so small in diameter, I would think a 50 gallon water trough would take days to drain.
> 
> 3/4" or 1" diameter 25' long water hose is the way to go, imo
> 
> .


Good idea - there are also some manual pumps you can connect hose to that start the siphon process for you, they can do 600 gallons/hour.


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## anndankev (Aug 9, 2010)

I considered one of those first pumps you linked to, Mulefeather, and wondered if I could start it into my drain hose. Then withdraw it like I did with the piece from the hydrant.

However, I was/still am very broke, what I had worked, I was just boarding, I didn't know if the intake 'pipe' was too long (it was designed for the height of a 55 gallon barrel), and if I had to leave it in then the tiny filter would clog with all the stuff in the water.

I had tried a cheap 'shake to start' siphon but it did not work. Neither shaking to start nor draining out the flimsy hose over the edge of the trough. The 600 gal per hour ones were more expensive as I recall.

That place did not let me try goldfish, another place later did. They did not help much with the algae on the sides, and created their own waste. However; they did eat the mosquito larvae. The new place gave the fish away one day to a relative with a manmade small pond and did not let me get more, due to the stink and mess of cleaning the trough. I guess I got too many and too small of goldfish.

Funny thing about that is that the relative who took the fish had just lost all their large fish to a raccoon. They had drained their pond down to clean it, and as soon as it was low enough for the raccoon to get them, he did.


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## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

I like to clean our trough out every 3 or so days. There is only 2 horses in the pasture so I don't fill it, just about 1/3 to 1/2 full so I don't have to bail out too much water. If it is fuller, I use a pail (doesn't take that long) and then when I get the level down, I scrub it well and then tip it over to drain. Then I hook up the hose flush it out and then put it upright again and fill to about 1/3
For me the secret is not to fill it too full so less work.


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

Woodhaven said:


> I like to clean our trough out every 3 or so days. There is only 2 horses in the pasture so I don't fill it, just about 1/3 to 1/2 full so I don't have to bail out too much water. If it is fuller, I use a pail (doesn't take that long) and then when I get the level down, I scrub it well and then tip it over to drain. Then I hook up the hose flush it out and then put it upright again and fill to about 1/3
> For me the secret is not to fill it too full so less work.


This is exactly what we do.  Works pretty well.


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## hollysjubilee (Nov 2, 2012)

bxrnsourkid said:


> One of my biggest chores at my barn is making sure I keep the water trough clean in my horse's pasture. My mare is kept with two senior horses who drop grass and hay in the water, making quite the messy job when it's cleaning time. The owner wants me to clean out the trough at least twice a month, but I feel like I should be cleaning it everyday with how much grime accumulating in it! Along with the grimy mess in the trough, it's also really hard to dump the water out. There's no drain on the tub and the only way I know how to empty it is to use buckets (which takes forever to do).
> 
> Any suggestions on how I could keep it cleaner on a regular basis or how I could make the job easier?


Just cleaned 3 troughs this a.m., so it's fresh on my mind 
We have a fryer basket with handle that is used to get ice and "big stuff" out, and a mesh kitchen strainer that I use in between the cleaning times 2x a month. This time of year, the water heats up like bath water in the troughs (black, fiberglass: two 50 gal and seven 100 gallon troughs . . . 9 of them) so I keep Mosquito Dunks in them and strain out grass and bugs and "stuff," but use a brush [have tried toilet brushes (fragile), vegetable brushes (small), floor brushes (takes a lot of bending over ) and one long-handled utility brush we got from the farm store (but it doesn't get into the small spaces of the trough)].
Every two weeks, I empty the troughs (usually let the water get down to a low level first) and scrub them, refill and add a new Mosquito Dunk. It's labor intensive, but it's not too hard to do in hot weather 'cause I end up splashing myself with water. 
How large is your trough? Can you feed the horses away from the water so they have more time to empty their mouths before taking a drink? Had to do that for two of the horses who were "hay dunkers."


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

See about getting a smaller tub. Walmart has plastic ones that should last the season. If filled twice daily, the horses will have plenty of water.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

I use a fishing net on the days I don't dump the tubs. 

I need something with a long handle (as opposed to a kitchen strainer) as the bending over and scooping motion kills my back.

OP probably does not have the option to change from one huge tub to a couple smaller ones but I use 20 gallon muck tubs that have never seen muck in them

A 20 gallon tub can easily be dumped, even if it is full.

In this heat/humidity, I wash tubs as needed which is about every 2-3 days:sad:


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## whisperbaby22 (Jan 25, 2013)

I use the 2 trough style. They are smaller, and if one ever ruptured the other would still be there. Every day I dump and scrub one, so that they are refilled every 2 days. 

Of course I only have one horse in my back yard, but during the summer this works out well.


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## anndankev (Aug 9, 2010)

I like the idea of a 2 trough system.

I worry a bit about the water getting too hot if allowed to get low.

That is what happened in mine, too hot in summer, that's why I came up with something else.


PS Also liked the pool skimmer idea, but wonder if it keeps algae off the sides.


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## whisperbaby22 (Jan 25, 2013)

Since I have to deal with heat, both troughs are under shade and stay cool.


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## hollysjubilee (Nov 2, 2012)

anndankev said:


> I like the idea of a 2 trough system.
> 
> I worry a bit about the water getting too hot if allowed to get low.
> 
> ...


Ann, I don't think anything keeps algae off the sides when the sun is shining and the temps are warm. In CA, we tried fish. Nope.
Here in Kansas, a friend suggested I try Barley Bales. Nope. (actually made them worse for sediment on the sides of the tank as I waited to clean thinking that the Barley Bales were supposed to do it and feeling stupid if I cleaned them after spending money on the barley bales.) 
Another friend in CO tried setting her troughs inside the run-in sheds . . . Nope.

I think that cleaning troughs is just one of those wonderful kinds of work that we do when we have horses. :icon_rolleyes: Kinda like shoveling manure, baling and stacking hay, fixing fence, trimming feet, grooming, worming, vaccs, cleaning tack, and staying up all night when they are sick. 

I clean them as they need cleaning. I do let the water get down low, sometimes, Ann, if I think the trough needs cleaning because I have to pay for every gallon of water here, but if it's really hot and the water heats up, and I don't have time to scrub the tank, I fill the tank with enough water to make it drinkable and clean it later.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

When I was moving from SoCal to Tennessee, my first layover was outside Flagstaff, AZ with a lovable and well seasoned old cowboy.

His steel tanks were spotless and the water sparkling clean. He had too much livestock to go around spit-shining those big tanks every few days.

He told me his secret was bluing. That would be the same bluing that many of our moms and grandmas used to use in the white load of laundry.

I asked him how much bluing, he replied he didn't know. He just tipped the bottle for a few seconds and watched the color. Well, alrighty then lollollol


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## anndankev (Aug 9, 2010)

What color were his horses and cattle?


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

anndankev said:


> What color were his horses and cattle?



Geez Ann, I can't remember. That was in 2003 and we rolled in just after dark.

I know we weren't that far off the interstate but far enough I couldn't hear the traffic.

All I can remember is that he was typically thin as a rail and I THINK he lived alone.

he even showed me a couple of his horses, that he kept in the barn. I can visualize walking from my horses layup corral to his barn and that's where it ends:sad:

That was only 12 years ago, I hope he is still around. You think you might know him?

I can dig out my travel log, for when I moved and see if I kept any layover records. Yes I'm a pack rat but not a hoarder, lollol


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## hollysjubilee (Nov 2, 2012)

walkinthewalk said:


> When I was moving from SoCal to Tennessee, my first layover was outside Flagstaff, AZ with a lovable and well seasoned old cowboy.
> 
> His steel tanks were spotless and the water sparkling clean. He had too much livestock to go around spit-shining those big tanks every few days.
> 
> ...


Hey, guys! That old cowboy was onto something! This MIGHT BE THE ANSWER TO NO MORE ALGAE!!!
But I really want to be sure it's safe for horses to drink over time. I guess, it would only really need to be used in the summer when algae grows, though.

I looked up "bluing" by definition. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluing_(fabric)

and then, clicked on the link for Mrs. Stewart's Bluing: http://mrsstewart.com/
One of the uses listed is: to reduce algae growth in fountains.


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## anndankev (Aug 9, 2010)

WTW, Been to Flagstaff once or twice, mostly passing through. No i don't think I know him.

Just trying to be funny this morning (what a joke that was .

Thinking Blue roans, or white. LOL

Holly, I will look at those links.


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## anndankev (Aug 9, 2010)

OK, I went there and still do not know if it has iron in it.

I hear that too much iron is bad for horses.


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

you can use a small amount of bleach to the water to kill algae. You can google how to clean drinking water from streams or rivers. for a 50 gallon tub I would use a capfull or so of bleach. as soon as the bleach smell was gone it would be safe to drink. I also use bleach to clean and then rinse . Do not get bleach with fragrances.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

anndankev said:


> OK, I went there and still do not know if it has iron in it.
> 
> I hear that too much iron is bad for horses.


I don't see how it could have iron in it. Grandma and mom used it to whiten the whites. It worked every bit as good as Clorox . If had iron in it, the whites would have had a gray tint to them. 

I only wish the old cowboy would have said something more concrete than tip the bottle and watch the color:icon_rolleyes:

*Edited to say:*ok, I found the ingredients on page that links to their MSDS sheet.



> [Basically, bluing is made of a very fine blue iron powder suspended in water ( a “colloidal suspension”). We add a nontoxic amount of a pH balancer and a biocide to prevent the buildup of algae and bacteria. (This may be why Mrs. Stewart’s® Bluing is loved by farmers who tell us they use it in the water troughs of their farm animals and by owners of lily and fish ponds.)[/I]


It DOES say iron but it says blue iron powder. Now the metabolic horse owning people have to look up blue iron powder:sad:


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

Mom's bluing came in little round balls and back in the day dad would poke one down the dog's throat to worm it. I have no idea whether or not it killed the worms but it never killed the dogs. 

You used to be able to buy an algaecide called Stocktrine II at TSC. It was a copper compound but don't know if it was sulfate or something else and was specifically for stock tanks. It worked very well but ours hasn't carried it for the last few years. I checked on-line right after that and the cost of it from other suppliers was crazy so I went back to scrubbing. 

Tried the little burlap packets of whatever kind of straw and they not only did nothing to help with algae but as they decomposed they made the water smell like sewage.


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## hollysjubilee (Nov 2, 2012)

*Health Info on Bluing*

I found some information on the ingestion of Bluing that I want to share . . . 

Diluted doesn't seem to be a problem. I just might try it for a month this summer.

http://mrsstewart.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/AnimalIngestion.pdf


http://mrsstewart.com/wp/wp-content...y-Data-Sheet-for-Mrs-Stewarts-Bluing-2014.pdf


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

I just did a new search for the stocktrine and Rural King has it for $9.97. More than I used to pay for it but much less than the $18 - $21 I was seeing it for.

Stocktrine II 1 Qt. L00640 by Aquatic Control Inc. for $9.97 in Algaecides - Pond Maintenance - Agricultural Sprayers & Chemicals - Agriculture : Rural King

So glad this thread came up that made me do a search! I'd rather use something that is specifically safe for drinking water than chancing it with an off label use of another product.


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

I found the bleach information on a site for back country hiking and how to clean water after a disaster.


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

Our water already has so much chlorine in it that it smells like swimming pool water but it doesn't help keep the tanks clean. They only started doing this about a month ago and my horses aren't drinking near as much as they used to and I'm about ready to call the water guy and ask him what the heck he's doing. I'd be really worried about it if it wasn't for the fact that we've had so much rain the grass still has a lot of moisture in it and the horses aren't showing any signs of dehydration. It's funny that in every house I've lived in even when we were in the suburbs of Indianapolis we had well water. Moved to the boonies in a very rural setting and we have city water. Been here 16 years and I still gripe at hubby about getting a well dug. LOL


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## hollysjubilee (Nov 2, 2012)

JCnGrace said:


> I just did a new search for the stocktrine and Rural King has it for $9.97. More than I used to pay for it but much less than the $18 - $21 I was seeing it for.
> 
> Stocktrine II 1 Qt. L00640 by Aquatic Control Inc. for $9.97 in Algaecides - Pond Maintenance - Agricultural Sprayers & Chemicals - Agriculture : Rural King
> 
> So glad this thread came up that made me do a search! I'd rather use something that is specifically safe for drinking water than chancing it with an off label use of another product.



Thanks for the Stocktrine info, JCnGrace. I guess the Stocktrine is copper . . . . but the Mrs. Stewart's is "blue iron powder?" I'm looking to see what the chemical difference is, nevertheless, it seems than neither is poisonous in diluted form and both can be used in stock tanks.

Here's another bonus of the bluing . . . for people with white horses:
Use Mrs Stewart’s Bluing to achieve whiter white hair and whiter pet hair


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## anndankev (Aug 9, 2010)

Holly, thanks for that pdf on the bluing rinse. I was just wondering about that.

I don't want to wash too often, and was wondering if I could just use some in plain water on my horses mane and tail.

By the way, have added it to shampoo for a greyed to white horse. Then learned about Silver Fox and other brands of shampoo for gray hair. The shampoos are purple in color from the bluing. There are brands for horses, too.


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

the bleach works great for me, and i have ag water for my horses. My well is for my house.
You need to clean water troughs at least weekly regardless . 
To make the troughs easier to dump, I set one day to clean them. and do not add water the day before so they must drink it down. I do not liking dumping full troughs but have had to, as some horse has pooped in the water and nothing gets rid of the poop, or a squirrel or bired has drowned itself.


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## hollysjubilee (Nov 2, 2012)

anndankev said:


> Holly, thanks for that pdf on the bluing rinse. I was just wondering about that.
> 
> I don't want to wash too often, and was wondering if I could just use some in plain water on my horses mane and tail.
> 
> By the way, have added it to shampoo for a greyed to white horse. Then learned about Silver Fox and other brands of shampoo for gray hair. The shampoos are purple in color from the bluing. There are brands for horses, too.


You are welcome. I was going to look at Tractor Supply yesterday when I was up in Wichita, but didn't get there after my other errands and trying to hit UPS before the carrier left for the day. I don't know if they carry any stock tank cleaner, but it seems that they would. I think, after reading directions online, that it's best to start the stock tank cleaner in the spring before the algae gets a start to grow.


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

The stocktrine won't magically clean off all the gunk that accumulates on the surface of the tank but if you start with a clean tank it will keep it that way as long as you rinse out the tank between fillings. I rinse mine each time I fill it during the summer and every other time in the winter. I guess I should note that I don't know if it will keep it clean if you don't rinse them out because I've never tried it. Besides algae my tanks are prone to collecting bugs and chunks of mud from the roots of grass the horses like to dunk in there, rocks (no idea how they get in there), among other things.


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## kewpalace (Jul 17, 2013)

Here's Ag Web's take on stock tank additives ...


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## littrella (Aug 28, 2010)

I use a cheep plastic putty knife to scrap the "slime" off the sides of the tank. Makes pretty quick work of it
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## hollysjubilee (Nov 2, 2012)

littrella said:


> I use a cheep plastic putty knife to scrap the "slime" off the sides of the tank. Makes pretty quick work of it
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Great idea! I think I'll grab one and keep it in "The Grunt" (the farm truck).
Usually, I just scrub as hard as I can with a stiff-bristled brush, but after 9 tanks, my arm is worn out. 

I will say that after using the barley bales (Barley Straw Bales | Pond Algae Control), my tanks were worse with sediment and algae on the sides, and there has always been more to scrape off since then. I think they might work better for ponds, but I didn't find them efficient algae control for horse troughs.


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## bxrnsourkid (Apr 30, 2015)

I was not expecting so many replies to this, thanks everybody! :loveshower:

I've talked to the owner about trying out bluing, he's considering it (which I've learned can sometimes mean it's not gonna happen at all). Also discussed with him getting another trough (there's two already at the farm, a small one in one paddock for his two seniors and the big one which is currently in a split between the winter and summer pastures). He really doesn't want to get another one because he feels like it's too much work to make sure that all the troughs are full all the time. 

Based on your suggestions, I've been using a pasta strainer and that's been working pretty well. I'll be stopping into the fishing store to get a net soon and I'm also searching around for a good putty knife (I'm probably just looking in the wrong places lol).

Thanks again everyone!!


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