# No electricity near barn and need to keep water from freezing?



## laurenlewis24

I have no electricity and my horses' water freezes in winter faster than I can keep it thawed. I dump two large buckets of warm water in it morning and night and it still freezes through to about 3 inches deep. 

I have tried moving it indoors and it does help a little but we have an all concrete barn and the cold goes right through it. Electricity is not an option and we only put the kerosene heater in the barn when temps drop really low. 

I desperately need help on what to do. Are there any special (non expensive) buckets I can buy/make? (I am all about cheap DIY). Anything I can put into the water? ANYTHING!! I am willing to try to make it work.


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## AQHA13

you could run extension cords out there. Sorry, that's the only solution I can think of.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians

Build a Solar Stock Tank

Or you can just build a wood box and insulate it and put a cover on the troughs to keep things thawed.


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## Clayton Taffy

I am glad you are trying to work this out.
Water helps not only with hydration but also keeps the horses warm in the winter.
I have used an extension cord, you are not supposed to but I had to run it about 35 feet. I always picked it up when the horses went in and out of the barn, I did not want them to step on it. 
*Make sure the cord is a good heavy-duty cord and plug into a GFI outlet.*


Even with an insulated bucket or trough the water will freeze just not as fast.


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## laurenlewis24

Taffy Clayton said:


> I am glad you are trying to work this out.
> Water helps not only with hydration but also keeps the horses warm in the winter.
> I have used an extension cord, you are not supposed to but I had to run it about 35 feet. I always picked it up when the horses went in and out of the barn, I did not want them to step on it.
> *Make sure the cord is a good heavy-duty cord and plug into a GFI outlet.*
> 
> 
> Even with an insulated bucket or trough the water will freeze just not as fast.


I have a way to run several extension cords out to the barn. It wont be dangerous for the horses because they can't get to it, but it really worries me. Can I leave extension cords (usually takes 3) out all winter? Could it electrocute? Water from the snow will be all over the cords. I am not sure how to do this. Tips?


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## Phly

First, how bigs your water tank? There's a few DIY options. all will require drilling the tank and some craftsmanship. One is a solar heater, black hose in a glass covered box (thermo siphon), another is propane burner with a coil, solar airerator, wind powered water pump, wood burner heat exchanger, the list goes on............... Wheres your water trough? Simply putting it exposed to the southern sun and a flat black paint job will help. Just a few ideas, I know they are vague but it be a book if I typed it here.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## laurenlewis24

I keep one outside, and one inside the barn. They are both plastic/rubber? I don't know which one. The DIY needs to be CHEAP like under $150


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## Phly

Everything I listed can be built from mostly scraps and be well under $50
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## laurenlewis24

Phly said:


> Everything I listed can be built from mostly scraps and be well under $50
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Could you pick the best one in your opinion and give me details on how to build? Or a website that could help.


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## Phly

It all depends on your situation. Solar is easiest, if you have adequate sun. At or near the water tanks. Do you have heat in the barn? Are you on top of a hill or is the water high on the property? With little wind break, or even have steady winds? How handy are you? All these things come into play. I personally prefer passive energy that doesn't require moving parts. So I'd say solar thermo siphon. Cheap, easy, and very effective. But thermo siphon can also be done off a heater or even a manure pile. Just depends what you have access too.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## toosexy4myspotz

Hot water freezes faster than cold water so dont add hot water. The molicules in hot water are rapidily moving and when exposed to extreme temperates they quickly stop causing the water to freeze much faster.


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## Clayton Taffy

If you go the extension cord route, I would get the best gague cord you can afford and the longest. one long cord would be better then two shorter ones.
If you have to use two shorter cords I would wrap the junctions with electric tape.

There is always a chance of things going wrong with electric and water. I have heard of horses being electrocuted, and when I was younger we had the watertrough shock all of our horses, it was 4 months before they would walk next to the trough and 6 months before they drank from it again.

I do not know if you can put a stock tank heater in a rubber trough or even a hard rubbermaid trough, mine are 100 gal galvanized, and some horses play with the heaters at first.

What i did was, first time I turned on the floating tank heater, I did it during the day when I was home, and for about 3 weeks I unplugged it every night and plugged in every morning untill I was sure it would work.

*I cannot stress how important it is that the heater is plugged into a GFI, If anything goes wrong it will, in theory, trip and cut off all electricity to the heater.*


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## Clayton Taffy

toosexy4myspotz said:


> Hot water freezes faster than cold water so dont add hot water. The molicules in hot water are rapidily moving and when exposed to extreme temperates they quickly stop causing the water to freeze much faster.


 
This is true but if you are adding hot water to the cold water, it will just make the water a little less cold so I think that would work best.


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## littrella

If you do the extension cord route, get long sections of PVC pipe to run the cord through. Horses wil not be able to chew or step on the cord. We do this to keep my donk from chewing the 8 feet of cord from the tank to the barn where the outlet is


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## DimSum

Well, you always go the "manure bucket"route but it's only a quick fix. Horse manure makes heat, and you can take a large muck bucket, put fresh manure on the bottom, cover it with straw and nest a 5 gallon water bucket in the middle. It works, but obviously isn't a long term solution.


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## PaintHorseMares

toosexy4myspotz said:


> Hot water freezes faster than cold water so dont add hot water. The molicules in hot water are rapidily moving and when exposed to extreme temperates they quickly stop causing the water to freeze much faster.


Although there are some circumstances in which this can happen, this is not generally the case. Feel free to use hot water all you want.... I always do.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## laurenlewis24

When I add warm water to the trough, I always add it to the existing cold water. 

I have heard of a theory about putting a football in the water trough. The constent movement from the ball helps to break up any forming ice. Have any of you heard of this? Do you think its worth a try?
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## PaintHorseMares

laurenlewis24 said:


> When I add warm water to the trough, I always add it to the existing cold water.
> 
> I have heard of a theory about putting a football in the water trough. The constent movement from the ball helps to break up any forming ice. Have any of you heard of this? Do you think its worth a try?
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


I have tried various types of balls in our 110 gal, but there doesn't seem to enough movement to keep it from freezing. To be honest, our mares just break the ice with their muzzle or hoof when they're thirsty.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Clayton Taffy

PaintHorseMares said:


> To be honest, our mares just break the ice with their muzzle or hoof when they're thirsty.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


This might work in NC, please don't try in in Indiana.


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## Clayton Taffy

Oops!!


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## PaintHorseMares

Taffy Clayton said:


> Oops!!


I imagine you're right ;-)
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## laurenlewis24

I have about a 50 gal trough, though. Would it work then? My barn is an acre away from the house and we have no way to bring the warm water down there besides manual carrying. It really slows me down in the mornings when I am in a hurry the most. 

I am thinking of buying another trough (larger) and bringing it to the very tip top of our huge "hill" where the fence is. The hill makes it extremely hard to carry the water and if I bring it to the top of the hill I can load several buckets of warm water into my truck and easily drive to the trough, or I can run just one extension cord out there and heat it. 
That would leave me with my smaller one inside the barn that I could try the football method with. Also, how do you prevent the smaller water buckets in the stalls from freezing?


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## RedHorseRidge

We don't have water running in our barn currently. We put out a 150 rubbermaid tank as close as we could to the house. Then we ran pvc pipe all the way to the tank; we were able to hang ours along a fence that separates two pastures. To fill the tank, we hook up a 100' hose to the house and to the closest end of the pvc pipe to fill the tank. I've seen people use this "pvc extension" over hundreds of feet; it's nice if you can get a slight downhill slope so it drains in the winter.

There is a waterer made for cattle that has a floating ball in a hole. When the animal wants to drink it pushes the ball down. When it is done, the ball pops back up to seal the hole.

I know there are solar powered stock tank heaters, but they are expensive and I have to wonder how much heat they can produce. They do make solar powered aerators that, depending on how cold it gets, might keep the water form freezing. There are also batter powered heaters.

When I was boarding my horses while I was in school, the facility had no electric to where my horses were. I dug a hold, set a tank down into it (about half way deep), and then used horse manure to fill in to the top of the tank. Kept the tank from freezing most days (and these were Iowa winters). I'd have to add manure from time to time as it broke down. One of the other boarders simply piled horse manure up around her horses buckets daily to keep them from freezing.

It helps tremendously to: 1) cover the tank with a dark cover leaving only space large enough for the horse to get its head down to drink; 2) insulating the outside of the tank with good insulation; 3) set the tank on good insulation.


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## farmpony84

I just hammer (with a big hammer) a hole in my troughs morning and night. (I have three 100 gallon troughs). In the evenings I carry warm water down to the barn and I put it in the stall buckets because I want to ensure the horses are drinking enough, especially my older horse, who is prone to colic. (Some horses don't like to drink cold water or will drink less when it's cold).


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## HalfAHaffie

farmpony84 said:


> I just hammer (with a big hammer) a hole in my troughs morning and night. (I have three 100 gallon troughs). In the evenings I carry warm water down to the barn and I put it in the stall buckets because I want to ensure the horses are drinking enough, especially my older horse, who is prone to colic. (Some horses don't like to drink cold water or will drink less when it's cold).


Bump
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## michaelvanessa

*freezing water*

ok you have answerd your own questions on keeping from freezing use a small header tank long rubber hose pipe run it through the muck heap and have an electric heating pump to pump the water through the hose have the hose zig zag round the trough so the hose pipe will act as a heat exchanger and hopefully keep the water in the trough frost free.
as with electric use what we call a rcd trip switch any problems it will isolate your extention cord i agree with taffy clayton 1 long length is better than 2 on the other hand does your electrical wholesaler sell heavy duty cable and a plug and socket that you can make your own lead and as with horses dont forget the trip switch for safty in emergencys.
also you could use the water to wash your hands and in the spring summer bath your horses in warm water.


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## Ashleysmardigrasgirl

I've heard of digging a hole for the tank to rest in keeps them from freezing... I've always wondered if it would work/how far you would have to burry it if the ground itself was frozen... might be worth looking into.

good luck!


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## Chevaux

Re breaking ice in trough: I've heard of some folks putting a wooden fence post in the trough, leaning it up against the inside of the tank. The purpose of is to stir it around to break up the ice rather than having to hit the ice with a hammer or stone.

Re freezing inside stall buckets: That happens to us as well. We use the black rubber buckets that are tough and easy to get rid of the ice by tapping the sides and bottom with a hammer. If you're using box stalls, it helps to have the buckets hanging on an isle wall rather than the outside wall.

Re extension cords: You might want to check at your local hardware/construction store to see what they have for wiring/cable that is tough and weather resistant and can be used to make your own specialized cord. The stuff that I'm thinking about is the kind that you use for buried electrical cable. I'm not an electrician by a long shot but I do know that once you start joining shorter extension cords together to make a long one, the current is weaker by the time it reaches the end destination.


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## Saddlebag

Halfahaffie, try chopping the ice with an axe. We do that when we go ice fishing. Sometimes the ice is over a foot thick.


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