tank heaters
This message is from: Melinda Schumacher melinda.schumac...@gmail.com Hello Fjord Friends: I have been shocked by the exorbitant cost of powering tank heaters. Two of them have more than doubled my entire household monthly electric bill! I am wondering if I could save electricity if I unplugged them for the warmest part of the day. Do they draw power continuously or is there a thermostat which cycles them on and off? Melinda in Marengo OH with Mirakel and Norrman -- Coaching with Melinda Schumacher, MD Personal Empowerment through Equine Experiential Learning and Creative Expression You wander from room to room hunting for the diamond necklace that is already around your neck. ~Jalal-Uddin Rumi As she knotted the reins and took her stand, the horse's soul came into her hand, and up from the mouth that held the steel came an innermost word, half thought, half feel.~paraphrased, John Masefield Fly Without Wings www.flywithoutwings.net Gestalt Practitioner www.gestaltcleveland.org Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
Re: tank heaters
This message is from: Jon Ofjord jofj...@northlc.com Melinda, Most of the drain hole heaters are thermostatically controlled. I build insulated boxes for the tanks and cut a hole in the top for access by the horses. I believe the boxes pay for themselves in a season or two. Jon, in Northern Minnesota where it stayed above zero all day! www.northcoastfjords.com I have been shocked by the exorbitant cost of powering tank heaters. elinda in Marengo OH with Mirakel and Norrman -- Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
Re: tank heaters
This message is from: Steve McIlree st...@carriagehorse.com Melinda Schumacher wrote: I have been shocked by the exorbitant cost of powering tank heaters. Two of them have more than doubled my entire household monthly electric bill! I am wondering if I could save electricity if I unplugged them for the warmest part of the day. Do they draw power continuously or is there a thermostat which cycles them on and off? Cynthia installed a Bar-Bar-A waterer for the horses last year. It works quite well. The idea is that there is never standing water in the bowl. The water turns on and fills the bowl when the horses drink, then after a very short delay it drains to below the frost line. No electricity at all, and never any ice with which to deal. You can see them on the company's Web site: http://www.horsedrinker.com/ . These things are really slick, and though they aren't cheap they should save quite a bit on your electric bill. -- Steve Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
Re: tank heaters
This message is from: Melinda Schumacher melinda.schumac...@gmail.com I think this is an excellent idea. I expect they have to be installed when the ground is not frozen. And even though I don't know what the installation cost would be, one of these would pay for itself (unit + shipping) in just about 6 weeks of my moderately cold winter. thanks! Melinda On Sat, Jan 17, 2009 at 9:27 PM, Steve McIlree st...@carriagehorse.comwrote: This message is from: Steve McIlree st...@carriagehorse.com Melinda Schumacher wrote: I have been shocked by the exorbitant cost of powering tank heaters. Two of them have more than doubled my entire household monthly electric bill! I am wondering if I could save electricity if I unplugged them for the warmest part of the day. Do they draw power continuously or is there a thermostat which cycles them on and off? Cynthia installed a Bar-Bar-A waterer for the horses last year. It works quite well. The idea is that there is never standing water in the bowl. The water turns on and fills the bowl when the horses drink, then after a very short delay it drains to below the frost line. No electricity at all, and never any ice with which to deal. You can see them on the company's Web site: http://www.horsedrinker.com/ . These things are really slick, and though they aren't cheap they should save quite a bit on your electric bill. -- Steve Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
Re: tank heaters
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more winters than I care to count - I thawed water buckets and water tubs using a propane heater usually sold to heat garages. Took a litle while to get the distance right so I wouldn't melt the actual container but warmed the ice enough to slide out. Each year I created mountains of GIANT ice cubes. Now we have in tank heaters that work well most of the time. My two older mares having been shocked several times won't drink from the tubs with heaters. What they will drink out of I bought at Dover Saddlery and it's muck bucket size with a built in heater in the false bottom and coiled electric cord which plugs in. Easy to keep clean and perfect size for the two of them. Robyn in MD ** AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at http://www.aol.com. The FjordHorse List archives can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw
Re: tank heaters
This message is from: Brian Blevins [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please tell me about the propane heater. It is difficult for me to get power to one of my stock tanks and need a different approach. My father told me about kerosene heaters he used as a kid but that was when they used horses to do farm work - not kidding. I have looked for those heaters in antique stores but can not find them. Propane sounds interesting - is it on a small tank or a large home tank? Brian Original Message Follows From: Linda Patorni [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: fjordhorse@angus.mystery.com To: fjordhorse@angus.mystery.com Subject: Re: tank heaters Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2007 20:17:06 -0700 This message is from: Linda Patorni [EMAIL PROTECTED] I have never recovered from the guilt of mildly electrocuting my four donkeys on a daily basis some years ago. I had installed an electric tank heater and hadn't realized there was a grounding problem until I discovered they weren't drinking - I put my hand in the water and yes, there was a definite tingle. Now, living in New Mexico off the grid, (i.e. I am not connected to the national grid) I have to produce my own power, relying on solar panels for electricity. My equine population has now increased to eight, including two Fjords, so water in winter is an issue. So, I am conscious of the wattage needed to heat stock tanks and can't use anything with more than 20 watts. This winter I installed a propane water heater which has been a lifesaver and does't electrocute anyone. And, thanks to all of you and that interesting discussion, I am planning to put fish in my tank - let's hope my super efficient propane heater won't fry them to a crisp. The FjordHorse List archives can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw _ Its tax season, make sure to follow these few simple tips http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Taxes/PreparationTips/PreparationTips.aspx?icid=HMMartagline The FjordHorse List archives can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw
Re: tank heaters
This message is from: Holly Tuck [EMAIL PROTECTED] I too would be very interested in the propane heaters. I live in Canada and would like to use these if feasible. Thanks, Holly Fjords, so water in winter is an issue. This winter I installed a propane water heater which has been a lifesaver and does't electrocute anyone. Holly A. Tuck 72 Falls Road R.R.#3 Site 8, Comp 12 Thunder Bay, Ontario P7C 4V2 Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com The FjordHorse List archives can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw
Propane Stock Tank Heaters
This message is from: Linda Patorni [EMAIL PROTECTED] For those interested in propane stock tank heaters, I bought a Trojan 66B Stock Tank Heater at about $389. It's not cheap, especially when you fiigure a dedicated propane tank and a large enough stock tank to make it worthwhile. I bought a 90 gallon propane tank from Home Depot as my main 1000 gallon propane tank was too far to run a connection. The heater worked throughout winter (from November to March) on one tank of propane (I am at 7000 feet with fairly cold New Mexico winters). The link for the Trojan heater is : http://www.trojanlivestock.com/HeaterPages/TankHeaters.html It might not work for everyone, but for me, (off grid, so I can't run high wattage electricity), it has been a lifesaver. No more breaking ice each morning, and I can go away for a couple of days knowing that my guys have water. The heater hooks on the side of my stock tank and is lit down at its base which is at the bottom of the stock tank. Once lit, there's nothing to do- it stayed alight even in strong winds because the flame is right at the bottom. You set it and it has a thermostat, so it fires up if the temperature gets too cold. I found that my 6ft. round stock tank stayed completely ice-free throughout winter, even with our four foot snowfall in January. I can't compare it, cost-wise, with electric heaters as I don' have electricity bills, but it saved my own energy and mental stress! Happy to discuss further, if anyone has questions. Linda The FjordHorse List archives can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw
RE: tank heaters fish poop
This message is from: Skeels, Mark A \(GE Healthcare\) [EMAIL PROTECTED] If you feel a tingle when you stick your hand in the tank, you probably have a open neutral leg feeding your stock tank, even a corroded/resistive connection could cause your water to feel a little tingly, because the 120 volts or part of it, is basically then going thru your heater, and back to the point where the neutral is open or resistive. So your water would then be the same potential as that voltage, especially in a insulated stock tank, such as a Rubbermaid. When the horse sticks his mouth into the water, the horse is grounded, and he touches a voltage with his mouth and gets a shock or tingle. I have heard of cows being killed because of this situation. Your heater could also have a nick or leak in the cord or connection point of the heater, and cause stray voltage. If you feel a tingle, I would unplug power right away and fix it. You might be able to stick a volt meter to a metal fence post or something metal that is stuck in the ground real good, and put the red lead into the tank, and measure the voltage, you shouldn't read anything. You would set your meter to the AC (alternating current) setting. If you have a voltage reading, then get it checked out. I don't know why the horse with shoe's wouldn't go over the electrical cord, if it was buried any depth it shouldn't have been a problem. If it was right on the surface or a inch or two under the surface, maybe the current flowing thru the wire, when the tank heater thermostat was closed so the heater was on, could have had enough magnetic flux lines around the wires, to cause a slight current in your horses shoes if he stood on the wire. Not sure. Basically that is how a transformer works, the magnetic flux lines in one wire causing current to flow in another wire in very close proximity, but not actually touching it. Usually the stock tank heaters have a Hot, Neutral and Ground wire, and if for some reason there is a short circuit their would then be a current in the ground wire. If you have a ground fault interruptor outlet (only about $7 at home depot) then it would trip and the horses wouldn't get shocked. If it keeps tripping, then don't bypass the ground fault outlet, get your problem fixed. Of course your stock heaters may be faulty, as we all know if we aren't cleaver in how we conceal the heater cord or heater itself, then our Fjords will figure out how to chew on the cord and pull the ting out and bend it all up nice for us. They aren't cheap. I put a board on the back half of the tank, and stick it half way thru the fence so the horse only has access to the water side, and the cord comes out from under the board on the opposite side of the fence from the horses. I learned in the early 90's about Fjords and how they seem to love chewing on anything, and it doesn't seem to matter if it has electricity going thru it. Mark Skeels -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Lois Berenyi Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2007 8:14 AM To: fjordhorse@angus.mystery.com Subject: tank heaters fish poop This message is from: Lois Berenyi [EMAIL PROTECTED] I have a question about the fish poop, once having had an aquarium I hated to clean. What happens to the fish waste products. Do the fish recycle that as well as the algae and dropped grain? I have a comment to make about tank heaters. When we lived in NJ we had used them for years without incident except when one of the steers pulled one out and left it on the ground. But we had an interesting incident one year with a mystery. We had run the electric underground to the heater in the tub. The horses drank from the tub without any sign of upset. The tub was near the gate for easy filling or topping off. All the horses except one would go through the gate and the one who pulled back and went slightly wild had gone through that gate before. Then it occurred to us that he was the only one shod and when we turned off the heater he would go through the gate but when it was on he would not. Rather than re-do the electric we disconnected the heater and removed it and had no further incidents. After that we insulated the tubs and covered them and did away with all the heaters since each one would run up the bill about $50 a month x 4 tanks. Lois Berenyi now horseless in sunny, shirtsleeve North Carolina The FjordHorse List archives can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw The FjordHorse List archives can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw
Re: tank heaters
This message is from: Linda Patorni [EMAIL PROTECTED] I have never recovered from the guilt of mildly electrocuting my four donkeys on a daily basis some years ago. I had installed an electric tank heater and hadn't realized there was a grounding problem until I discovered they weren't drinking - I put my hand in the water and yes, there was a definite tingle. Now, living in New Mexico off the grid, (i.e. I am not connected to the national grid) I have to produce my own power, relying on solar panels for electricity. My equine population has now increased to eight, including two Fjords, so water in winter is an issue. So, I am conscious of the wattage needed to heat stock tanks and can't use anything with more than 20 watts. This winter I installed a propane water heater which has been a lifesaver and does't electrocute anyone. And, thanks to all of you and that interesting discussion, I am planning to put fish in my tank - let's hope my super efficient propane heater won't fry them to a crisp. The FjordHorse List archives can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw
RE: tank heaters
This message is from: Gail Russell [EMAIL PROTECTED] My fish have survived literally two inch deep water in mid summer when we developed a leak. They are pretty hardy. GailAnd, thanks to all of you and that interesting discussion, I am planning to put fish in my tank - let's hope my super efficient propane heater won't fry them to a crisp. The FjordHorse List archives can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw
tank heaters fish poop
This message is from: Lois Berenyi [EMAIL PROTECTED] I have a question about the fish poop, once having had an aquarium I hated to clean. What happens to the fish waste products. Do the fish recycle that as well as the algae and dropped grain? I have a comment to make about tank heaters. When we lived in NJ we had used them for years without incident except when one of the steers pulled one out and left it on the ground. But we had an interesting incident one year with a mystery. We had run the electric underground to the heater in the tub. The horses drank from the tub without any sign of upset. The tub was near the gate for easy filling or topping off. All the horses except one would go through the gate and the one who pulled back and went slightly wild had gone through that gate before. Then it occurred to us that he was the only one shod and when we turned off the heater he would go through the gate but when it was on he would not. Rather than re-do the electric we disconnected the heater and removed it and had no further incidents. After that we insulated the tubs and covered them and did away with all the heaters since each one would run up the bill about $50 a month x 4 tanks. Lois Berenyi now horseless in sunny, shirtsleeve North Carolina The FjordHorse List archives can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw
Re: tank heaters fish poop
This message is from: Ed Sullivan [EMAIL PROTECTED] Hi Lois, that's a *shocking* tale! I think I've got a similar mystery, maybe there's an electrical guru among the group who can tell us... Each year at the Haddam Neck Fair horse show, a couple of usually staid, unflappable horses will take off and go bonkers during the trail class. The course is set up under some big power lines, the kind you can actually hear if it's quiet, which of course the fair is not. The weather is often hazy-hot-and-humid, Labor Day weekend. Perhaps there's a little stray voltage hitting the ground somehow? So far our Fjord mares (both shod) have always behaved just fine in trail, and enjoy visiting with fairgoers -- every year we meet some who have never seen a Fjordhorse before! Ann in CT dry lot ?? HAH ! - Original Message - From: Lois Berenyi Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2007 12:28 PM To: fjordhorse@angus.mystery.com Subject: tank heaters fish poop This message is from: Lois Berenyi [EMAIL PROTECTED] ..All the horses except one would go through the gate and the one who pulled back and went slightly wild had gone through that gate before. ... The FjordHorse List archives can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw
Re: stock tank heaters
This message is from: Carol J. Makosky [EMAIL PROTECTED] Alison Bakken wrote: This message is from: Alison Bakken [EMAIL PROTECTED] Hi Don, I have used the blue buckets. If you are using the buckets outside, you need to watch the plug in, if you are using extension cords. I have had snow get in the connection and cause problems. Alison Bakken In sunny warm Alberta. Hi Alison, Take electricians tape and wrap the connection several times. Don't be stingy with it and cover both ends well. Stretch the tape a bit when wrapping and then squeeze it all over. This should make the connection fairly water proof, but I would not let it lay on the ground. Carol M.
Re: stock tank heaters
This message is from: Alison Bakken [EMAIL PROTECTED] Hi Don, I have used the blue buckets. They work very well. I use them for goats and a dog. The horses water out of a stock tank, with stock tank heaters. If I only had a couple of horse I would use the buckets for them. If you are using the buckets outside, you need to watch the plug in, if you are using extension cords. I have had snow get in the connection and cause problems. Alison Bakken In sunny warm Alberta.
Re: stock tank heaters
This message is from: bolinsj [EMAIL PROTECTED] There is a recycle center near us that makes plastic wood out of recycled bottles and stuff. If you haul yourself, it is not much more expensive than real wood and works nice in the barns. All our stalls are built from it. It is sort of like the decking, but less expensive and maybe has some 'holes' (bubbles?) in the interior that make the ends look less pleasing than the good decking, but it works great. We used a 'barn red' color so it also hides some of the dirt. There are some tricks to working with it, but I guess it is the same with the plastic decking. More reinforcing than wood. But way less maintenance. Martie in MD GAIL RUSSELL wrote: This message is from: GAIL RUSSELL [EMAIL PROTECTED] Like Trex decking? I'm thinking about that plastic wood this year? I'll have to try the rubber duckies too. Gail Russell Forestville CA [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: stock tank heaters
This message is from: Carol J. Makosky [EMAIL PROTECTED] Jean Gayle wrote: This message is from: Jean Gayle [EMAIL PROTECTED] Re the five gallon bucket with heater in the bottom.. I have not used my two for fear the horses would get burned by the heater at the bottom or shocked.?? -- Jean, The heater is not exposed in my 5 gal. bucket. It seems there are two buckets together and the heater is between the two bottoms. I do make sure it is never totally empty. So you do not see the heater at all and the cord has wire on it, but I still make sure it is not within chewing range. Carol M.
Re: stock tank heaters
This message is from: Jean Gayle [EMAIL PROTECTED] Re the five gallon bucket with heater in the bottom.. I have not used my two for fear the horses would get burned by the heater at the bottom or shocked. Jean Jean Walters Gayle Aberdeen, WA Author:The Colonel's Daughter $20 PO Box 104 Montesano, WA 98563
tank heaters
This message is from: Janet McNally [EMAIL PROTECTED] after reading all those funny stories about fjords and floating tank heaters, I have to recommend the one we use, its a heater that screws in to the bottom of a rubbermaid tank. like someone else said, park the tank with the chord under the fence out of reach. Only problem with these 1500 watt heaters... they are very hard on the electric bill, up to $60/month in a Minnesota January. janet
Re: stock tank heaters
This message is from: GAIL RUSSELL [EMAIL PROTECTED] Like Trex decking? I'm thinking about that plastic wood this year? I'll have to try the rubber duckies too. Gail Russell Forestville CA [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: stock tank heaters
This message is from: bolinsj [EMAIL PROTECTED] We tried both a wooden and a chickenwire cage for over the top of the tank. Wee Willy took off with the wire one day and the Fjords ate a hole in the wood. I was afraid the splinters would hurt them so I took off the wooden top. I'm thinking about that plastic wood this year? I'll have to try the rubber duckies too. And stand by with a camera! Martie in MD [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In a message dated 11/16/2002 11:48:19 AM Pacific Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: OH yeah, we have that problem too. Seems the Fjords just can't resist playing with the cool floaty thing in the tank. So Dad has constructed a Fjord Proof wooden cover which covers about 1/2 the tank, with a chicken wire screen that goes all the way down to the bottom of the tank so that the heater is safely contained where the horses cannot get to it. (we have the regular oblong shaped metal stock tanks) With one very persistent filly we used to have, we had to resort to also putting a hot wire around the edge of the wood cover so she wouldn't grab that with her teeth and pull it off. If you ever want to have some fun in the summer, try putting some rubber ducks in the stock tank! But, be prepared to keep retrieving them from the ground and putting them back in the water.. Amy Amy Evers Dun Lookin' Fjords Redmond, OR Fjord [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: stock tank heaters
This message is from: Bossmare [EMAIL PROTECTED] There is a heater available for the Rubbermaid tubs that screws in where the plug goes (so horses can't reach it or the wire). I believe it also shuts off if water level gets too low. One caution from an experience we had...we noticed the horses avoiding the tub and suspect they were getting a shock when they touched the tub. At that time we had the floating type. We also had problems with cattle pulling it out where it seared the ground and did not shut off when out of water. We discontinued using tub heaters at that timealso our electric bill per month in the winter was approx. $50 for each heater and we had 3 tubs. Just our experience. Lois Berenyi in NJ - Original Message - From: Don Brackett [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: fjordhorse@angus.mystery.com Sent: Saturday, November 16, 2002 4:27 PM Subject: stock tank heaters This message is from: Don Brackett [EMAIL PROTECTED] We've finally decided that our desire to haul hot water out to the animals all winter to de-ice the water tanks is no fun! So do any of you have any advice on the different water tank heaters. There are so many out there. We only have the two horses so our current tank is small, only about 20 gallons. Do any of you use the blue buckets with heaters built in. There is one at Dover for $90 some - 16 gallons. Do they hold up? The sheep have a slightly bigger tank but they drag alot of hay and manure into theirs so it needs freqent cleaning out. What are the various safety issues with these heaters. What types of things do you do to protect the wires? Any and all advice is happily accepted. Jane Maine where winter has arrived and the Fjords are very fuzzy indeed.
Re: stock tank heaters
This message is from: Sarah Nagel [EMAIL PROTECTED] Don Brackett wrote: What are the various safety issues with these heaters. What types of things do you do to protect the wires? Any and all advice is happily accepted. Some safety issues we have found with various stock tank heaters and open topped tanks mostly involved younger playful Fjords that just won't leave them alone, whether or not they are the floating type or the sink to the bottom with a wire cage around them type. I've found 2 of our heaters OUTSIDE the tank and still plugged in, just laying there. A mare I have, who is now 6 managed to remove a caged heater, run off with it, smash it to bits and leave it out in the middle of a 12 acre field where she stood and snorted at the bad thing. That's how I found it. I wondered what in the world was upsetting her so. My guess is from the looks of that heater, it had managed to jump out of the tank, and grab her by the foot and wrap itself around her ankle, forcing her to flee for her life. One time, I came outside to find a 3 year old gelding swinging the heater in the cage up and down, around and around by the cord. He was having a ball and decided to trot off with the heater in his mouth when I approached him to retrieve it, hopefully before the big goof managed to electrocute himself. He ripped it out of it's socket thankfully before he proceeded to bite through the wire and destroy the heater. I'm not sure how many heaters I had purchased at this point. But the heater is the least expensive part of this problem!I was worried about losing the horse! We spent a few years making 'tops' of various things over our stock tanks, using wire, fencing, wood ... always trying to fashion it so the horses could get into drink, but not manage to 'grab' the heater that they find so fascinating. Mainly the problem with this was one particular horse, would then put his front leg through the opening and start fishing around for his heater. I wasn't sure if he managed to step on it just right, if it was going to electrocute him or not. The best solution I finally ended up with was changing over to the Rubbermaid tanks, and using the screw in type of heater that goes in through the bottom side. I then put that side of the tank up against the fence and take the cord directly outside of the fence and run it through conduit over to the exterior, weather proof, gfci outlet. All this is located on the OUTSIDE of the fence, where they cannot get to it. In one pasture I have now, it would be possible for a horse to crane his/her neck over the fence and possibly get to the outlet, so I purchased a metal covered outlet with a cover that locks from the outside. If he ever figures out the combination lock, I might be in trouble again! Sarah Nagel Stevensville, MT
Re: stock tank heaters
This message is from: Mariposa Farm [EMAIL PROTECTED] Don Brackett wrote: What are the various safety issues with these heaters. What types of things do you do to protect the wires? Any and all advice is happily accepted. Hi Jane- We have 23 horses in 12 different paddocks and we use 8 different stock tanks to service them all. We're also located in northern Wisconsin where it can get chilly. I built insulated boxes for the 75 and 100 gallon Rubbermaid tanks and equipped them with lids that have a cut out for the horses head. This keeps heat and the heaters in the tanks. I use the sinking basket type heaters (around $30.00 each and they burn 1500 watts maximum). Only use ground fault protected outlets, which is code in Wisconsin anyway and add up your watts and divide by the voltage (115) to get how many amp circuit you need. Two heaters could possibly burn 26 amps but in reality they burn less. Once I put the tanks in insulated boxes my electric bill dropped by 25%. In the stalls we use the blue 5 gallon electric buckets that go for around $35.00 each. Be careful using the floating type without a basket. A friend I know had their tank catch on fire when the tank was empty. Mark McGinley Mariposa Farm Washburn WI http://www.mariposafarm.com
Re: stock tank heaters
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In a message dated 11/16/2002 11:48:19 AM Pacific Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Only problem we have with it is that FJORDS like to play with the heater and pull it out of the tank. OH yeah, we have that problem too. Seems the Fjords just can't resist playing with the cool floaty thing in the tank. So Dad has constructed a Fjord Proof wooden cover which covers about 1/2 the tank, with a chicken wire screen that goes all the way down to the bottom of the tank so that the heater is safely contained where the horses cannot get to it. (we have the regular oblong shaped metal stock tanks) With one very persistent filly we used to have, we had to resort to also putting a hot wire around the edge of the wood cover so she wouldn't grab that with her teeth and pull it off. If you ever want to have some fun in the summer, try putting some rubber ducks in the stock tank! But, be prepared to keep retrieving them from the ground and putting them back in the water.. Amy Amy Evers Dun Lookin' Fjords Redmond, OR Fjord [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: stock tank heaters
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] We have a 50 gal rubbermaid tank with a heater that goes into the drain plug. It is up against the fence so they can't monkey with the cord. We plug it in to the barn outlet. Suzan One discovers a friend by chance, and cannot but feel regret that 20 or 30 years of life may have been spent without the least knowledge of him. â Charles Dudley Warner
Re: stock tank heaters
This message is from: bolinsj [EMAIL PROTECTED] We have those floating tank heaters in our 'bathtub' trough. Only problem we have with it is that FJORDS like to play with the heater and pull it out of the tank. The electric cord is 'covered' so they can't bite through or anything, but I find it really frustrating to go out and discover the float sitting on the ground heating nothing! while the tub is now frozen. Must be some way to make it stay in the trough. Martie in MD
Re: stock tank heaters
This message is from: Carol J. Makosky [EMAIL PROTECTED] Don Brackett wrote: This message is from: Don Brackett [EMAIL PROTECTED] We've finally decided that our desire to haul hot water out to the animals all winter to de-ice the water tanks is no fun! So do any of you have any advice on the different water tank heaters. There are so many out there. We only have the two horses so our current tank is small, only about 20 gallons. Do any of you use the blue buckets with heaters built in. Hi, I only have one horse and use the 5 gal. bucket with heater in the bottom. It has held up very well for the last 4 years. Go to the archives for more talk about this. It must be that time of the year. Carol M. N. WI
stock tank heaters
This message is from: Don Brackett [EMAIL PROTECTED] We've finally decided that our desire to haul hot water out to the animals all winter to de-ice the water tanks is no fun! So do any of you have any advice on the different water tank heaters. There are so many out there. We only have the two horses so our current tank is small, only about 20 gallons. Do any of you use the blue buckets with heaters built in. There is one at Dover for $90 some - 16 gallons. Do they hold up? The sheep have a slightly bigger tank but they drag alot of hay and manure into theirs so it needs freqent cleaning out. What are the various safety issues with these heaters. What types of things do you do to protect the wires? Any and all advice is happily accepted. Jane Maine where winter has arrived and the Fjords are very fuzzy indeed.
