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 Best of the Badlands
   
Location: You never know where I will show up...... | I live where it's brutal for months and I abandon water buckets when it starts getting cold at night. I use rubber tubs. Fill with hot or warm water and they will stay thawed out for quite awhile. You can flip them upside down and jump on them to pop the ice out when they freeze and the horses can't break or smash them. I have 5 gallon rubber tubs & 20 gallon ones as well. |
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 The Vaccinator
Posts: 3810
 
Location: Slipping down the slope of old age. Boo hoo. | I use the 16-gallon heated water tubs and have for years and years. One of the tubs I have been using for almost 10 years and it is still working great. The horses drink lots more water -- and I do not have any issues ever with colic episodes due to weather changes, etc. Once warm weather arrives, I clean and store the tubs for the spring / summer having them ready to go for Fall. |
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The Vaccinator
Posts: 3810
Location: Slipping down the slope of old age. Boo hoo. | Three 4 Luck - 2015-01-09 2:10 PM
TessBelle - 2015-01-09 12:57 PM Not trying to steal OPs post but what about us that's getting abnormally cold weather? I've been breaking ice the last 2 days and all my faucets are froze in the mornings and shortly after dark. It's really not worth spending the money on heated buckets because they would never get used except on rare occasions. So is there anything I can do to help them not freeze? I have one horse that is having to stay in a stall 24/7 and his water freezes during the night. I tried to leave his faucet dripping last night but that didn't work.
We're in south Arkansas and don't typically have many days when we have to worry about stuff freezing up, but those heated tubs are TOTALLY WORTH IT. They don't just keep the water from icing, they make it warm and the horses drink more. Â Even on non-freezing days, they are nice to have. Â
This is certainly right! I live only a few miles south of Three For Luck and keep my heated tubs full/plugged in all winter - it IS totally worth it to have the horses drink more water through the winter!!! |
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The Vaccinator
Posts: 3810
Location: Slipping down the slope of old age. Boo hoo. | BRcwgrl81 - 2015-01-09 1:12 PM
Herbie - 2015-01-09 2:04 PM So for those that are using heated buckets and tank heaters, if you don't have electricity right at the location of the bucket, do you run extension cords? My horses stay turned out unless there is moisture coming and there is no outlet near my pastures.  I'd have to run about 100 feet of extension cords. Is this what you all do? I do have a couple of outlets in the barn, but they aren't right at my stalls either. Â
 This is exactly what I do.  At the house we just sold, the outlet was about 200 ft from pasture.  We strung 3 heavy duty extension cords together for our tank de-icer. Â
At our new house, its about 110 ft...and we have 2 heavy duty extension cords together. Â Never had an issue. Â
Last year was the first year I used a de-icer because I always thought the pasture was too far from the outlet (200 ft)...man, I wish I would have asked people sooner if it was feasible!! Â I'll NEVER go another winter without a de-icer!!!! Â Best $20 winter investment I've made! Â
I have not done this, but have heard of people who use PVC pipe to run the extension cord in out to the pasture/water to keep is covered and so the horses cannot step on it or mess with it -- and so no critter tries to chew it. Like I said, I have not done this, but sounds like a good idea.... ??? |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 499
Location: ARKANSAS | I live in south arkansas as well, and i also use the 16 gallon heated tubs..i have had the same tubs for about 5 years now..i LOVE them!!! I just clean them up after the danger of freeze is over and put them up till the following fall. For those of you who have to run extension cords to your tubs, you can get heavy duty outdoor cords, and you can can bury them or even run them through pvc pipe, if its not very far. Now grant ya i would not want to do that for 300 ft..lol But if there is a will there is a way!!! I thankfully have mine plugged in right next to my barn and do not not have to worry about it. I have 2, and if something happens to either of these i will replace with one just like it!!! |
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